A delightful feline interpretation of the human world, suitable for animal lovers of all ages.
Gander presents the story of an irrepressible little domestic house cat named Kitty, told from his perspective.
Readers meet Kitty when, as a frightened, tiny kitten, he is adopted and removed from his mother. (“You scoundrels, leave me alone! I said let me go… stop grabbing my scruff, or I’ll bite you, I’ll destroy you, I’ll annihila… Moooommm….”) His first impression is that he is being “catnapped”; Kitty fears that he has been stolen for ransom or, even worse, that he will be eaten. The male and female “two-legged one[s] feed him quite well, but what if they are just trying to fatten him up before consuming him? They keep calling out “Kitty-kitty,” and the furry feline is sure there is someone out there designated to keep him in line. After a day or two, he is let out of his room and learns there are two other cats in the house. The older one, a female named Mimi, hisses at him, and the younger male, Felix, remains aloof and a bit jittery. As he explores his environment and gets into trouble, he deduces that his own name must be “Stop.” For the next few days, Mimi continues to hiss at him, but Kitty is determined to befriend her. She has a sweetness that conveys security, and she reminds him of someone—the word “mama” comes to mind. Gander’s imaginative tribute to all of the cats who have been part of her family over the years is a charming and entertaining excursion into the feline mind, and cat lovers will recognize Kitty's antics and playfulness. The book is a quick read—sweet, witty, and poignant (keep a few tissues handy). There’s a bit of adventure, as when Kitty learns why his humans have been trying to keep him off the balcony railing, and tender moments as he tries to figure out what kind of creature the humans’ new baby is, concluding it is his responsibility to protect this strange addition to the family. Most of all, this is a story about love and the special relationships that develop between felines and their humans.
A delightful feline interpretation of the human world, suitable for animal lovers of all ages.Pub Date: March 10, 2025
ISBN: 9791281230293
Page Count: 123
Publisher: Gander Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2025
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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