Tag: fiction

Sally Field to Star in Netflix’s ‘Remarkably Bright Creatures’ Adaptation

The film adaptation of ‘Remarkably Bright Creatures’ will premiere on Netflix on May 8. Photo: Amazon

Book to Screen: Remarkably Bright Creatures

For fans of A Man Called Ove, Shelby Van Pelt’s debut novel is a charming, witty, and compulsively readable exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope. This heartwarming story traces a widow’s unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus, and it is finally making its way to the silver screen.

🎬 The Netflix Adaptation

The beloved novel has been adapted into a Netflix original movie featuring a powerhouse cast and creative team:

  • Starring: Sally Field as Tova and Alfred Molina as the voice of Marcellus.
  • Director/Co-Writer: Olivia Newman.
  • Release Date: May 8, 2026.

📖 Book Overview: A Tale of Eight Arms and One Big Secret

After Tova Sullivan’s husband passed away, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium. Keeping busy has always been Tova’s way of coping, ever since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago. (Barnes & Noble, 2026)

While mopping floors and tidying up, Tova becomes acquainted with Marcellus, a curmudgeonly giant Pacific octopus. Marcellus is more observant than anyone can imagine, but he wouldn’t dream of helping his human captors, until he forms a remarkable bond with Tova.

Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces exactly what happened the night Tova’s son disappeared. Now, he must use every trick his aging invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it’s too late. It is a gentle reminder that taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.

📽️ Movie Snapshot

The film captures the essence of the novel, focusing on the life-changing discovery Tova makes through the unlikely bonds formed during her quiet night shifts. (IMDb, 2026)

FeatureDetails
GenreDrama
RatingPG-13 (Thematic material, strong language, brief drug use)
Runtime1hr 51min

“Sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.”

‘Ashes of the Republic’ Book Review: A Chilling Vision of a Dystopian America

‘Ashes of the Republic’ by James Chesterton. Photo: Amazon

Related post: The Future Is Now: ‘Ashes of the Republic’ by James Chesterton

Book Review: Ashes of the Republic by James Chesterton

Ascent of Dennison Series, Book One

Release date: April 28, 2026.

The Premise: A Republic in Ruins

In the year 2046, the “blueprint” for authoritarian rule is no longer theoretical, it’s fully operational. Ashes of the Republic presents a chilling vision of a United States overtaken by Christian Nationalism. In this near-future dystopia, liberalism is a punishable offense, women’s bodies are governed by data, and AI has replaced human medical professionals.

The Catalyst (2026)

The narrative begins in the Western U.S. with Charity, a young prodigy with degrees from Oxford and Johns Hopkins. As a rising star at Dennison Robotics, Charity works closely with Iwanna Dennison, the President’s daughter and the de facto leader of the American Christian Right.

When a project meeting turns into a heated disagreement, Charity is fired. Realizing she is now a target of the burgeoning regime, she turns to her estranged, wealthy father. He helps her “vanish,” providing her with a new identity and they are only to contact each other once a year, on her birthday.

The Consequence (2046)

Twenty years later, Charity is gone, replaced by Lily Osbourne. Living a quiet, anonymous life in Colorado, Lily is dating Jeff Maslow, a former teacher who lost his job after a copy of Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass was discovered during a routine body search.

Their fragile peace is shattered during a routine airport screening. A TSA agent informs Lily that she is pregnant, an unregistered state that is strictly controlled by the Republic. In this world:

  • All pregnancies are flagged immediately.
  • Fetuses are issued Social Security numbers at conception.
  • The state is notified of “unauthorized” biological activity.

As Lily and Jeff fight for survival, Iwanna Dennison continues her psychotic climb to the highest reaches of power.

Why This Novel Stings

James Chesterton’s writing feels less like speculative fiction and more like an inevitability unfolding in slow motion. The grounded realism makes it a stand out in modern literature.

Key Themes & Highlights:

  • Plausible Terror: The systems of control, AI-driven healthcare, reproductive tracking, and algorithmic governance, are presented as logical extensions of technology we use today.
  • The Reversal of the American Dream: In a haunting role reversal, the novel depicts people fleeing from the United States into Canada.
  • Relatable Stakes: While the political themes are heavy, the emotional base remains the relationship between Lily and Jeff, two people trying to maintain their humanity in a system designed to strip it away.

Final Verdict

Ashes of the Republic is a stark reflection of the present pushed to its logical extreme. Chesterton excels at grounding high-concept political thriller elements in vivid, descriptive prose.

