An ambitious epic that doesn’t quite work.
A Hungarian family reckons with history and their own demons.
When Lajos von Lázár is born at the turn of the 20th century, his father, Sándor, a Hungarian baron, is “slightly unsettled”: The baby is translucent, his organs visible, “blond, blue-eyed, and jellyfish-skinned.” Sándor, who suspects, correctly, the baby is not his biological child, comes from a family beset with problems; their manor abuts a forest that “had swallowed his father, killed his mother, and driven his brother mad.” He is a strict, unsmiling father to Lajos and his sister, Ilona, and a cold partner to his wife, Mária, a troubled woman who cuts her skin daily to remind herself she is still alive. Lajos and Ilona spend their childhood in the manor, occasionally encountering mysterious creatures in the seemingly haunted forest, finding happiness only when Sándor is out of town. Biedermann’s novel follows the Lázár family through the next several decades, as the First and Second World Wars ravage central Europe: Mária dies by suicide, which exacerbates the drinking problem that eventually leads to Sándor’s death. Lajos inherits his father’s estate and starts a family of his own, but his life is marked by a cowardice he hates in himself, especially when he fails to stand up to the Nazis who have occupied Hungary. Lajos’ skin isn’t the only magical-realist touch Biedermann includes; many come and go along the way, but it’s not clear what the effect is supposed to be—they seem to be quirks for quirks’ sake. He introduces characters who disappear for long stretches, and the novel features time jumps that jar and disorient. His prose, in Bulloch’s translation, has some shining moments, but the novel as a whole never really comes together. At 21, Biedermann is an exceptionally young writer, and it shows, but he does display a talent that, though unformed, evinces promise.
An ambitious epic that doesn’t quite work.Pub Date: April 7, 2026
ISBN: 9781668200551
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Summit
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2026
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
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
