A wildly creative, fictionalized look at city life sometimes marred by boggy backstories.
A surreal literary novel set in 1970s New York from debut author Gross.
It’s 1976, and “unfinished buildings marring the skyline” plague New York City, along with overflowing garbage, boarded-up storefronts, and constant crime. The good news? After years of poor performance, the Yankees have a good shot at winning the World Series. Hope rides on young star pitcher Nick “The Swan” Spillage, who is a sensation with fans not just for his prowess on the mound, but also for his killer looks. In fact, Manhattanite Joan TK finds herself infatuated with him, despite the fact she lives with her geeky boyfriend, Eliot. Eliot would like the two to get married, but Joan’s not interested. She has lived through the horror of her parents’ marriage and wants no part of the institution. If Joan can’t have Spillage, she’ll settle for a tryst with a Shakespearean actor who calls himself Choice. Elsewhere in Gotham, a radical group known as the Satanic Vanguard plans to assassinate New York City’s mayor. Along from graffiti and social disorder, the city is also awash with sinister, magical figures; one baddie was gunned down by the police only to reappear and work for Satan. This mixture of a rough city, demonic elements, 1970s politics, and, of course, baseball is certainly unique. This is a world where, as one character put it, “You can’t end God’s oppressive rule by being cute. Half measures won’t do.” Such passions fuel the entire cast, whether they are striking out batters or entering strange worlds. At times, however, the reader gets more background than is needed. For instance, a lengthy portion concerning Joan’s upbringing, with things like how phony her parents were, proves to be unnecessary. But Gross provides such a juicy, unusual plot that readers will be riveted despite the tangents.
A wildly creative, fictionalized look at city life sometimes marred by boggy backstories.Pub Date: Feb. 14, 2024
ISBN: 9798865879305
Page Count: 286
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2024
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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