Dear Edna Sloane

by Amy Shearn

Edna Sloane was a promising author at the top of her game. Her debut novel was an instant classic and commercial success, vaulting her into the heady echelons of the 1980s New York City lit scene. Then she disappeared and was largely forgotten. Decades later, Seth Edwards is an aspiring writer and editor who feels he’s done all the right things to achieve literary success, but despairs that his dream will be forever out of reach. He becomes obsessed with the idea that if he can rediscover Sloane, it will make his career. His search for her leads to unexpected places and connections, and the epistolary correspondence that ensues makes up this book, a novel infused with insights and meditations about what our cultural obsession with the "next big thing" does to literature, and what it means to be a creative person in the world.

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction

Kindle Edition

About the author

Amy Shearn is the award-winning author of 5 novels: How Far Is the Ocean from Here, The Mermaid of Brooklyn, Unseen City, Dear Edna Sloane, and Animal Instinct.

Reviews

[Danielle Nilsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, let me thank NetGalley and Red Hen Press for an advanced reader copy of this book.

I absolutely adored this book. The way the story is told through correspondences and documents hooked me instantly. The two main characters are both so pulsatingly human: witty and gritty, ambitious and fearful, talented and flawed. I breezed through the first half of the book, fully invested in finding out what happened to Edna as well as what *will* happen to Seth. Although I reached a point maybe 80% through the book where I did agree with other reviews and thought "Okay, we've had enough long-winded letters, let's get to the resolution here," I don't think I would want any of them to be cut. I highlighted so much--long passages and glimmering little sentences alike--because I felt like both Seth and Edna were speaking directly to AND from my own soul as they tackled the big questions - like "How do I live a meaningful life?" and "Will I ever create anything worthwhile?"

This book is a must-read for any creative person. It speaks to the ambition, longing, doubt, and resilience of the creative mind in such a beautiful way, IMO. As a fellow artist mother, I especially appreciated Edna's commentary on the fragmentation of self and how her story illustrates that being a writer (or painter, poet, whatever) is a long haul game. Unlike other reviewers, I appreciated the ending because I know that disappearance is just temporary and that the best is yet to come.

...

"Maybe that's my art form right now, like an extended performance piece: surviving."

"You want to become anonymous? Easy. Become a mother."

"It's not a curse. It's a little bit inconvenient sometimes, but it's also a rare and precious gift. Now get your ass in your chair and write that book."

"I've accidentally started talking about why people write, not why people read. That answer is maybe even easier. The world is not enough. How can it be? Regular life--working for a paycheck, commuting without killing anyone, boiling the pasta, going to Target because you've convinced yourself a new plastic bin to organize your papers will solve something, everything. It's not enough. I want to live a million lives. I want to travel across the universe, and in and out of every brain. So I read books, which is as close as I can get."

*Please note that all quotes are taken from an advanced readers copy and aren’t final.

[Lindsay Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much incredible stuff here. If you’re a writer, just starting out or wizened and questioning, read this book.

[jocelyn • coolgalreading · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't know what to expect going into this book, but I was invested right away and loved the format of correspondence.

Even though it was told through different kinds of correspondence I felt like we really got a sense of who Seth was in the way he interacted and corresponded.

I was invested all the way through in his quest to find Edna Sloane.

A delightful book and a love letter to literature, reading and finding out what really matters to you.

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC!

[Kelly Neenan · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who was obsessed with the “ttyl” book series as a kid, I am always looking for epistolary novels that will take me back into the feeling of reading those books. (Also, do the “ttyl” books hold up? Has anyone revisited them?)

I think “Dear Edna” was so successful in creating this feeling in a really thought-provoking and existential dread-filled way. I will definitely be thinking about this book in the days to come.

Thank you to NetGalley and Red Hen Press for the ARC!

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seth Edwards, an aspiring writer and editor, becomes obsessed with uncovering the story of Edna Sloane, a once-celebrated author who vanished from the public eye. This obsession leads him on a path filled with unexpected discoveries about Sloane, the literary world, and himself.

