A savvy postmodern novel that becomes an affecting confessional.
A writer agrees to help the protagonist of her novel as his marriage crumbles in a fantastical, metafictional take on a traditional family drama.
At first, Schloss’ debut book seems to be a simple, postmodern narrative deconstruction. It begins with the voice of “the Author” waking the titular hero, Howard, from a slumber and promising to help Howard with his marriage; in turn, she will write a novel starring him. As the chapters continue, the Author asserts control, revising the book and blurring the lines between the process of writing and the process of reading. Schloss effectively uses her story as a tool to consider the act of creation but also, and more importantly, as a way to show how people can become attached to their fictional constructs. What plays out is a beautifully messy series of relationships: unremarkable, straight Howard and his cool, artistic lesbian wife, T.J.; Howard and his growing daughter, Sinclair; and Howard and the Author herself. Schloss balances her metafictional premise with springy, playful language encapsulated best in scenes of italicized dialogue between subject and author. Through the lens of Howard’s life and relationships, the novel intriguingly focuses on the psychology of its characters and what they reveal about the Author. And indeed, as Schloss unlocks the pathos of her players, the reader comes to know the Author best of all. Sprinkled throughout are scenes with Howard and his therapist, Dr. Glick, and the entire book eventually becomes a form of Freudian psychoanalysis, with each major character confronting hidden memories. As playfulness turns to poignance and back to playfulness again, the novel reads a bit like John Updike by way of French director Michel Gondry, with all the heartbreak and panache that entails.
A savvy postmodern novel that becomes an affecting confessional.Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-63752-783-2
Page Count: 314
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 20, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
Imaginative, impressive, and illuminating.
A 12-year-old girl determines to unmask a serial killer in this extravagantly ambitious story of small-town Britain in 1979.
On the surface, Miv’s life seems to belong to an idyllic bygone era: She and her best friend, Sharon, walk to school every morning, passing a “snappy Jack Russell” and stopping to greet Omar, “the man in the corner shop,” who calls them the “Terrible Twosome.” But danger lurks around the edges of these familiar paths and faces; it’s been a few years since the Yorkshire Ripper began murdering nearby women, and the women and girls of the town have started taking a little extra care when they’re walking late and alone. Margaret Thatcher has recently been elected prime minister, pushing certain strains of misogyny and racism to the forefront of conversations and village life. For her part, Miv is trying to adjust to her mother’s complete withdrawal from the family due to depression. When she has the opportunity to make a wish, she wishes to “be the person to catch the Yorkshire Ripper,” and so begins a series of events that will forge friendships, expose bigots, and culminate in both tragedy and catharsis. The scope of the book is significant, and Godfrey shows a masterful control of the sprawl. This is a novel about a particular time that looks both backward and forward. For Miv and Sharon, straddling the gulf between childhood and adulthood and beginning to learn who they are, it’s a coming-of-age story; for Britain, struggling to hold space for a strong female leader alongside her conservative and xenophobic policies, it’s equally a story of reluctant yet inevitable change. Despite some chapters told from other characters’ perspectives, this is very much Miv’s tale, and hers is one of the most engaging voices in recent fiction, both heartbreakingly innocent and incisively intelligent.
Imaginative, impressive, and illuminating.Pub Date: Dec. 2, 2025
ISBN: 9781464249051
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Review Posted Online: Aug. 29, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2025
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