“The sun’s oppressive presence in the sky had retreated to a warm and more docile position just beneath the horizon.”

Recommended for: Fans of The Handmaid’s Tale, political thrillers, and speculative fiction that isn’t afraid to be provocative.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5) A solid, unsettling start to the Ascent of Dennison Series.

“There was nothing to be said. Lily and Jeff held hands, staring out the window at the swarms of broken people everywhere. At night, they were frightening. In the day, they were heartbreaking.”

*Thank you to Meryl Moss Media and NetGalley for the Advance Reader Copy (ARC) for review consideration. I haven’t been compensated for this review and all views and opinions expressed are my own.

Must-Read Sci-Fi Thrillers: Helen Hynson Vettori’s Trilogy is Chillingly Realistic

‘Black Swan Impact’ is the first book in the Black Swan Series by Helen Hynson Vettori. Photo: Barnes & Noble

Author Spotlight: Helen Hynson Vettori and the Black Swan Thriller Series

From the front lines of emergency response to the high-stakes world of national security, Helen Hynson Vettori has spent her career navigating crises. After serving the National Capital Region as an EMT/Paramedic, she transitioned post-9/11 into a role as a senior medical intelligence analyst for the Department of Homeland Security. (Grace Taylor PR, 2026)

Specializing in biological incident planning and pandemic preparedness, Helen’s expertise earned her Employee of the Year honors for emergency management. Following her retirement, her reflections on the global response to COVID-19 inspired her to pick up the pen and explore the concept of “black swan” events through fiction.

Book Series Spotlight: The Black Swan Thrillers

The Black Swan trilogy blends scientific realism with political tension, exploring how humanity handles the unthinkable. While part of a trilogy, each of these books is designed to be read as a standalone story.

1. Black Swan Impact

Set in the year 2113, the world has finally recovered from the scars of World War III. Scientific progress is booming, and the future looks bright, until a deadly pandemic emerges to threaten the global population.

Dr. Syia Case, Director of Epidemiology at the NIH, is called to advise President Daniel Piper and the White House Crisis Action Team. As the virus spreads, Syia realizes that the biological threat isn’t the only thing she has to fight. With questionable political maneuvers steering the country into dangerous territory, she must navigate a landscape of ignored warnings and unprepared leadership.

2. Black Swan Shock

The second installment follows Marla Case, an elite athlete who walks away from her Olympic dreams to find a new purpose. After learning the ropes from a paramedic friend, Marla joins her mother on an academic tour that takes a terrifying turn when a massive earthquake strikes.

Using her physical prowess and newfound medical knowledge, Marla becomes a lifeline for the people of St. Louis, Missouri. However, amidst the chaos of the disaster, she must face a personal tragedy that tests her resilience.

3. Black Swan Terror

The gripping conclusion to the trilogy—coming soon!

Why You Should Read It: With vivid, visceral descriptions and a narrative grounded in firsthand expertise, Vettori’s work is a thought-provoking look at the consequences of being caught unprepared.

Kerry Washington and Elisabeth Moss Star in Imperfect Women

Imperfect Women the series is streaming on Apple TV. Photo: Barnes & Noble

Book to Screen: Imperfect Women by Araminta Hall

The transition from page to screen can be complicated, but when the source material is as haunting as Araminta Hall’s Imperfect Women, the results are bound to be electric. Now adapted into an eight-episode limited series on Apple TV+, this psychological thriller is a must-watch for fans of complex female leads and dark, domestic secrets.

Book Overview

When Nancy Hennessy is murdered, she leaves behind a shattered life and a trail of questions. From the outside, Nancy had it all: she was gorgeous, wealthy, and cherished by her husband and daughter. But she also took the identity of a secret lover to her grave.

As the investigation into her death flounders, her two best friends, Eleanor and Mary, find themselves drowning in grief and the realization that they might not have known Nancy, or each other, at all.

  • The Hook: A gripping exploration of impossible expectations and the lethal nature of long-held secrets.
  • The Structure: The story unfolds through the perspectives of three fascinating women, forcing the reader to untangle their complex friendship to answer the ultimate question: Who killed Nancy?
  • The Vibe: Wickedly sharp and suspenseful, drawing comparisons to the likes of Patricia Highsmith and Paula Hawkins.

Imperfect Women explores guilt and retribution, love and betrayal, and the compromises we make that alter our lives irrevocably. (Barnes & Noble, 2026)

From Page to Screen: The Series

The Apple TV+ adaptation brings the “wickedly sharp” insights of the novel to life in a high-stakes limited series. The show dives deep into the decades-long friendship at the heart of the crime, peeling back the layers of a murder investigation that exposes the dark underbelly of a “perfect” life.

