A compelling tale of maternal strength and determination.
In this debut novel, a young Nigerian woman helps her daughters escape the horrors of female genital mutilation.
At the age of 18, Ijeoma Biobaku agrees to marry Ejikeme Madaki, an older man who is a farmer of some means in their Nigerian village of Achi. When Ejikeme discovers that Ijeoma has never undergone the tribal custom of female genital cutting, he insists she have it done or the marriage will be canceled. Ijeoma fears the village will ostracize her so she relents. Her only solace during the gruesome, unsanitary procedure is her loving Auntie B, who hugs her as she cries out in pain. Physically and mentally abusive, Ejikeme is angry that their first child is not a son. Kind Auntie B and Uncle Simon leave for America, but several years later, they help Ijeoma and her family immigrate to New York City. A second daughter has been born, and Ijeoma is determined that her children will never be mutilated as she was. Ejikeme abandons the family, but life in America is hopeful—Ijeoma works as a nanny; her daughters are well adjusted; and she meets a good man. Then one day there is a knock at the door from the immigration authorities, and she is hauled off to jail. This gripping story—based on real-life events—may spur readers into learning more about female genital mutilation. An admirable, heroic protagonist, Ijeoma quietly does what needs to be done; for example, when her second daughter is born, she calmly endures an emergency C-section. Sacks’ fluid prose and seamless scene transitions keep the pages turning. In fact, some scenes are edge-of-the-seat riveting, such as the final day of Ijeoma’s deportation trial, during which she learns shocking information about a family member. But the quieter episodes can also be memorable—when Ijeoma and her girls meet Auntie B and Uncle Simon in America, the encounter is touching.
A compelling tale of maternal strength and determination.Pub Date: March 2, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-943401-69-7
Page Count: 438
Publisher: Trimark Press
Review Posted Online: July 20, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 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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