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FLOODLINES

In the turbulent circumstances created by the Islamic State’s takeover of Iraq in 2014, Bridget Mathloum, an artist and the elderly widow of Haydar, finds herself at varying odds with her three adult daughters—Ishtar, Zainab, and Mediha—over the proper way to preserve the family’s artistic legacy. At the heart of the disagreement are friction and distrust over the disposition of a cache of paintings by Haydar, a contemporary painter who was part of an influential group that ushered in a modern arts movement in Iraq during the 1950s. Beyond that, Bridget’s daughters differ in their attitudes toward their ancestral homeland and their approaches to their personal artistic endeavors. Nizar, Zainab’s son, faces his own existential dilemma after his return from a tour as a war correspondent in Yemen and his exposure to terrible brutality and inhumanity. As the family works out how to best preserve and promote their legacy, larger questions loom involving the fallibility of memory, personal responsibility in the face of state overreach, and the value of women’s work in the arts. The corrosive effects of war on the psyche of residents of the Middle East is summed up neatly in an exchange between Nizar and a new lover; when he explains that his own father had died “in the war” before he was born, the not unexpected reply is, “Which war?” A selected timeline of Iraqi history from 1917 to 2014 is included in the text, as well as an author’s note explaining the historical figures upon which Haydar and Bridget’s characters are based.

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FLOODLINES

Saleem Haddad

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RELEASE DATE: Feb. 24, 2026

An illuminating look at the value of the arts in public life and the preservation of culture—and families.

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Members of an artistic British Iraqi family wrestle with the fallout from decades of secrets, seemingly endless wars, and differing values in ways that sometimes confuse and irk each other.

An illuminating look at the value of the arts in public life and the preservation of culture—and families.

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Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2026

ISBN: 9798889661658

Page Count: 336

Publisher: Europa Editions

Review Posted Online: Nov. 22, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2026

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New York Times Bestseller

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THE CORRESPONDENT

Virginia Evans

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RELEASE DATE: May 6, 2025

An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.

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New York Times Bestseller

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.

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Pub Date: May 6, 2025

ISBN: 9780593798430

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Crown

Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025

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WOMAN DOWN

Colleen Hoover

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RELEASE DATE: Jan. 13, 2026

A dark and twisty look at just how far one woman is willing to go to find inspiration.

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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.

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Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2026

ISBN: 9781662539374

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Publisher: Montlake

Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025

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