Sometimes-grim but ultimately hopeful stories of redemption.
A magical New York City cafe helps people reconcile with their struggles in this collection of two novellas by Plakcy.
In the first story, “Code of Silence,” Jeff,a software developer,watches his life gradually unravel after he breaks up with his beloved girlfriend, Madeline. Struggling with insecurity and his overbearing father’s expectations, he has trouble keeping a job or maintaining a steady romantic relationship. One day, he finds himself alone, desperate, and living in a hotel. A chance encounter with a golden retriever named Cooper leads him to the Smiling Dog Café and its owner, Betty, and his conversations with her allow him to confront his memories of his ex, understand his fears, and find a path forward—with a little help from Betty’s magical powers. Cooper, for instance, is actually a painting of a dog that she’s brought to life, and the cafe’s furniture and music transform memories into therapeutic experiences. In this way, the novella effectivelytakes readers on Jeff's journey from isolation and self-doubt to self-acceptance and hope. The second novella, “A Mother’s Heart,” does something similar; it features Sophia Greenwood, a single mother whose 9-year-old daughter, Emma, is diagnosed with a genetic heart condition. Painful memories of her own mother’sbattle with heart disease haunt Sophia, and as she navigates Emma’s difficult treatment, she calls on memories of women who raised her after her globetrotting mom’s death. Each caregiver—Keiko-san in Tokyo, Lakshmi in Mumbai, Marie-Claude in Paris, and Isabella in Rio—taught Sophia different ways of coping with grief. Sophia ultimately also ends up at the Smiling Dog Café, and its magic helps her to embrace a legacy of love and strength, passed down through generations of women. These two heartfelt, crisply written novellas wear their sadness on their sleeve and take their earnest messages of healing seriously. A reference to Michael Cunningham’s bestselling novel The Hours (1998) points to Plakcy’s clear intentions; at their best, these stories tackle their characters’ suffering with skill.
Sometimes-grim but ultimately hopeful stories of redemption.Pub Date: Jan. 12, 2025
ISBN: 9798305779912
Page Count: 256
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: March 14, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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
The best-selling author of tearjerkers like Angel Falls (2000) serves up yet another mountain of mush, topped off with...
Talk-show queen takes tumble as millions jeer.
Nora Bridges is a wildly popular radio spokesperson for family-first virtues, but her loyal listeners don't know that she walked out on her husband and teenaged daughters years ago and didn't look back. Now that a former lover has sold racy pix of naked Nora and horny himself to a national tabloid, her estranged daughter Ruby, an unsuccessful stand-up comic in Los Angeles, has been approached to pen a tell-all. Greedy for the fat fee she's been promised, Ruby agrees and heads for the San Juan Islands, eager to get reacquainted with the mom she plans to betray. Once in the family homestead, nasty Ruby alternately sulks and glares at her mother, who is temporarily wheelchair-bound as a result of a post-scandal car crash. Uncaring, Ruby begins writing her side of the story when she's not strolling on the beach with former sweetheart Dean Sloan, the son of wealthy socialites who basically ignored him and his gay brother Eric. Eric, now dying of cancer and also in a wheelchair, has returned to the island. This dismal threesome catch up on old times, recalling their childhood idylls on the island. After Ruby's perfect big sister Caroline shows up, there's another round of heartfelt talk. Nora gradually reveals the truth about her unloving husband and her late father's alcoholism, which led her to seek the approval of others at the cost of her own peace of mind. And so on. Ruby is aghast to discover that she doesn't know everything after all, but Dean offers her subdued comfort. Happy endings await almost everyone—except for readers of this nobly preachy snifflefest.
The best-selling author of tearjerkers like Angel Falls (2000) serves up yet another mountain of mush, topped off with syrupy platitudes about life and love.Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-609-60737-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2001
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