A vibrant hybrid of historical and contemporary fiction.
In Callaghan’s novel, a middle-aged woman uncovers a secret in the backyard of a newly acquired heritage home that reveals a sweeping Civil War-era drama.
In the early 2020s, San Francisco Bay Area transplant Iris Pearl and her husband, Benny, have recently purchased a home in rural Pennsylvania whose history dates to the early 1800s. The house has been left to disintegrate over the years, so it requires a total renovation to its structure and the surrounding land. One day, workers uncover a mysterious sack while refurbishing a once-charming backyard pond. Inside is the perfectly preserved corpse of a baby who’s been dead for more than a century. The discovery gets publicity, resulting in outside visitors to the site. Soon, Iris and Benny are forced to confront the realities of a tragic history as they uncover the truth about “Little John Doe.” Running parallel to their story is a romance set during the Civil War, and in the same house. Irish maid Aoife has married William Sprigett and settled into the gracious farmhouse not far from William’s grand family estate, where she once worked. The new couple’s wedded bliss is cut short when war breaks out, and William decides to enlist in the Union Army. With only her husband’s hired farmhand, Thomas Walker, to help, Aoife must draw on her own strength to maintain the farm in her husband’s absence. Aoife, who’s white, and Thomas, who’s Black, become close, which becomes the subject of gossip by members of the surrounding community. Their story launches an epic tale that effectively connects with the Iris and Benny’s 21st-century storyline. Callaghan’s attention to historical accuracy is impressive throughout, and this extends to the parts of the narrative that take place in the modern era, in which the author offers sharp insights into life during the Covid-19 pandemic. Overall, this novel deftly shepherds multiple storylines as they slowly bend toward one another in unexpected and ultimately satisfying ways. What results is an engaging epic about loss, loneliness, and desire that perfectly encapsulates relatable human struggles.
A vibrant hybrid of historical and contemporary fiction.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Empower Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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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