It’s a thoughtful and nuanced look at literary ambition, the search for creative authenticity, and the rediscovery of a forgotten literary star. I love an epistolary novel, and choosing modern epistolary formats (email, text, social media posts and comments) was clever. The way in which Seth’s voice changes depending on the forum and the audience is incredibly true to life. He might not even be aware of it, but Edna, that brilliant observer of humanity, points out:

“For your generation I imagine it is fragmented even further – who are you, Seth Edwards? The Facefriend profile? The ImmediaPix feed? Right? Or am I off-base. Robin says I overestimate the fragmentation of the modern self. Maybe I do, maybe ‘twas ever thus, it occurs to me, as I remember my mother’s voice changing whether she was on the phone with customer service, the secretary at the synagogue, my father, with her sister in Texas, her other sister in Tel Aviv – how I judged her for shifting so slitheringly between all these selves – no one is a harsher critic than a daughter.”

Other things I loved: Edna is a great and subtle feminist. Her experiences as a woman in the world of publishing, and delicate rendering of the conflict between mother/wife and artist were so well done. Additionally, a book about a book (pr any great work of art) makes me desperately wish I could experience that work of art myself (think: The Goldfinch, The Fault In Our Stars). That's just a wonderful added piece of texture.

The novel's strength lies in its ability to explore profound themes such as the meaning of success, the pressures of creative life, and the impact of our cultural obsession with 'the next big thing' on literature and creativity. 'Dear Edna Sloane' is a must-read for anyone fascinated by the world of literature, the creative process, and the timeless quest for meaning in art. It's a love letter to literature and a reminder of the power of stories to connect us to what truly matters."

It's a book about why books matter:

"Fiction makes the unsorted mass of life feel meaningful, as if there were some organizing principle to our days."

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

[molly ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary:

Edna Sloane was a "wunderkind" author in the 1980s whose debut novel was quickly dubbed a modern classic. Shortly after her book was deemed a commercial success, Edna disappeared skipping out on her second book contract deal and, though her work is influential and well known, she was forgotten.

Fast forward to 2017. Meet Seth Edwards, a young aspiring author who is overworked and underpaid. His boss wants him to do a story on Edna Sloane for the company website, so he begins his quest of finding out what happened to Ms. Sloane.

Review:

The entire book is written in email, letter, and text correspondence along with other written content throughout the years. Though I enjoyed this book, the beginning had a slow start due to the business casual writing style Seth had to employ while trying to find information about Edna Sloane. At first his sense of humor came off as fake at the beginning, but as he builds relationships, his writing style relaxes a bit and the humor is more "real." These aspects made it difficult for me to get into at first.

Though very different, the novel has a similar concept to the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo due to the nature of Seth trying to get an interview with Edna, who is very closed off and private. However, what really sets this book apart is Shearn's excellent writing. The voice of each character comes through with each correspondence. As a reader you are able to grasp Edna's quick wit and reflective nature as well as Seth's insecurities and admiration.

In addition, I really appreciated how the excerpts from Edna's books were extremely well written to the point they actually come off as a modern classic. Oftentimes authors will write excerpts from their characters' books, and they just aren't that good, almost as if the author is battling their voice and skill vs the character's.

Though I enjoyed the novel, I disagree with some plot choices, such as there being no answers surrounding what happened to one character at the end or how two of the characters never met up. However, I do chalk these choices as being very literary fiction decisions. I'm not mad at the choices--just a little disappointed as a reader left with questions.

I will close with a quote near the end of the book that resonated with me:

"And yet when I can trick myself into believing, for a moment, that a God might have created us, it seems very dear to me that this God would want us to create."

Thank you Net Galley & Red Hen Press for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

[Christa Carter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a slow burn! Written as a series of emails, text messages, and social media posts, we watch a young and hungry writer in NYC try to track down a famous author who vanished decades ago after releasing a best seller. Eventually, through these missives we learn more about both characters and their inner worlds, leading to deep and thought-provoking conversations on the purpose of creativity in a world that doesn't always spark inspiration. By the end, I cared about the characters and was happy to see the ways they changed and the things they discovered about themselves along the way.

