An involving story of intergenerational discovery.
In Kemanis’ novel, a woman unearths information about her parents—and her own start in life.
A woman named Caty finds a box of mementos kept on a back closet shelf that helps her piece together the story of her parents. The narrative then shifts to 1970s Berkley, where readers are introduced to Caty’s father, Paul Leroy “Roy” Robertson, and her mother, Lenore “Len” Whitaker, when both are students. Roy, a Vietnam veteran originally from small-town Virginia, is taken by Len at once (“She’s a person who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to claim it”), and Len feels similarly about him. Len is a trust-funded lawyer’s daughter, Roy is a pensioned wounded war veteran trying to run a struggling restaurant, and they begin spending lots of time together. When Len becomes pregnant, Roy’s shocked when she initially wants to have an abortion in the days shortly after Roe v. Wade. Caty reads on, knowing, of course, the end result: the birth of a baby (called “Delicate”). But the more she investigates, the more mysteries crop up, not only about her father, but also about her long-departed mother, who “had sewn a sheath around Daddy’s heart.” At one point, it could be fairly said: “Home, fatherhood, friends. Lenore. This is Roy’s life, and it isn’t bad.” So, what changed to end this seemingly idyllic story? Kemanis narrates the life of Roy and Len at a leisurely pace with colorful prose full of sharply-realized dialogue. The multifaceted and very personal stresses of contemplating both abortion and pregnancy test the emotions of Roy and Len right at the point in the story when readers have come to care about them. Caty herself is a touch less well realized, but the book’s third-act revelations will keep readers turning pages.
An involving story of intergenerational discovery.Pub Date: April 5, 2025
ISBN: 9781737847939
Page Count: 350
Publisher: Opus Nine Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 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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