An Alaska adventure that bustles with activity, both earthly and otherworldly, throughout.
This first installment of a series offers a coming-of-age tale set in the Alaska wilderness.
Scott’s novel presents a young man named Jake Barnes, who travels to Alaska after graduating from high school. Over some eight years, he learns skills ranging from carpentry to winter survival. Now, he puts those talents to the test as he builds a cabin in a remote area on the Kachemak Bay for his friend Kevin Topher. It can be tough, dangerous work yet the upshot for Jake is that he can do what he wants as long as progress on the project is being made. But this freedom comes to an end when Jake’s girlfriend, Kat, becomes pregnant. Kat insists that when the baby arrives, Jake will need to find a regular job. Still, Jake has some time in the woods to get himself sorted out. In the process, he befriends a hardy World War II veteran named Dave Reagan. Dave lives near Jake’s construction site in his own cabin that he built with his wife, Ann. Dave not only knows the Alaskan wilderness like the back of his hand, he also has quite a lot to teach. The question is if Jake is ready for all the lessons both Dave and the world have in store for him. Wolves, bears, and buckshot fill the story with plenty of action. These vibrant scenes keep things moving, yet the dialogue can be rough in places. Jake’s nephew joins him in Alaska at one point. He eventually proclaims: “This has been the best summer of my life!” While this may not be the most insightful comment, work and brushes with wildlife keep the momentum going as the story delves into dreams and a “Shadow World.”In the end, Jake finds himself in quite a predicament, and many readers will wish to see if he can get himself out of it.
An Alaska adventure that bustles with activity, both earthly and otherworldly, throughout.Pub Date: Oct. 9, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-71815-711-8
Page Count: 526
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: May 25, 2020
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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