[Abby · Rating 3 out of 5]

With thanks to Net Galley for the Advanced Reader Copy for review.
This one rates solidly at a 2.75 to 3 overall stars for me. A read you love on its surface, but struggle to like behind the scenes.
At times I felt like I was being forced to watch a manuscript reading by Amy Sherman Palladino after working a 12 hour shift with no remote sense left of why so many words were being used to convey a feeling or capture an essence - and an echoing thought of where is this going?
As the quote goes, this book truly gives “an infinity of traces without leaving an inventory”.

[Olivia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some interesting if half-baked ideas about writing, publishing, the internet, etc that were for me ultimately overshadowed by the author's extremely annoying tone, a tone which made me want to punch every single character in the head constantly.

[Marlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are plenty of variations on the saying that “Writing is easy. You just open a vein and bleed.” (I’ve always thought this was Hemingway, but a bit of Google-Fu turns up an earlier attribution to sports writer “Red” Smith in 1949.

But the story in this book has things a bit differently – at least from a certain literary point of view.

Writ-ING is actually easy, full stop. Lots of people do it every day in one form or another. We may not write letters much anymore, but we “tweet” tweets – or we did when it was called ‘Twitter’. Do people now ‘ex’ on X? (Just those types of digressions are common in the correspondence that makes up the bulk of this epistolary novel.)

Whatever tweets are called these days, we also write emails, memos and reports, caption Facebook and Instagram posts and text each other incessantly. It’s all writ-ING. Which doesn’t mean that any of it is either good or effective – just that it happens a lot more than we think it does.

But we’re not writ-ERS, and that difference is a big part of what this book is exploring.

Once upon a time in the 1980s, Edna Sloane was a young WRITER, a debut novelist, a literary wunderkind, whose first novel, An Infinity of Traces, took the book world by storm and became an instant classic.

Then she disappeared from the scene – at least the literary scene. The speculation was endless – even without social media as we know it today. Whether Edna Sloane was murdered, kidnapped, walked away on her own recognizance or got locked up in an institution of one kind or another, the woman was nowhere to be found.

Agatha Christie famously disappeared in 1926 but she was found in a spa hotel two weeks later. Edna Sloane wasn’t found at all until a junior editor at an online literary magazine tracked her down in 2017.

Dear Edna Sloane, the book, is the cumulated correspondence between the titular novelist, now nearing 60, and Seth Edwards, the young would-be writer who pretends he’s pursuing the elusive Sloane for an article to save his job. What he’s really doing is pouring out all of his own angst about just how difficult it is to be a WRITER no matter how desperately he tries to hold onto his dream.

And Edna answers. Not with platitudes, but with truth – the kind of truths that her own novel was so rightfully famous for. Seth’s quest for Edna brings Edna back into the world – even as it echoes the plot of her famous novel and pushes him out of it.

Escape Rating B-: There’s a life imitates art imitates life aspect to this story that draws the reader in more than one might expect – certainly more than this reader expected. At the same time, it is also very, ‘lit-ficcy’ in that there’s not a lot of action but there is a ton of angst.

That it doesn’t wallow in itself or its angst – in other words, that it goes about its business without getting carried away endlessly – makes it a relatively short bit of literary fiction, and the quest to find Edna Sloane carries the story along even though the events that take place around it fade into the background more than a bit – much as Seth does in the end.

What Seth’s side of the correspondence brings to the table – or screen – is his desperation to hang onto a dream that is slipping away. Seth is caught on the horns of the dilemma about the circus worker stuck with the job of cleaning up elephant poop who won’t leave because he’d have to give up show business.

Edna, on the other hand, brings back the heady, glorious days of the literary scene in the 1980s, even as she puts perspective on just how naive and innocent she was in her 20s – just as Seth is now. She also stands at the crossroads of her own dilemmas. Then, it was about balancing so-called ‘real life’ with her burning need to write – and being forced to choose and adopt a persona that would get her through the day and get the work of living done.

