Recent Reviews
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
Virginia Evans’s novel The Correspondent radiates warmth, wisdom, insight, and humor. Structured as a collection of letters and emails, the narrative beautifully explores the inner world of a woman’s life while offering her unique perspective on the human experience. The book also celebrates the value and magic of the written word making this novel my favorite of 2025.
Each morning, 73-year-old Sybil Van Antwerp sits down to write letters, a daily ritual she has maintained for much of her life. Her correspondence includes neighbors, colleagues, authors, her brother, her children, her best friend, and one person to whom she writes without ever sending the letters. Expressing her thoughts and emotions through correspondence s becomes her way of connecting with others, while also maintaining distance. Sybil is divorced, a mother of two living children and a retired lawyer. Her personality is marked by stubbornness, sarcasm, and sassiness, yet she also possesses a strong sense of manners and decorum.
Self-sufficiency has long been her pride, but she is gradually losing her sight. Uncomfortable as it is, she finds herself needing help from other people. Ironically, as her vision narrows, her world broadens. This vulnerability seems to make her correspondence more revealing. She seems to be gaining deeper insights about herself and the people in her life. She writes to her daughter, “I know you think of me as your mother only, but please remember, inside, I am also just a girl.”
This period of change leads Sybil to seek forgiveness and to forgive those who have wronged her. She writes with increasing humility and grace. As the narrative unfolds, readers become acquainted with her family and associates, witnessing her steady personal growth. The novel ultimately celebrates the power of writing as a tool for self-discovery.
The Correspondent is an uplifting and perceptive book, offering readers a heartfelt celebration of emotional evolution and the enduring significance of the written word. Highly recommend. 5/5.
The Scrapbook by Heather Clark
Heather Clark’s novel, The Scrapbook, is a haunting, sensual, and melancholy narrative that offers a fascinating and unique perspective on the enduring impact of World War II. Through exquisite prose and multi-layered psychological insight, Clark crafts a story deeply rooted in how the complexities of history influence the present.
At the heart of the novel is Anna, an American senior at Harvard in 1996, whose life is shaped by a scrapbook left to her by her grandfather. This cherished artifact contains photographs from his time as a young soldier in World War II, including powerful images from his participation in the liberation of Dachau and the seizure of the Eagle’s Nest which Hitler used for social functions. The scrapbook becomes a touchstone for Anna, guiding her thoughts and actions as she begins her own adult life.
Anna’s fascination with the past deepens when she meets Christoph, a visiting German student. Their connection quickly turns into infatuation, leading Anna to follow Christoph to Germany. Like Anna, Christoph is obsessed with World War II, though he holds complicated feelings about his grandfathers’ roles in Hitler’s army. He is simultaneously judgmental and defensive of them, ultimately weighed down by a sense of inherited guilt. For example, he quotes German philosopher Theodor Adorno’s observation to Thomas Mann from the late 1940s: “It was as if the Germans truly believed they had never been Nazis. They had completely repressed their obedience to Hitler.”
As Anna’s first romantic relationship unfolds, she is swept up by Christoph’s intensity. Together, they visit sites featured in her grandfather’s scrapbook, engaging in intellectual discussions about the war, German architecture, art and literature. Despite the passage of fifty years since the end of the war, their love is haunted by unresolved historical trauma. Anna grapples with difficult questions: Does Christoph’s grandfather’s complicity mean Christoph himself is capable of similar actions? Should he be held accountable for the misdeeds of his ancestors?
While the backdrop of their relationship is WWII, their difficulties are not solely the result of their families’ histories. Instead, their eventually dysfunctional relationship is shaped by their youth and Anna’s naivety. In highlighting the uncertainties of young love, some aspects of their interactions did not feel entirely convincing. Their personality traits and relationship also hint at the dynamics between their countries during the war.
Heather Clark’s outstanding novel wrestles with profound themes of inherited guilt, obsessive love, and the trauma that echoes through generations. The Scrapbook is a serious and thought-provoking exploration of how, despite the decades, WWII continues to shape identity and relationships. 4.5/5
(Thanks to my friend Karen for giving me this book!)
The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff
The Bright Years, Sarah Damoff’s debut novel, is my favorite book (thus far) in 2025. The narrative focuses on a multi-generational family navigating the complexities of alcoholism, concealed truths, and personal tragedy. While challenging subjects, the book avoids becoming overly somber, instead presenting a narrative infused with dignity and hope. Damoff’s beautiful prose and insightful observations contribute to the novel’s poignancy and tenderness.
The story follows Lillian and Ryan Bright, who meet in a Fort Worth public library in 1979, fall in love, and eventually marry. Significant aspects of their histories remain undisclosed: Ryan conceals his father’s alcoholism, while Lillian does not reveal that she gave up a child for adoption. Their lives are initially marked by happiness and the birth of their daughter, Georgette. Yet, the convergence of hidden pasts gradually complicates their relationship. As Ryan succumbs to alcohol dependence, the family’s once-bright years begin to darken. Damoff offers nuanced insight into the origins of Ryan’s addiction and skillfully examines its psychological impact on his family.
Despite these adversities, the motif of healing and connection permeates the novel. Lillian Bright’s reflection that “time can wash dirt off a memory until it is revealed as something else entirely” encapsulates the book’s exploration of forgiveness and hope. Through her vivid depiction of complex characters, Damoff emphasizes optimism and compassion amid hardship. The Bright Years shows that healing is possible. 5/5
