A solid drama with a well-developed cast.
Two orphans create their own little family and overcome life’s obstacles in Paxson’s debut novel.
It was just another day at the Dime, a five-and-dime store in Northville, New York.Lily Madison, who works there, is watching high schoolers shop after school lets out for the day, worrying about her younger sister, Sophie, who’s also in high school. Their parents were killed in a car accident many years ago, which also left Sophie paralyzed from the waist down; since then, she’s had a tendency to withdraw into herself and refrain from socializing with her classmates. Teenager Pete Boynton just wants to have something special for his birthday, and since his abusive parents aren’t going to do anything for him, he decides to take matters into his own hands by stealing a shirt from the Dime. Lily catches him but offers him a deal: If he asks Sophie to the upcoming school dance, she’ll let him keep the shirt and won’t turn him in. Pete agrees, mostly due to his fear of what his father will do if the police are called. However, Sophie throws a wrench in their plans by taking the initiative—and asking Pete to the dance first. Unfortunately, the day of the dance doesn’t work out like they all hoped; instead, Pete shows up on Lily and Sophie’s doorstep bloody and bruised after being beaten by his dad. Because of this, the three form a bond that will change their lives. Paxson’s slice-of-life novel presents an unusual kind of found family in a story that’s character-driven and compelling. What’s most notable about the novel, though, is the author’s portrayal of the anxiety that Pete faces; early on, he describes it as being an octopus, and images of tentacles recur as Pete thinks and worries about various troublesome aspects of his life over the course of the story. The tragedies that Lily and Sophie have suffered also help to make them relatable characters, and the work’s secondary players, such as Pete’s parents and Lily’s friends the Anthems, also help to make this a consistently engaging read.
A solid drama with a well-developed cast.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: KingMidget Press Book
Review Posted Online: June 7, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.
A lifetime’s worth of letters combine to portray a singular character.
Sybil Van Antwerp, a cantankerous but exceedingly well-mannered septuagenarian, is the titular correspondent in Evans’ debut novel. Sybil has retired from a beloved job as chief clerk to a judge with whom she had previously been in private legal practice. She is the divorced mother of two living adult children and one who died when he was 8. She is a reader of novels, a gardener, and a keen observer of human nature. But the most distinguishing thing about Sybil is her lifelong practice of letter writing. As advancing vision problems threaten Sybil’s carefully constructed way of life—in which letters take the place of personal contact and engagement—she must reckon with unaddressed issues from her past that threaten the house of cards (letters, really) she has built around herself. Sybil’s relationships are gradually revealed in the series of letters sent to and received from, among others, her brother, sister-in-law, children, former work associates, and, intriguingly, literary icons including Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry. Perhaps most affecting is the series of missives Sybil writes but never mails to a shadowy figure from her past. Thoughtful musings on the value and immortal quality of letters and the written word populate one of Sybil’s notes to a young correspondent while other messages are laugh-out-loud funny, tinged with her characteristic blunt tartness. Evans has created a brusque and quirky yet endearing main character with no shortage of opinions and advice for others but who fails to excavate the knotty difficulties of her own life. As Sybil grows into a delayed self-awareness, her letters serve as a chronicle of fitful growth.
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780593798430
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
A dark and twisty look at just how far one woman is willing to go to find inspiration.
A struggling writer finds an unexpected muse when a mysterious man shows up at her cabin.
Petra Rose used to pump out a bestselling book every six months, but then the adaptation happened—that is, the disastrous film adaptation of her most famous book. The movie changed the book’s storyline so egregiously that fans couldn’t forgive her, and the ensuing harassment sent Petra into hiding and gave her a serious case of writer’s block. Petra’s one hope is her solo writing retreat at a remote cabin, where she can escape the distractions of real life and focus on her next book, a story about a woman having an affair with a cop. When officer Nathaniel Saint shows up at her cabin door, inspiration comes flooding back. Much like the character from Petra’s book, Saint is married, and he’s willing to be Petra’s muse, helping her get into her characters’ heads. Petra’s book is practically writing itself, but is the game she’s playing a little too dangerous? Does she know when to stop—and, more importantly, is Saint willing to stop? Hoover is no stranger to controversial movie adaptations and internet backlash, but she clarifies in a note to readers that she’s “just a writer writing about a writer” and that no further connections to her own life are contained in these pages—which is a good thing, because the book takes some horrifying twists and turns. Petra finds herself inexplicably attracted to Saint, even as she describes him as “such an asshole,” and her feelings for him veer between love and hate. The novel serves as a meta commentary on the dark romance genre—as Petra puts it, “Even though, as readers, we wouldn’t want to live out some of the fantasies we read about, it doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy reading those things.”
A dark and twisty look at just how far one woman is willing to go to find inspiration.Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2026
ISBN: 9781662539374
Page Count: -
Publisher: Montlake
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
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