As well as discovering that she could either be feted for the work or do the work when it came to writing, but not both. Writing was easy, but being a writer in the sense of being part of the star-making machinery and finding a way to support herself as a writer was damn hard and in the end she set it aside even if that was not what she planned or desired.

And yes, there’s plenty about the emotional labor of women in that part of her life but it’s not the whole of the thing at all.

Still, Edna needs her writing to reconcile her past – and even more so the effect of her father’s past as a Survivor (of Auschwitz) – whether she’s feted or celebrated for it or not. So she’s never really stopped, even when it seemed like she really, truly, seriously had stopped. She stopped being ‘a writer’ but that vein was still open so she never stopped writing after all.

Originally published at Reading Reality

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

A delightful epistolary novel that straddles the line between breezy and substantial, not always sure of which side of the line it's skirting, but eventually landing on the latter. The book doesn't really take off until the titular, reclusive author emerges about a third of the way in, finally agreeing to correspond with Seth, at which point Shearn is able to move past Seth's whining and raise some meaty questions about the relationship between Art and Artist.

I think the hardest aspect about writing or filming a story about a purportedly legendary artist must be that at some point, you're obligated to produce tangible evidence that justifies the reputation (see also: Daisy Jones and the Six, whose filmed version never overcame that initial hurdle). We are told that Edna Sloane is a genius-level author whose sole work won awards, defined an era, and changed a generation of readers' lives. Whether this novel works then is based largely on whether the small excerpts we're provided and her written letters to Seth are enough to make you believe it. I don't think they do, but I decided to buy in, anyway.

A charming small-press novel worth your attention.

[Iona Carys · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded up ⭐️ I haven't read a book with an epistolary format before - told exclusively through the format of letters, emails, social media etc - and I think a big part of why I didn't vibe with this book is because I don't think that this format is for me. I felt separated from the characters and plot and it was a little more clunky feeling to me. The way that Seth communicated grated on me a bit, because he seemed incapable of code switching - surely he would be capable of making some of his emails sound more professional?? The tone of all the communications started to blend together a bit for me- I don't feel that the characters were fleshed out enough for me to get to know them well enough.

There were some great themes explored (e.g., balancing creativity with societal expectations/pressures, the meaning of success, the experiences of being involved in the literary world), some humorous writing, and the premise of the book was unique and interesting, but it just fell a bit flat for me unfortunately. Thank you to Red Hen Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Kate Dusto · Rating 5 out of 5]

As one character in Dear Edna Sloane writes to her elderly father, “There’s a thing now called Content Warnings” (221). In that spirit, here’s a content warning for this book.

If you’re an aspiring author with a list of rejections longer than your to-be-read pile;

If you’re in recovery from creative writing workshops;

If you worked / are working / want to work in the publishing industry;

If you feel forgotten or overlooked as an artist (or a person);

If you question the restrictions capitalism places on creativity;

Then Dear Edna Sloane might sting like vinegar in a papercut. This book may not be for you.

Actually, no. Scratch that: Amy Shearn’s novel is for you. And if you want to laugh out loud, it’s definitely for you.

Read my full review on Substack or www.thereaderlywriter.com.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very interesting epistemological novel, since it combines the traditional format with long rumination and internal dialogue within the format of correspondence. It is the story of eager, young Seth, an internet journalist who becomes obsessed with a wonderkind author, Edna Sloane, and her mysterious disappearance.

The book takes the reader on a full circle from searching for Edna to building a mutual relationship to searching for Seth.

I especially loved Edna’s story. It amazed me to read about her so-called disappearance, only to learn the truth. It really is a feminist moment about marriage and motherhood. I especially loved the inclusion of Edna’s father, an Auschwitz survivor.

This is an interesting read, though it veers from the traditional epistemological exchange.

Thank you Netgalley for this opportunity.

