An evocative collection of stories about family life.
Saint-Denis offers a collection of family-related anecdotes and vignettes in this short story collection.
In this collection of extremely short stories (several of the pieces are less than a page long, and few are more than three pages), the author draws on notes recorded over decades of parenting, working, and living in France and the United States, turning memories into a work of autofiction. The first section, “New Roots,” includes stories spanning the French family’s stay in the United States. The following three sections (“Infancy,” “Adolescence,” and “Send-Off”) are roughly chronological, following Saint-Denis’ evolution as a parent. The stories are all written in the third person, and all the characters remain unnamed. At first it can be difficult to recognize that each story features the same individuals, but as the reader progresses, their personalities and themes develop a consistency across the stories. In “Unpacking,” the husband and wife clash over differing priorities for emptying their boxes, but harmony is eventually restored even though the books get unpacked and the kitchen gear does not. “Good Eye” offers an outsider’s look at the culture and vocabulary of children’s sports. “Scarce Commodity” examines parental sleeplessness, with teenagers as much to blame as infants. In “Hair Gel,” an adolescent son gets to teach his father a new skill. Saint-Denis explores the mundane, ordinary moments of family life, from elementary school homework to dance class to serving as a parental chaperone. The narration hews closely to the mother's thoughts, so readers get the most intimate look into her psyche as she wrestles with balancing work and family, mourns and celebrates her children growing up, and puzzles out American customs. The writing is generally strong and often highly descriptive, with a touch of dry humor, as in her characterization of cellphones: “There were some similarities to the revolution of having a baby, in the sense that life before it became unimaginable. And yet they had survived many years without it.”
An evocative collection of stories about family life.Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781627204811
Page Count: 230
Publisher: Loyola College/Apprentice House
Review Posted Online: April 27, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A standout in the series.
The sixth adventure of Harvard symbology professor Robert Langdon explores the mysteries of human consciousness, the demonic projects of the CIA, and the city of Prague.
“Ladies and gentlemen...we are about to experience a sea change in our understanding of how the brain works, the nature of consciousness, and in fact…the very nature of reality itself.” But first—Langdon’s in love! Brown’s devoted readers first met brilliant noetic scientist Katherine Solomon in The Lost Symbol (2009); she’s back as a serious girlfriend, engaging the committed bachelor in a way not seen before. The book opens with the pair in a luxurious suite at the Four Seasons in Prague. It’s the night after Katherine has delivered the lecture quoted above, setting the theme for the novel, which features a plethora of real-life cases and anomalies that seem to support the notion that human consciousness is not localized inside the human skull. Brown’s talent for assembling research is also evident in this novel’s alter ego as a guidebook to Prague, whose history and attractions are described in great and glowing detail. Whether you appreciate or skim past the innumerable info dumps on these and other topics (Jewish folklore fans—the Golem is in the house!), it goes without saying that concision is not a goal in the Dan Brown editing process. Speaking of editing, the nearly 700-page book is dedicated to Brown’s editor, who seems to appear as a character—to put it in the italicized form used for Brownian insight, Jason Kaufman must be Jonas Faukman! A major subplot involves the theft of Katherine’s manuscript from the secure servers of Penguin Random House; the delightful Faukman continues to spout witty wisecracks even when blindfolded and hogtied. There’s no shortage of action, derring-do, explosions, high-tech torture machines, attempted and successful murders, and opportunities for split-second, last-minute escapes; good thing Langdon, this aging symbology wonk, never misses swimming his morning laps. Readers who are not already dyed-in-the-wool Langdonites may find themselves echoing the prof’s own conclusion regarding the credibility of all this paranormal hoo-ha: At some point, skepticism itself becomes irrational.
A standout in the series.Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2025
ISBN: 9780385546898
Page Count: 688
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
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
SEEN & HEARD
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