The Star-Studded Cast

The series boasts an incredible lineup of heavy hitters:

ActorCharacter
Kerry WashingtonEleanor
Elisabeth MossMary
Kate MaraNancy
Joel KinnamanRobert
Corey StollHoward (Mary’s husband)
Photo: IMDb

About the Author

Araminta Hall is no stranger to the dark side of fiction. She holds an MA in creative writing and authorship from the University of Sussex and currently teaches creative writing at New Writing South in Brighton.

Hall is also the acclaimed author of Our Kind of Cruelty, which was named a best book of 2018 by CrimeReads and Real Simple. She lives in Brighton with her husband and three children.

Are you planning to read the book first, or will you be diving straight into the Apple TV+ series?

The Future Is Now: ‘Ashes of the Republic’ by James Chesterton

‘Ashes of the Republic’ is the forthcoming new speculative thriller by James Chesterton. Photo: Amazon

New Book Spotlight: Ashes of the Republic

A Dark Speculative Thriller by James Chesterton

In James Chesterton’s dark and thrilling futuristic satire, Ashes of the Republic, the year is 2046 and Christian Nationalism has fully consolidated power. Evidence of liberalism is subject to punishment, women’s bodies are governed by data, medical professionals have been replaced with AI, and the blueprint for authoritarian rule is no longer theoretical, it’s fully operational. It will be released on April 28 and is available for pre-order. (Meryl Moss Media, 2026)

The Plot: A Fragile Invisibility Shattered

At the center of the story is Lily Osbourne, a gifted technologist who once helped build the very systems that now govern daily life. After crossing her employer, Dennison Robotics CEO Iwanna Dennison, Lily is cast out of power and retreats into quiet anonymity.

That fragile invisibility shatters during a routine airport screening when a TSA agent informs her that she is pregnant, a state strictly controlled by the government.

In the Republic, all unregistered pregnancies are flagged. The fetus is issued a Social Security number immediately. The state is notified, and the body is no longer one’s own.

Lily and her boyfriend, Jeff Maslow, a former professor once arrested for the “crime” of reading Walt Whitman, must find a way to survive. Meanwhile, Iwanna Dennison claws her way to the highest reaches of power, driven by a psychotic and relentless ambition.

Where Fiction Meets Reality

Deeply rooted in current events, Ashes of the Republic draws from real-world debates surrounding:

  • Reproductive surveillance and the erosion of privacy.
  • The fusion of religion and state power.
  • The role of AI and data in modern governance.

Policies and ideas that felt speculative during the novel’s early drafts have since emerged as real-world court rulings, legislative proposals, and political platforms. This isn’t distant dystopia; it is a “near-now” reality where the mechanisms of control already exist, waiting only for the removal of institutional limits.

Key Themes of the Republic

  • Theocratic Surveillance: The United States has transitioned into a state governed by religious authority and high-tech monitoring.
  • Performative Democracy: Elections still happen, but they no longer carry the weight of choice.
  • Criminalized Dissent: Opposing the status quo is a high-stakes legal risk.
  • Bureaucratized Freedom: Personal liberty is slowly being filed away by administrative systems and unchallenged executive power.

This isn’t your parents’ sci-fi. The tone is controlled, unsentimental, and wickedly funny, a fast-paced thrill ride full of twists and turns.

Ashes of the Republic is the first installment in the Ascent of Dennison series. These gripping political thrillers ask a terrifying question: What happens when legal, cultural, and moral guardrails are deliberately dismantled by leaders who believe themselves divinely justified and technologically unaccountable?

About the Author: James Chesterton

James Chesterton is the author of Ashes of the Republic and Holding Patterns, a financial crime thriller inspired by his 30 years in the banking industry.

A graduate of Hunter College, he began his career teaching high school English before earning an MBA from the University of Connecticut and transitioning into corporate banking. Chesterton’s work confronts the real-world consequences of power exercised at the highest levels.

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From Page to Screen: Colleen Hoover’s ‘Reminders of Him’

Reminders of Him movie poster
The movie adaptation of ‘Reminders of Him’ is now in theaters. Photo: Barnes & Noble

Book to Movie Spotlight: Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover

Colleen Hoover has solidified her status as a titan of contemporary fiction. Driven by massive sales, #BookTok buzz, and a string of successful film adaptations, Hoover’s appeal lies in her emotionally intense storytelling. She blends romance with heavy themes like trauma and complex relationships, using an accessible writing style that creates a deep emotional bond with her audience.