[Ruby Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an enjoyable book! The story is told through correspondences, texts and documents. Shearn's characters are complex, and her writing shines on every page. To say much about the plot might give away its mysteries so I would recommend readers go into it blind. Highly recommended for artists and creative souls. Thank to NetGalley for the ARC. #DearEdnaSloane #NetGalley

[Craig Amason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of the four Amy Shearn novels I have read thus far, this is my favorite. I stated in a previous review that she is somewhat of a writer's writer, and Dear Edna Sloane is Exhibit A in that argument. Written from the viewpoint of multiple characters through the vehicle of various communications methods (letters, emails, phone texts, etc.), Shearn tells the story of a young female author whose first and only published book was a runaway bestseller. And then she disappeared from the public eye, and seemingly from all of society, for decades. Fast forward and a young aspiring but as yet unsuccessful writer is trying to find her.

The search for Edna Sloane is cleverly written and so perfectly spot on with the language, antics, anxieties, and drama of the twenty-something professionals from 2018. But when she does re-emerge, although reluctantly, Shearn really turns up the volume and pulls out the magic. I see hints that Shearn may be familiar with the life of Flannery O'Connor when Sloane recalls her struggles with professors, editors, and agents, all of whom were male and not exactly upstanding gentlemen.

There are so many passages in this book that I marked. Shearn knows how to tell a story while also imparting some heavy truth through the voices of her characters. And she does it without preaching or knocking us over the head. She is an entertaining writer, which I find to be all too rare these days among authors of modern fiction. Shearn has a few sections in this book that could easily be read as a writer's manifesto. Edna Sloane has such a jaded view of writing and publishing, but even more so of the reading public, most of whom judge the worth of a book based on whether or not it has been made into a blockbuster film.

Shearn touches on some of her familiar themes here from her other novels, such as the unrealistic expectations of wives, mothers, and professional women. For instance, here is a golden passage about a woman from the story who married a doctor: "It felt like a way of securing a life without having to make a living. But as generations of housewives and queens can attest, that doesn't necessarily add up to living."

And then there's this nugget from the voice of Edna Sloane: "All I'm trying to say is, I've spent my entire adult life trying to regain that purity and perceptiveness I used to have -- that sensitivity to everything that made me want to be a writer in the first place." Sloane and Shearn fully understand the curse of the bestseller.

Here's another: ". . . none of it felt as close to the bone, as true and full of meaning as crafting a single perfect sentence, well-tuned as a pitch pipe, glowing like a sculpted length of gold. Very few people, in fact, understand that."

Before it's over, this novel invites the reader to resist falling into the trap of an unexamined life. As Edna Sloane puts it, "It's not about the answers. If you knew all the answers, you wouldn't be a writer, you'd be a pundit. It's ok to have the questions. And it's ok to not know why you have the questions. You're the wild animal, not the zookeeper." Wow.

[Alexandria Faulkenbury · Rating 4 out of 5]

A super fun read, especially if you write or pursue any other creative endeavors.

[Cheri Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is delicious. There’s just something about an epistolary novel—a good one, anyway, and Amy Shearn’s is stellar. Just watch her masterfully tease out not only an engaging plot but a commentary on everything we can learn about people from the way they communicate both familiarly and professionally via chats, texts, listservs, formal letters begging for a favor—and of course from the way that other people write about them. This is one of those compelling, charming books that made me want to be in it, to be a part of it … as I was reading it, I found myself sitting down to pen and peck out my own expressive epistles. I think you might, too. And you’ll enjoy it. It’s very exhilarating. Read this book!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Witty, wise and warm with lots of literary snark and insight. Loved this one!

[Lolly K Dandeneau · Rating 4 out of 5]

via my blog: https://bookstalkerblog.wordpress.com...
𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙬����𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙣𝙮𝙢𝙤𝙪𝙨? 𝙀𝙖𝙨𝙮. 𝘽𝙚 𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧.

