A thought-provoking but imperfect portrait of family dynamics from a promising newcomer.
An alcoholic father’s dying wish reunites two estranged half sisters in this debut novel.
Learning of her father’s death from a newspaper obituary, kindergarten teacher Mickey Morris, born Michelle Kowalski, is not surprised that she’s not listed as next of kin; she hasn’t spoken to Adam Kowalski in more than 26 years, since he abandoned her and her mother for another woman and a new family. So she’s shocked to learn that he’s left her more than $5 million. The catch, as sad-sack estate lawyer Tom Samson informs her, is that Mickey—who struggles with a severe drinking problem that threatens her job—must complete seven therapy sessions before she can collect the money. The therapist her father has chosen is her younger half sister, Arlo, whom he has cut out of the will. Mickey and Arlo have never met, and neither knows that they’re related. This intriguing premise could have resulted in an outrageous situation comedy or tense psychological thriller, but Canadian author Dick instead creates a melancholy family dramedy to explore the nature of grief and the way two emotionally damaged young women can recover from the trauma of addiction and bad parenting. Unlike Mickey, who resented her absent father, Arlo adored and cared for Daddy in his final days. But she too has denial issues, especially accepting responsibility for a serious professional mistake. While Dick vividly captures the chaos of alcoholism and its impact on family members and friends, Mickey’s continual poor choices and Arlo’s questionable ethics eat away at the reader’s sympathy. Indeed, the only appealing characters are 5-year-old Ian, Mickey’s favorite student, and Daria, Mickey’s artist neighbor, whom Mickey betrays in the most appalling way.
A thought-provoking but imperfect portrait of family dynamics from a promising newcomer.Pub Date: April 29, 2025
ISBN: 9780593832264
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
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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