A treasure trove of subtle insights and narrative ingenuity.
A collection of short stories reflecting on the nature of writers and writing.
Young’s thoughtful assemblage of 21 short stories eclectically spans a wide range of human experiences, but writing itself is the theme to which he repeatedly returns. In “Window of Opportunity,” Jack Severall, a character who reappears in several other tales, was a popular student in high school, considered by many to be of great promise. He now teaches English at a community college and works on a novel he hopes will redeem his aspirations. He’s surprised and somewhat crestfallen when one of his classmates, Jim Linderman, who admired Jack deeply, publishes a novel first, a work Jack must admit is an expression of true talent; this challenges his sense of identity. Jack also features in “An Academic Story,” which is exactly that: a discussion between Jack and one Dr. O’Reilly about various interpretation of James Joyce’s short stories. This is the height of the author’s literariness: a short story about short stories. Not all of the pieces are quite so self-consciously belletristic—in “Lefty,” Saed is caught seducing a married woman and sentenced to having his right hand cut off. He is left-handed and studiously tries to hide this fact in order to keep his dominant appendage, an extraordinary predicament powerfully depicted in only a few pages. Previously, his southpaw status had been a cause of endless trouble: “His left-handedness had been a source of many a cruel joke growing up. His parents had tried to convert him, giving up only upon witnessing his success at cricket as a lefty.” Young possesses a keen eye for psychological eccentricity, the strangeness that makes people fascinating—especially in the peculiar subset of people who love to read fiction and long to compose their own. He writes with in an easy, companionable style that is accessible but capable of poetic poignancy.
A treasure trove of subtle insights and narrative ingenuity.Pub Date: Feb. 27, 2025
ISBN: 9781734423662
Page Count: 145
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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
An existential crisis that steps on its own final moments.
With only a month left until the world ends due to a swiftly approaching black hole, Don and Rodney, a retired gay couple, road-trip from Maine to Washington to spend their final days with their son.
After reports that a planet-swallowing black hole is making its way toward Earth, Rodney and Don—who have been together for 40 years and survived everything from homophobia to the HIV crisis—decide to pack their belongings into an RV, say goodbye to their neighbors, and travel from Camden, Maine, to Washington to uphold a promise to spend their final days with their son. They can’t wait any longer, since there’s already chaos around the country: “Military vehicles in the streets of most cities and towns. Looting, rioting, the burning of cars and buildings and people, all of it had already happened.” As they make their way west across the country, they encounter fellow travelers ranging from close-knit families to free-spirited hippies, some of whom have come to terms with the impending end of the world and others who haven’t. While the story seems to be asking readers what they would do if they had 30 days left to live, and reflects on what different kinds of acceptance might look like in the face of unavoidable tragedy, it loses some of its poignancy in a series of thinly padded monologues about the meaning of life. Clearly intended to pack an emotional punch, it’s failed by an abrupt ending, and the way the journey’s mystery—which will be obvious to many readers—is revealed by an info dump in the last chapter.
An existential crisis that steps on its own final moments.Pub Date: April 28, 2026
ISBN: 9781250881236
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2026
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