This novel had me thinking about the evolution of literature and art, how technology and time affect creation. Edna Sloane was hot in the 1980’s New York literary scene with the publication of her novel “An Infinity of Traces”. A time before the internet, “when people still worshipped writers,” before Seth Edwards (web editor, aspiring writer) was born, Edna fell off the face of the earth without ever publishing a sequel. There were people who claimed it was just a publicity stunt, a convincing one that has lasted decades, others who think maybe she was murdered but now she is yesterday’s news, mostly forgotten. All he knows is one day on her way to discuss her follow-up book with her publishers, she never arrived. Reporters did not have luck either with their mission to find out what happened when they went to her apartment all those years ago. Rumor is that she is living in New York, this inspires Seth to try and track her down. Seth understands this requires sleuthing, so begins emails, modern day gumshoe work. He is willing to do anything if it will help his career, stuck at a standstill.

When he thinks he has finally found her, there are hoops he must jump through to make it worth her time to allow him to interview her. This novel is not about solving the great mystery of vanishing, it is about the transformation of Edna from shooting literary star to “an invisible woman of a certain age,” and that is what makes this a brilliant read. She is not sure people care about books, art, and words these days. Seth wants to be “put on the map,” and re-discovering Edna, featuring her would be just the thing to do it! He gets a real education about what it means to be a talented woman, the measure of fame, and the cost of an ordinary life raising a child. Did she continue to write? Did she dry up? At the start, Edna is a means to an end for Seth but as she starts to look like an actual person, through their correspondence, we see “what the stuff of life,” and all the people in it, can do to a talented woman. Why did the past swallow her up when she was just getting started?

It is a clever novel, Seth does not know himself, he is obsessed with ambition and what he thinks should come to fruition in his life. He does not ask the right questions, he is concerned too much with his tortured self and feels the world (or Edna) owes him the secret to success, all the while the truth about writing is going over his head. Will he get what he wants? I was surprised by this story and what happens with Seth and I understand a lot of what Edna feels.

For aspiring writers, book lovers, and all those “invisible women of a certain age” this is a surprisingly meaningful read.

Published April 30, 2024

Red Hen Press

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love an epistolary novel and this is a great one—I loved it so much: it’s about the writing life and being a mother and a Jew and a creative person—especially when being a mother is supposedly in conflict with being a creative person.
It’s an interesting pairing of two writers—a young man and an older woman—at very different stages of their lives and careers, who become pen pals. Toward the end of the novel, Edna Sloane’s father, a Holocaust survivor, begins to figure into the story which adds a level of both poignant history and contemporary relevance I wasn’t expecting but Amy Shearn absolutely makes it work.

Some passages:

I don't even think of myself as a writer exactly. I like making things. Maybe next I'll make a dance, or some pottery, or an elaborate twelve-course feast. It's the only way I know to address life. It's like praying is for some people, I guess. Creative work is how we ask the questions about being human, how we experience more than just this one life.

I hope a pigeon hops onto your subway like another matter-of-fact commuter and stands there by the door, waiting for its stop, and everyone in the train is drawn together in wonder and delight.

There are no Edna Sloanes listed teaching at any writing programs in the country or editing at any magazines or publishing houses.(Are there any other jobs writers are qualified for? ASKING FOR A FRIEND.)

My parents' experiences had led them to grasp for the concrete, but living with their trauma wafting around like secondhand smoke had led me the other direction.
The actual world is, obviously, the worst. So what's this other thing humans can do? Invent worlds where we can actually control things, where symbols have meaning, story strands connect, and the hero loves the heroine to the blinding degree that she deserves to be loved-now that, to me, is living in the best way I can imagine.

My novel draft shaped up, sweaty and muscular, a terrycloth headband keeping its hair out of its face and its eyes clear and bright.

You want to become anonymous? Easy. Be a mother.

You think you want that as a writer—I know you do, sweet Seth Edwards, aspiring author, scrapping for clips—but then it requires you to grow a thick skin. And how can a thick skin be sensitive enough to feel deeply-you get me, right?

I mean, for me, I can't imagine giving marriage another go. Is there a way for it to not empty you out like a toothpaste tube?

A book is sometimes like a baby in that at a certain point, there’s no holding it in any longer.