Now Playing: The highly anticipated movie adaptation of Reminders of Him is currently in theaters everywhere.

The Book: A Journey of Redemption

A troubled young mother yearns for a shot at redemption.

After serving five years in prison for a tragic mistake, Kenna Rowan returns to the town where it all went wrong. Her goal is simple but daunting: reunite with her four-year-old daughter. However, the bridges Kenna burned are proving impossible to rebuild. Everyone in her daughter’s life is determined to shut her out, regardless of how hard she works to prove she has changed.

The only person who hasn’t closed the door completely is Ledger Ward, a local bar owner and one of the few remaining links to Kenna’s daughter. As a connection forms between them, the stakes grow higher. If their relationship is discovered, both risk losing the trust of the people they love most. Kenna must find a way to absolve the mistakes of her past to build a future defined by hope and healing.

The Movie: At a Glance

After prison, a woman attempts to reconnect with her young daughter but faces resistance from everyone except a bar owner with ties to her child. As they grow closer, she must confront her past mistakes to build a hopeful future.

Production Credits & Details

CategoryDetails
DirectorVanessa Caswill
WritersColleen Hoover, Lauren Levine
StarsMaika Monroe, Tyriq Withers, Zoe Kosovic
GenreRomance / Drama
Run Time1h 55m
RatingPG-13

Why We’re Watching

Whether you are a longtime member of the “CoHo” fandom or a newcomer to her stories, Reminders of Him promises to be a tear-jerker. Seeing Kenna’s journey from isolation to hope on the big screen adds a new layer of depth to an already powerful story.

Have you read the book yet, or are you heading straight to the theater?

Photo: Universal Pictures

‘Modern Natives’: Reimagining Coast Salish Myths for the 21st Century

‘Modern Natives’ blends myth, fiction, and illustrations. Photo: Amazon

Book Spotlight: ‘Modern Natives‘

An Illustrated Collection of Reimagined Coast Salish Myths by Andrea Grant

For the Coast Salish peoples of the Pacific Northwest, stories are more than entertainment, they are truth. Rooted in deep cultural tradition, Modern Natives brings to life the ancient belief that the world is surrounded by supernatural beings who shape, challenge, and guide us. Unlike typical mythology books, these stories are not treated as fiction; they are sacred teachings and oral records offering insight into the laws of nature and the spiritual connections between all living things.

Where Ancient Spirits Meet Urban Reality

In this collection, storytellers are the knowledge-keepers. Andrea Grant honors this tradition by reimagining supernatural beings and ancestral figures in contemporary settings, from the crowded sidewalks of New York City to quiet suburban apartments.

These luminous stories move between past and present, dreamtime and urban reality. It is a world where:

  • Water serpents haunt your sleep.
  • A trickster god orders whiskey in a Tacoma bar.
  • Wolves appear beneath the flickering streetlights of Manhattan.

Story Highlights

Modern Natives explores themes of identity, transformation, and mythic inheritance through several standout narratives:

  • The Water Dream: Noah is haunted by a sea serpent stalking her dreams. As her family life fractures, the boundary between myth and reality dissolves, forcing her to dive into the very waters she dreads.
  • Coyote Dances With Destiny: The immortal Trickster, haunted by loss, encounters the mysterious “Destiny” in a smoky blues bar. As they dance between temptation and fate, Coyote must decide if his memories are a curse or his only proof of existence.
  • The Isle of Women: When a young girl goes missing, two sisters follow their elders to a secret island to reclaim ancient power. This story powerfully merges the tragedy of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) movement with a mythic tale of vengeance and survival.

A Visually Driven Experience

The book is a multidimensional feast for the senses, blending short fiction and poetry with illustrations from:

  • Qwalsius–Shaun Peterson: Acclaimed Coast Salish artist.
  • Bowera Studio: Contributing high-impact visual storytelling.

With Grant’s professional background spanning Condé Nast editing, graphic novels, and short films, she brings a cinematic perspective to the genre that translates beautifully from the page to the mind’s eye.

“This book invites readers to step into a world where animals speak, ancestors walk among us, and the unseen is just as real as the seen.”

About the Author: Andrea Grant

Andrea Grant is a Canadian-born writer and multimedia artist of mixed-blood Coast Salish Native ancestry. Her work is renowned for its unique melding of mythological stories, poetry, photography, and live performance.

