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THE RIGHTEOUS ROAD

In his opening story, “Come as You Are,” the author introduces readers to an early-’90s teen named Toby who finds rock idol Kurt Cobain hiding in the back of his car. They end up jamming together and eating pizza with Toby’s dad, who promptly asks Cobain about his thoughts regarding Mormonism—much to the discomfort of Toby, who lied about the musician’s interest. Beneath the slapstick setup is the tension between secular culture and the tenets of Mormonism; the author develops this idea further in the story “Light Departure,” which depicts a Mormon at the end of his mission who must come to terms with an African immigrant who comes out to him as gay. In “The Water Between Us,” a young father flounders to find his footing and provide for his family in “the way we’d been taught and raised at church and at home,” while in the moving story “The Righteous Road,” two teenagers waver between activism and faith before ultimately choosing different paths. Stories like “Adam and Lilith. And Eve” and “Barry Dodson: The God Journals” demonstrate Shoemaker’s knack for satire, spinning cosmically absurd setups into one deeply funny joke after another. (“It’s nice,” the first woman in all of creation says, evaluating the Garden of Eden like it was any suburban home. “But all the green’s, like, a little overwhelming. Don’t you think?”) Some stories, notably “Parley Young: One Mormon Life,” about a church elder who abuses his power, feel rushed, striving to tackle many ideas within a short amount of space, but the author’s clever eye for detail and the prickly humor in the voices he brings to life consistently draw the reader back in. In stories like “In That Classroom” and the titular entry, he shows his range, focusing on specific, emotionally charged, and well-observed moments that crescendo to powerful revelations that are sure to connect with all readers, Mormon or otherwise.

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THE RIGHTEOUS ROAD

Ryan Shoemaker

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RELEASE DATE: today

Sharp, funny, and perceptive, these stories will resonate far beyond their target audience.

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Shoemaker’s playful collection of short stories features members of the LDS Church in surprising situations.

Sharp, funny, and perceptive, these stories will resonate far beyond their target audience.

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Pub Date: today

ISBN: 9781961471269

Page Count: 224

Publisher: BCC Press

Review Posted Online: Feb. 19, 2026

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2026

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LITERARY FICTION |

SHORT STORIES |

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BEYOND THE LIGHTS

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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

Categories:

FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP |

LITERARY FICTION |

GENERAL FICTION

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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

Page Count: -

Publisher: Montlake

Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025

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GENERAL & DOMESTIC THRILLER |

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SUSPENSE

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