Where was I? Oh right – I get that at times, it’s hard to believe that making art matters. But I have to think it does, Seth. …I know you’re restless. I know you’re full of questions. But – and I’m sorry to throw Rilke at you like a strand of literary Mardi Gras beads – but you must, as he writes, live the questions now.

[Mariam Mulla · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Amy Shearn's captivating novel, "Dear Edna Sloane," readers are immersed in a spellbinding tale that spans decades, weaving together the stories of two writers connected by a shared passion for literature. Edna Sloane, once a shining star in the 1980s New York City literary scene, vanished into obscurity after her debut novel achieved both critical acclaim and commercial success. The narrative unfolds through the eyes of Seth Edwards, an aspiring writer and editor, whose relentless quest to rediscover Edna Sloane becomes the catalyst for a poignant exploration of creativity, fame, and the relentless pursuit of artistic dreams.

The novel unfolds as an epistolary exchange between Seth and the elusive Edna Sloane, providing a unique and intimate lens through which readers witness the complexities of the creative process. Amy Shearn skillfully navigates the cultural landscape of 1980s literary New York, offering a rich backdrop that highlights the heady echelons that propelled Edna to stardom. Simultaneously, the narrative explores Seth's contemporary struggles, offering a reflection on the challenges faced by aspiring writers striving to break through in a world fixated on the "next big thing."

Shearn's characters are masterfully crafted, each embodying the novel's broader themes of artistic ambition, the impact of societal expectations, and the enduring nature of creative pursuits. The letters exchanged between Seth and Edna are filled with profound insights and meditations, guiding readers through a thought-provoking journey that transcends the boundaries of time.

"Dear Edna Sloane" invites readers to contemplate the consequences of our cultural obsession with literary success, prompting reflection on the sacrifices inherent in the pursuit of artistic brilliance. Amy Shearn's novel is not merely a mystery; it is a profound exploration of the human condition and the intricate relationship between creativity and societal expectations.

In conclusion, "Dear Edna Sloane" stands as a testament to Amy Shearn's storytelling prowess, offering readers a poignant and thought-provoking narrative that seamlessly blends mystery, nostalgia, and philosophical musings. This novel is a must-read for those seeking a rich and immersive literary experience that transcends time and explores the timeless quest for artistic excellence.

[Mars · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've ever wished 84 Charing Cross Road and If on a Winter's Night a Traveler could go on a long, meandering walk through the boroughs of New York at dusk and share their secrets — or maybe you're a normal book lover who doesn't imagine books on really good dates but just needs to break a reading slump — you'll inhale Dear Edna Sloane by Amy Shearn. You might even enjoy all the musing on writing as vocation as well as book publishing realities (and more) in one sitting, as I did. The book is epistolatory and follows a pre-pandemic millennial publishing peon as he searches for an author who made a debut splash back when publishing was more three-martini-lunches than it's present day make-your-own-press-tour. Divided into the two parts, I say to go into the story knowing as little as you can so you can enjoy the journey (if not the main narrator at all times; I scoffed at him a couple of times in the beginning, but perfect narrators are boring, and this one didn't fail to make the interesting choice throughout the book, so.).

Dear Edna Sloane pulled off the feat of being not just a book about books but a novel about books that didn't go for any of the easy endings I feared it might while reading it. Did I fist pump when an influence I suspected showed up in text? Reader, I did, and bet you will, too, for we are both of us broken in the same way if you've read this far.

For readers who have read Shearn's earlier work, A Mermaid in Brooklyn, there's a small treat for you as well on page 1. I've yet to read Mermaid as this was my first Shearn, but I was delighted by the find while checking out the author's other work. Personally, my next Shearn will, I hope, be Unseen City, which I missed when it was published in the beginning of the pandemic. Dear Edna Sloane will engage and hang around the brains of anyone who's ever been drawn to a vocation (writing, parenthood, a life well-lived) in a culture that sometimes seems cluttered in clickbait. A thoughtful and fun read!

