An engrossing and measured novel of wartime.
A bloody American Civil War battle drives a handful of characters into unexpected situations in Gram’s historical novel.
It’s December 1862, and Rev. Nathaniel of Fredericksburg, Virginia, predicts that the Apocalypse will occur after a battle that’s about to commence. The ensuing clash, which will henceforth be known as the Battle of Fredericksburg, leaves many dead, and people in the city find different purposes elsewhere in the days and months that follow. Enslaved John, for example, heads north to freedom while lamenting the fact that he’s never known his sister, Tillie, who remains enslaved; the siblings were separated long ago. After Nathaniel’s apparently incorrect prediction, the reverend tracks down a young woman at a brothel with the apparent intent of removing her from there; he’s guided by a mysterious, blond-haired young girl who shows him visions. The cast of characters also includes a talisman-carrying religious zealot who believes that Armageddon is at hand, and someone who’s out for lethal revenge. Fate ultimately brings together these storylines, which travel through such places as Richmond and New York City before a series of not-necessarily-happy reunions. Gram enriches the tale with real-life historical figures and details. High-ranking Civil War soldiers, for starters, play significant roles (one person is convinced that Confederate officer Stonewall Jackson “will be revealed as Christ come again”), and famed steamboat Mary Powell makes a notable appearance. A largely unhurried pace makes it easy to follow the nonlinear narrative, which bounces around December 1862 and subsequent months in 1863. There’s likewise a giant leap backward to the second century near the city of Pepouza in Asia Minor, where 14-year-old Montanus learns that some have foreseen the Messiah returning one day. Throughout, Gram delivers several affecting scenes that confront the horrific treatment of enslaved people, and the ferocious Battle of Fredericksburg and its terrible deaths. The novel boasts a gratifying resolution, although a second volume is planned.
An engrossing and measured novel of wartime.Pub Date: Feb. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9781960090355
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Epigraph Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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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