A sparkling epic worthy of Bollywood’s silver screens.
A Hindi-cinema lover becomes part of an immigrant community in Edison, New Jersey.
It’s the late 1980s, and Prem Kumar is the youngest son of one of India’s wealthiest businessmen. Unlike his siblings, though, he’s completely uninterested in the family business: He’d rather hole up at home watching Hindi films, of which he has encyclopedic knowledge. With his father putting pressure on him to do more, Prem heads to America to connect with a director there in hopes of making his very own movie. For the first time in his life, Prem must get a job, following two of his housemates to work at an Exxon station. He worries that “he might be a mere sidey in the motion picture of life.” But then, like those of his cinematic heroes, his course is altered forever when he catches a glimpse of Leena Engineer in the aisles of India America Grocers and falls in love at first sight. When Leena’s father gives Prem a surprising ultimatum, Prem—with the help of his community—must draw on strengths he did not know he possessed to fulfill his true potential, even if it takes the rest of his life. Modeled explicitly after Bollywood staples—yes, there are musical numbers, one of which even takes place during a massive communal roller-skate—Dixit’s debut is partly a love letter to Hindi cinema, complete with an impressive command of its history and a flair for moments of cultural criticism. It’s also a celebration of Dixit’s own hometown of Edison, still the site of one of the largest populations of Indians outside South Asia. Although, like many Hindi films, the novel is overlong, it’s also a funny and charming testament to the ingenuity and collective spirit of Edison.
A sparkling epic worthy of Bollywood’s silver screens.Pub Date: June 4, 2024
ISBN: 9798890130150
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Third State Books
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2024
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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