A keenly observed character study and all too relevant story about true crime’s dehumanizing fallout.
The truth behind a popular true-crime series is revealed by the real-life survivor of a traumatizing abduction in this novel.
True-crime fans get caught up in the dramatizations of sensational cases, but do they ever think about the true-life survivors? This question is at the heart of Leise’s book in which “Mallory” (not her real name) grapples with the popular series based on her own story of abduction, abuse, and escape. “I could tell you all about the different ways He would hurt me, or the four or five ways He had of teaching me things, and you would be fascinated,” she asserts. “Or maybe you would feel bad. Or you might even become horrified…and you would pick up your phone and talk with your friends about what had happened, you would text your texts and you would post your posts because Dry The Rain is based on real and actual events…You watch and you feel terrible until you do not.” Mallory reflects on her abduction, effectively leaving much to readers’ imaginations while conveying the full terror of the ordeal: “Most of you have never had your leg in a bear trap…most of you have never had your hands in a bucket of rats.” This makes explicit descriptions of her suffering all the more powerful. This is a unique and timely take on true crime’s impact on the national consciousness, where survivors are transformed into click-bait. Opinions will vary on a literary conceit that Mallory uses to explain herself: “Or maybe it is better to say, by which I mean it is more precise.” It is employed hundreds of times and it quickly becomes a distraction. This raw novel may be a rough read for physical and mental abuse survivors. But Leise has crafted an immersive psychological portrait of a damaged young woman who ultimately does not portray herself as a victim.
A keenly observed character study and all too relevant story about true crime’s dehumanizing fallout.Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2025
ISBN: 9798991761413
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Picket Fire
Review Posted Online: Nov. 28, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A pleasant if not entirely convincing tribute to the power of art.
A French art historian’s English-language fiction debut combines the story of a loving relationship between a grandfather and granddaughter with an enlightening discussion of art.
One day, when 10-year-old Mona removes the necklace given to her by her now-dead grandmother, she experiences a frightening, hour-long bout of blindness. Her parents take her to the doctor, who gives her a variety of tests and also advises that she see a psychiatrist. Her grandfather Henry tells her parents that he will take care of that assignment, but instead, he takes Mona on weekly visits to either the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, or the Centre Pompidou, where each week they study a single work of art, gazing at it deeply and then discussing its impact and history and the biography of its maker. For the reader’s benefit, Schlesser also describes each of the works in scrupulous detail. As the year goes on, Mona faces the usual challenges of elementary school life and the experiences of being an only child, and slowly begins to understand the causes of her temporary blindness. Primarily an amble through a few dozen of Schlesser’s favorite works of art—some well known and others less so, from Botticelli and da Vinci through Basquiat and Bourgeois—the novel would probably benefit from being read at a leisurely pace. While the dialogue between Henry and the preternaturally patient and precocious Mona sometimes strains credulity, readers who don’t have easy access to the museums of Paris may enjoy this vicarious trip in the company of a guide who focuses equally on that which can be seen and the context that can’t be. Come for the novel, stay for the introductory art history course.
A pleasant if not entirely convincing tribute to the power of art.Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2025
ISBN: 9798889661115
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Europa Editions
Review Posted Online: June 7, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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
SEEN & HEARD
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