A sincere spiritual novel about the eternal bonds of family life that fails to engage as fiction.
Callaway’s Christian-themed novel aims to inspire readers to build families that will last for eternity.
Revisiting the characters from his novels Through the Eyes of Asperger’s: A Latter-day Saint Perspective (2021) and Living a Miracle (2022), the author returns to the story of the Wilkinson family. Devout mother Sarah, son Ethan (whose successful struggle against disability allows him to serve as a missionary in Argentina), and Alexis, the dutiful daughter who attends college to hone her natural gifts as a chef, are united in their deep Christian faith. Their strong family bonds bring them strength and spiritual joy while generating enormous compassion for everyone they encounter. Their stories are designed to express Callaway’s Mormon faith, which holds the family as the primary means through which Christlike love is demonstrated and the crucible in which the spiritual progress of all individuals is made possible. In his view, strong family bonds, sealed in the temple and nurtured in the home, can become eternal as family members are reunited after death with new bodies and even stronger relationships. (“Our family life now is to show us the Lord’s plan for us as we live each day within our families, so that we can understand more of His plan for our families later.”) As a work of literature, the novel is less than compelling; the devotional agenda of the narrative dominates the writing and prevents the author from creating characters with any depth. The dialogue between the family members is quite wooden, with stock phrases used so often that they become predictable to the reader. However, as a devotional work, especially for those in the Latter-day Saints tradition, this book may find a welcome readership. The author is earnest and compassionate, and his deep concern for the spiritual life of families is evident on every page.
A sincere spiritual novel about the eternal bonds of family life that fails to engage as fiction.Pub Date: May 16, 2023
ISBN: 9781639888511
Page Count: 242
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Review Posted Online: April 25, 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
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.
After being released from prison, a young woman tries to reconnect with her 5-year-old daughter despite having killed the girl’s father.
Kenna didn’t even know she was pregnant until after she was sent to prison for murdering her boyfriend, Scotty. When her baby girl, Diem, was born, she was forced to give custody to Scotty’s parents. Now that she’s been released, Kenna is intent on getting to know her daughter, but Scotty’s parents won’t give her a chance to tell them what really happened the night their son died. Instead, they file a restraining order preventing Kenna from so much as introducing herself to Diem. Handsome, self-assured Ledger, who was Scotty’s best friend, is another key adult in Diem’s life. He’s helping her grandparents raise her, and he too blames Kenna for Scotty’s death. Even so, there’s something about her that haunts him. Kenna feels the pull, too, and seems to be seeking Ledger out despite his judgmental behavior. As Ledger gets to know Kenna and acknowledges his attraction to her, he begins to wonder if maybe he and Scotty’s parents have judged her unfairly. Even so, Ledger is afraid that if he surrenders to his feelings, Scotty’s parents will kick him out of Diem’s life. As Kenna and Ledger continue to mourn for Scotty, they also grieve the future they cannot have with each other. Told alternatively from Kenna’s and Ledger’s perspectives, the story explores the myriad ways in which snap judgments based on partial information can derail people’s lives. Built on a foundation of death and grief, this story has an undercurrent of sadness. As usual, however, the author has created compelling characters who are magnetic and sympathetic enough to pull readers in. In addition to grief, the novel also deftly explores complex issues such as guilt, self-doubt, redemption, and forgiveness.
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.Pub Date: Jan. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5420-2560-7
Page Count: 335
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021
SEEN & HEARD
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