A compact but moving collection that will stay with readers long after they close the book.
Morrow highlights human connections and love in this collection of short stories.
The story “Waxwings” describes a ritual between birds in which their “mutual and reciprocal” custom of passing fruit to one another is borne not simply out of necessity but also love; this first story sets the tone for the rest of the collection. In these five pieces of short fiction, the author examines the depth of love in relationships both romantic and familial. The titular story, “Vacation,” follows Thomas and Grace Kemp, a couple touring the Grand Canyon. Thomas has recently developed a proof that explains the existence of God. While expounding on his ideas in a lecture, Thomas notices an extremely tall man, who states, “I miss faith.” Later, at the Grand Canyon, he meets the same mysterious man and has a horrific discussion with him that rattles Thomas. In this piece, Morrow examines the concept of faith, as well as the depth of love between Thomas and Grace. A similarly evocative story, “Mr. Coe’s Garden,” concerns Curtis, a teenager in need of some spare cash who helps his neighbor, Mr. Coe, create a garden in his backyard. Over time, Mr. Coe’s idiosyncrasies, along with his eccentric plans for the garden, start to make sense when a buried time capsule is uncovered, leading to an emotional resolution. The collection’s standout story is “Navigation.” Lewis is a young man who gets lost so easily and so often that he draws intricate maps of different places to guide him. In college, he meets Robin, and they fall in love. When they vacation in Italy, Lewis thinks to himself, “In her I am never lost. By her I am always found.” Though Morrow’s stories seem brief and simple, there is a depth of feeling displayed throughout. There is also a slight irreverence to the characters, leading to dashes of humor that supplement the emotional gravitas of each story. The scenarios feel lived-in and real, even when something mystical might be taking place. This is an admirable and affecting anthology.
A compact but moving collection that will stay with readers long after they close the book.Pub Date: Nov. 9, 2024
ISBN: 9798888702680
Page Count: 217
Publisher: En Route Books & Media
Review Posted Online: Jan. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Uneven but fitfully amusing.
Betrayed by her husband, a severely depressed young woman gets drawn into the over-the-top festivities at a lavish wedding.
Phoebe Stone, who teaches English literature at a St. Louis college, is plotting her own demise. Her husband, Matt, has left her for another woman, and Phoebe is taking it hard. Indeed, she's determined just where and how she will end it all: at an oceanfront hotel in Newport, where she will lie on a king-sized canopy bed and take a bottle of her cat’s painkillers. At the hotel, Phoebe meets bride-to-be Lila, a headstrong rich girl presiding over her own extravagant six-day wedding celebration. Lila thought she had booked every room in the hotel, and learning of Phoebe's suicidal intentions, she forbids this stray guest from disrupting the nuptials: “No. You definitely can’t kill yourself. This is my wedding week.” After the punchy opening, a grim flashback to the meltdown of Phoebe's marriage temporarily darkens the mood, but things pick up when spoiled Lila interrupts Phoebe's preparations and sweeps her up in the wedding juggernaut. The slide from earnest drama to broad farce is somewhat jarring, but from this point on, Espach crafts an enjoyable—if overstuffed—comedy of manners. When the original maid of honor drops out, Phoebe is persuaded, against her better judgment, to take her place. There’s some fun to be had here: The wedding party—including groom-to-be Gary, a widower, and his 11-year-old daughter—takes surfing lessons; the women in the group have a session with a Sex Woman. But it all goes on too long, and the humor can seem forced, reaching a low point when someone has sex with the vintage wedding car (you don’t want to know the details). Later, when two characters have a meet-cute in a hot tub, readers will guess exactly how the marriage plot resolves.
Uneven but fitfully amusing.Pub Date: July 30, 2024
ISBN: 9781250899576
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
This luxurious novel is set to take the world by storm.
The true story of Axis diplomats detained in the U.S. at the start of World War II is transformed into a dazzling historical novel set at a sumptuous West Virginia hotel.
Bestselling YA fantasy author Stiefvater’s adult debut introduces a writer whose prodigious imagination and distinctive prose style have combined to create a novel that will remind readers of why they fell in love with reading in the first place. At its center is the captivating June Hudson, an erstwhile Appalachian orphan who was taken in by the wealthy Gilfoyle family, owners of the Avallon Hotel & Spa, a high-society retreat built over underground mineral springs. At his death, the patriarch bequeathed ownership to his playboy son, Edgar, but made June the general manager, as she had spent her life learning the business—and also shared with Gilfoyle Sr. a rare gift relating to the “sweetwater” springs, a fantastical element of this otherwise realistic novel. Aside from the magical waters and a few other fanciful details, Stiefvater’s fictional world is based on extensive research into high-end hotels of the period, creating a version of luxury so appealing that readers will wish they could check into the Avallon and stay on indefinitely. In fact, the novel revolves around the true meaning of luxury. To June, it has nothing to do with wealth; it is more connected to joy, and to the book’s title: “June had long ago discovered that most people were bad listeners; they thought listening was synonymous with hearing. But the spoken was only half a conversation. True needs, wants, fears, and hopes hid not in the words that were said, but in the ones that weren’t, and all these formed the core of luxury.” Also brilliantly managed is the rest of the ensemble cast: sexy FBI agents; June’s inimitable staff; the delegations of Japanese, Germans, and Italians detained at the hotel, some quite nasty, but among them a strange, special, totally silent child. And on top of all this, a delicious love story!
This luxurious novel is set to take the world by storm.Pub Date: June 3, 2025
ISBN: 9780593655504
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: April 19, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2025
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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