An unlikable protagonist stars in this intriguing, darkly illuminating tale.
In this novel, a teen in the mid-1990s tries to write a great book but only finds hardships.
Harry Dunkoff wants to escape his dreary life in Memphis, Tennessee. At the age of 12, he dreams of being a rock star on MTV; at 16, he aspires to be a writer. He drops out of school to concentrate on completing his first novel (“School takes up all my time. It’s a waste. I need that time to write”). But his parents demand that he get a job, and after catching him drinking and snorting cocaine, they arrange for treatment. Eventually, Dunkoff goes off on his own to find freedom and write his book. While he takes on paying jobs, he also fuels his days with alcohol and a cornucopia of drugs. This not surprisingly leads to trouble, but so does the teen’s trusting nature, as several people betray him. Dunkoff unwittingly becomes a drifter and moves around to such lively cities as Miami, Boston, and Key West, Florida. He punches away on his “genius” novel while struggling to find a place where he can settle down. In this grim story, Wade aptly delivers a complex protagonist; Dunkoff is well read but makes a handful of foolish decisions. Although it’s often hard to get a read on the apathetic teen, bursts of emotion reveal his humanity, like his occasional tears. Nevertheless, he doesn’t earn much sympathy, as he lies, steals, and comes across as an idler who simply doesn’t want to work. In addition, his book in progress follows the misadventures of one John Wayne Quixote, a dull, overt take on Cervantes’ classic novel. Wade smartly keeps Dunkoff’s first-person narration concise and straightforward, persistently driving the story from one setback to the next. Despite the teen’s candor, his entanglements with sex, drugs, and violence aren’t excessively detailed save for one short, graphic scene. The ending may not be to everyone’s tastes, but it befits the work’s overall tone.
An unlikable protagonist stars in this intriguing, darkly illuminating tale.Pub Date: March 23, 2022
ISBN: 979-8502128605
Page Count: 189
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2022
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
The best-selling author of tearjerkers like Angel Falls (2000) serves up yet another mountain of mush, topped off with...
Talk-show queen takes tumble as millions jeer.
Nora Bridges is a wildly popular radio spokesperson for family-first virtues, but her loyal listeners don't know that she walked out on her husband and teenaged daughters years ago and didn't look back. Now that a former lover has sold racy pix of naked Nora and horny himself to a national tabloid, her estranged daughter Ruby, an unsuccessful stand-up comic in Los Angeles, has been approached to pen a tell-all. Greedy for the fat fee she's been promised, Ruby agrees and heads for the San Juan Islands, eager to get reacquainted with the mom she plans to betray. Once in the family homestead, nasty Ruby alternately sulks and glares at her mother, who is temporarily wheelchair-bound as a result of a post-scandal car crash. Uncaring, Ruby begins writing her side of the story when she's not strolling on the beach with former sweetheart Dean Sloan, the son of wealthy socialites who basically ignored him and his gay brother Eric. Eric, now dying of cancer and also in a wheelchair, has returned to the island. This dismal threesome catch up on old times, recalling their childhood idylls on the island. After Ruby's perfect big sister Caroline shows up, there's another round of heartfelt talk. Nora gradually reveals the truth about her unloving husband and her late father's alcoholism, which led her to seek the approval of others at the cost of her own peace of mind. And so on. Ruby is aghast to discover that she doesn't know everything after all, but Dean offers her subdued comfort. Happy endings await almost everyone—except for readers of this nobly preachy snifflefest.
The best-selling author of tearjerkers like Angel Falls (2000) serves up yet another mountain of mush, topped off with syrupy platitudes about life and love.Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-609-60737-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2001
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