An alumnus of Kwantlen University College, Grant has been recognized with several prestigious First Nations Storyteller grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, the B.C. Arts Council, and the First Peoples’ Cultural Council.

‘Tell No One’ by Harlan Coben: Book Review and Plot Summary

‘Tell No One’ is the thrilling psychological thriller by Harlan Coben. Photo: Barnes & Noble

Book Review: Tell No One by Harlan Coben

For Dr. David Beck, the loss was shattering. Every day for the past eight years, he has relived the horror of what happened: the gleaming lake, the pale moonlight, the piercing screams, and the last night he saw his wife alive.

Everyone tells him it’s time to move on and forget the past. But for David Beck, there can be no closure. A message has appeared on his computer—a phrase only he and his dead wife could know. Suddenly, Beck is taunted with the impossible: somewhere, somehow, his wife is alive… and he’s been warned to tell no one.

The Movie Adaptation

Note: Tell No One was adapted into a critically acclaimed French film (Ne le dis à personne) in 2006, directed by Guillaume Canet. It is widely considered one of the best book-to-film thriller adaptations.

Review

Harlan Coben is a master of the “suburban noir,” and Tell No One is arguably the best example of this. The novel follows Dr. David Beck, a man still shattered eight years after the brutal night his wife, Elizabeth, was murdered at a secluded lake. Every year he returns to that place, haunted by the memories that changed his life forever.

The pacing is relentless. From the moment he receives the first cryptic email, Beck is pulled into a dangerous web of secrets, lies, and buried truths. The story transforms into a high-stakes scavenger hunt through the dark underbelly of New York and the secrets of the wealthy.

It’s not just the “how” or the “who,” but the raw, emotional “why.” Beck is a deeply sympathetic protagonist, a man fueled by a flickering candle of hope that defies all logic. Coben builds tension through short, fast-paced chapters and unexpected twists that keep readers constantly guessing.

Highlights

  • The Hook: A dead spouse sending emails is the ultimate “one more chapter” device.
  • The Atmosphere: Coben perfectly balances the sterile safety of Beck’s medical world with the creeping dread of being watched.
  • The Twist: Just when you think you’ve mapped out the conspiracy, Coben pulls the rug out with surgical precision.

Final Verdict

Tell No One is a gripping psychological thriller that blends emotional depth with relentless suspense. It’s a story about devotion, hope, and the lengths someone will go to uncover the truth. If you enjoy stories where the protagonist is isolated by a secret they dare not share, this is a must-read. It’s a lean, mean, and surprisingly moving exploration of how far we’d go for a second chance.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

“A staircase. There had to be a staircase down here somewhere. I felt my way forward, moving in a sort of spastic dance, leading with my left leg as though it were a white cane. My foot crunched over some broken glass. I kept moving.”

Book Review: ‘The Spartan Sacrifice’ by Andrew Varga | A Jump in Time Book 4

‘The Spartan Sacrifice’ is the thrilling continuation of Andrew Varga’s time travel series. Photo: Barnes & Noble

Related Post: Time Travel Meets Thermopylae: ‘The Spartan Sacrifice’ Is Here

⚔️ Rewriting History: A Review of ‘The Spartan Sacrifice’ by Andrew Varga

In the high-stakes world of Andrew Varga’s A Jump in Time series, the past isn’t just a memory, it’s a battlefield. The fourth installment, The Spartan Sacrifice, takes the series to a fever pitch, blending the grit of ancient warfare with the mind-bending ethics of time travel.

The Stakes: A Vision of Global Domination

Victor Stahl’s bid for power is no longer a shadow play; it’s an accelerating threat. As a congressman with presidential aspirations, Stahl isn’t just looking to win an election, he’s looking to “fix” humanity by erasing most of it. With his own team of time travelers, he is systematically manipulating history to pave the way for his dark utopia.

The Mission: 480 BCE

Fearing they are running out of time, 17-year-old Dan Renfrew and his partner Sam jump back to ancient Greece. They land on the eve of the legendary Battle of Thermopylae. While their primary goal is to thwart Victor, they are quickly pulled into the brutal reality of King Leonidas’s stand against the Persian Empire.

Why This Installment Stands Out

Varga vividly recreates the tension of Sparta, immersing readers in the harsh realities of the vastly outnumbered warriors.

  • Historical Immersion: The detail enriches the narrative without stalling the momentum, making the ancient world feel immediate and dangerous.
  • Character Growth: Dan’s evolution is a highlight. His courage is now tempered by the heavy responsibility of his powers and the unintended consequences of his actions.
  • Visceral Narrative: Writing in the first person, Varga puts us directly in Dan’s head. From the opening nightmare of vengeful horsemen to the “anxious vibe” of a lecture hall, the prose is sharp and evocative.

