Despite a few flaws, an absorbing story of resilience in the face of challenges.
This autobiographical novel traces a deaf Iranian woman’s life through political and personal turmoil, love, and illness.
Growing up in Tehran in the 1950s, Zhila Shirazi is doubly an outsider: Her family is Jewish, and she is deaf. Any kind of disability is viewed as shameful in her culture, so to pass for normal, Zhila becomes a highly skilled lip reader. Her condition demands constant vigilance, and even then, the world can be a dangerous place. Zhila copes well with her challenges, earning a degree in geology; in 1972, she begins work as a heavy-mineral specialist. The future looks bright—but then Iran’s Islamic Revolution makes it unsafe to be Jewish in the country. Zhila and her family eventually make their way to the United States, though not before the new regime blinds and nearly kills her father. In Los Angeles, Zhila retrains as a certified nursing assistant and endures an abusive, short-lived marriage. At the age of 49, she meets Mickey Daniels, who’s also deaf. They fall in love and marry, but in 2010, Zhila is diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. She dies five years later, leaving Mickey heartbroken. In his book, Thal vividly conjures up a world that doesn’t exist anymore in Iran, one that’s diverse (if antisemitic) and culturally vibrant, with rich career opportunities for women. While the immigrant story of courageously starting over and adapting is familiar, Zhila’s disability adds another dimension. But the tale’s episodic structure doesn’t always advance the plot, including several vacation trips described with tourist-guide details (“The 125-year-old Synagogue de la Victoire mercifully survived the destruction by the Nazis during their occupation. Also called The Grand Synagogue of Paris, its grandeur was evidenced by its classical arches and 2,000-seat capacity”). And, since Mickey is an author stand-in, Zhila’s high praise can sound uncomfortably self-congratulatory: “Mickey’s quiet brilliance always left me awed.”
Despite a few flaws, an absorbing story of resilience in the face of challenges.Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-953469-85-4
Page Count: 242
Publisher: Paper Angel Press
Review Posted Online: Dec. 22, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A charming love story that absolutely radiates warmth.
A single mom winds up fake dating an incredibly wealthy man in her hometown.
Dolly Brick is back in her hometown of Whitfield, Rhode Island, for the summer to help her dad and disabled brother manage their house and family business. As a 39-year-old single mother with multiple jobs—which now include working at the Brick Fish House—Dolly is always busy. When her mom left their family years ago, Dolly took over caring for her siblings and father and never really stopped. When she runs into Stewart Whitfield after making a shrimp delivery to his family’s mansion, she doesn’t think they could be more different. She’s had to figure out how to do everything by herself, and he can’t even change a tire. That’s why Stewart’s proposal that she pretend to be his girlfriend feels so unbelievable—but it comes with a hefty check that she desperately needs for home repairs. So she becomes the fake girlfriend of Stewart Whitfield (as in, the Whitfields her town is named after; his real fiancée just dumped him and it’s a bad time for him to be single) and experiences what it’s like to walk into fancy buildings through the front door instead of the service entrance. More than the boats and helicopter and expensive dinners, though, Dolly is impressed by what a kind man Stewart is—and how it feels to let someone else take care of her for a change. Soon, their relationship starts to feel more real than fake. Monaghan creates an impossibly winning story with a charming, lovable heroine. Dolly is capable, hardworking, and will do anything for the people she loves. She and Stewart both possess real flaws, and while their relationship begins with one of the most beloved rom-com tropes, their challenges feel like realistic adult obstacles rather than easily solved miscommunications. It’s also refreshing that, even though Dolly must learn to allow other people to help her, she never views her caretaking responsibilities as burdens. She deeply loves her family, and that love carries through the entire story.
A charming love story that absolutely radiates warmth.Pub Date: May 26, 2026
ISBN: 9780593853979
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2026
SEEN & HEARD
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
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