“As soon as I swung open the door to the lecture hall where the medieval club met, I could sense something was wrong – an anxious vibe hung over the room like a dark gray storm cloud.”

At a Glance: The Spartan Sacrifice

CategoryDetails
SeriesA Jump in Time (Book 4)
GenreYA Science Fiction / Historical Drama
SettingAncient Greece (480 BCE)
ThemesPower, Ethics of Time Travel, Heroism
Best For Fans OfQuantum Leap, historical thrillers, and fast-paced YA

Final Verdict

Suspenseful and thought-provoking, The Spartan Sacrifice skillfully balances action with ethical complexity. It explores a chillingly timely theme: Whoever controls the past writes the future. When a catastrophic accident disrupts the timeline, the moral weight of altering history becomes more frightening than any villain’s scheme.

“As long as Victor controlled the past, he could write the future, and our little group was just a speck of dust he could whisk off the page.”

Rating: Highly Recommended for readers who love high-stakes adventures and the “what if” of historical events.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

About the ‘A Jump in Time’ Series

If you’re new to the series, it follows Dan Renfrew, a normal teenager who discovers he is descended from a line of “time jumpers.” These secret heroes resolve glitches in the time stream to ensure history stays on its proper course.

From 1066 England to the gates of Sparta, Dan must battle malevolent jumpers whose lust for power threatens the entire future of the world. It’s a modern-day Quantum Leap that asks: How much would you sacrifice to save the world?

*Thank you to Michela Malafaia / Imbrifex Books for the gifted copy for review consideration. I haven’t been compensated for this review and all views and opinions expressed are my own.

‘Night Night Fawn’ is a Bold and Unfiltered Novel About Family and Reckoning

‘Night Night Fawn’ is the new novel by Jordy Rosenberg. Photo: Barnes & Noble

Book Review: Night Night Fawn by Jordy Rosenberg

Overview

From the acclaimed author of Confessions of the Fox comes a novel that feels like an unauthorized memoir dictated in a fever dream. Set in a cluttered, rent-controlled Manhattan apartment, Barbara Rosenberg is terminally ill, high on opioids, and utterly unrepentant. Night Night Fawn will be released on Tuesday March 3, 2026 and available for pre-order. (Broadside PR, 2026)

As she writes the story of her life, she spares no one, least of all herself. Her narrative skips between memories of a smutty late husband, a career with a disreputable plastic surgeon, and her “glory days” of jazzercise, all while she grapples with unhinged thoughts on gender, Karl Marx, and Zionism.

At the heart of her delirium are two haunting disappointments:

  • An estranged trans son.
  • A long-lost best friend whose betrayal still lingers.

Review: A Reckoning in Real-Time

Written in a sharp first-person POV, Night Night Fawn forces readers to confront the jagged edges of intergenerational conflict. Barbara’s voice pivots effortlessly between gutter humor and piercing self-awareness. Rosenberg provides an unfiltered portrait of a mother who cannot love cleanly, apologize easily, or die quietly. Themes explored include identity, colonialism, sexuality, and gender.

The prose is vivid and descriptive, turning even the mundane into something cinematic:

“In my daughter’s bedroom the traffic along Second Avenue cast stripes of light through the blinds; they floated across the ceiling like empty frames of film reel ticking off after a show.”

The narrative structure is nonlinear, mirroring Barbara’s descent into illness. It’s a bold exploration of the stories we tell ourselves when time is running out. While the novel is provocative and often uncomfortable, it remains a fiercely intelligent reminder of our shared, messy humanity.

Recommended for: Fans of family life fiction and unconventional memoirs who appreciate raw, “unfiltered” storytelling.

Key Quotes

“As I started down the ramp of sleep, I could feel my mind begin to unravel, like a piece of knitting being pulled out to correct a slipped stitch.”

Rating: 4 out of 5.

About the Author

Jordy Rosenberg is the author of Confessions of the Fox, a New York Times Editors’ Choice selection and finalist for numerous prestigious awards, including the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize and the Lambda Literary Award.

A recipient of support from the MacDowell and Lannan Foundations, Rosenberg currently serves as a professor in the Department of English and MFA Faculty at UMass-Amherst.

*Thank you to Broadspire PR/NetGalley for the gifted ARC for review consideration. I haven’t been compensated for this review and all views and opinions expressed are my own.

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