Thank you Red Hen Press for providing this e-book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

[AMenagerieofWords Deb Coco · Rating 3 out of 5]

But it’s like we can’t help ourselves. We love books. We love stories. We love words...The world is not enough. How can it be? Regular life - working for a paycheck, commuting without killing anyone, boiling pasta, going to Target...it’s not enough...I want to live a million lives...so I read books.
Dear Edna Sloane
Amy Shearn
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You’d read it for that passage alone, right?
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I didn’t realize until I’d almost finished this book that its author also wrote Unseen City, a little gem that, like Edna Sloane, is a book lover’s story. I am not sure why this one hasn’t seen more love, but thank you Red Hen Press for putting this copy in my hands!
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I am a big believer in the power of a cover - you never get a second chance to make a first impression. I do think this cover doesn’t match the story or draw readers in. But small presses often have buried treasures and I think that this corner of IG is full of readers who will appreciate this type of book.
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Told in epistolary and mixed media format, Edna Sloane is the story of a young journalist’s obsession with finding Edna Sloane, the author of a novel that decades prior had become an overnight bestseller. She rose to fame and then almost immediately disappeared without a trace. Seth begins writing her letters in hopes of her response and winning a great story.
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What unfolds is a literary mystery amid the NYC lit scene with and a study about the way we consume art. I think there are lots of us who ponder the lives of authors we adore (this made me think of Donna Tartt actually) and Seth’s pursuit of the real story behind Edna’s disappearance drives the story. An unlikely friendship then ensues between the two as they explore her experience with the literary as compared with his expectations of that world.
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This was a nice palate cleanser and the literary plot line was enough to keep me turning pages.

[Mellie · Rating 2 out of 5]

*Advanced Reader Copy Review*

I have a special love for epistolary literature, in that it requires you to read between the lines and intuit what’s not being stated on the page. I thought this book had an interesting hook: millennial magazine editor (Seth Edwards) tracking down a mysterious reclusive author (Edna Sloane) for an exposé article.

Plot: The framing of the story was interesting. In reviews and excerpts of Edna Sloane’s book, we learn that her main character, Ned, is obsessed with the mysterious Greta. This plot mirrored in Seth’s own search through the publishing world for Edna. Both stories paint the portrait of a disillusioned man obsessively searching for an idealized but misunderstood woman.

Format: I wish that the different formats (Reddit thread, email, etc.) affected how the characters wrote to each other. There’s very little difference in tone despite the wildly different types of recipients. The main character, Seth, writes to publishers in the same way he writes tweets. The lack of tonal differences is also present in how many of the side characters write. Specifically, there are no changes in punctuation, syntax, or style to indicate that these really are separate people writing. I wish that the background characters in this book were diversified to make the dialogue more realistic.

Ultimately, the story was interesting and I understood the direction the author wanted to take the plot in, but I felt that the writing could have been refined and the narrative could have been tightened to create a much more compelling novel. It has a lot of potential, but I think it deserves another round of editing.

[Michelle (shareorshelve) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Amy Shearn’s Dear Edna Sloane in one sitting.

I laughed out loud as I read Seth’s earnest but misguided emails, texts, posts, and letters as he searches for Edna Sloane, the reclusive author of the 1980s literary sensation An Infinity of Traces who disappeared at the height of her book’s success. Seth, a disillusioned editorial assistant at a digital publication company, becomes convinced that the only way to save his stalled career is to rediscover the forgotten Edna Sloane.

Dear Edna Sloane is told through a series of letters, emails, text messages, and even the occasional Reddit post. Beneath its humor is an emotional core. I saw myself in protagonists Seth and Edna. Like Seth, I remember being a wide-eyed recent English Literature graduate, filled with ideals and ambition, and how quickly the world grinds them down. I also recognized Edna's struggle as a mother and an older woman. As both myself, I've noticed the ways I start to become invisible to the world.

Shearn's portrait of Edna, a fierce and vulnerable woman, feels achingly real. The men in her life—her ex-husband, her editor, her son, and even Seth—demand her energy and validation. They try to diminish Edna's desires and her hard-won sense of self, but she refuses to let them.

As Seth and Edna’s friendship deepens, so does Shearn's meditation on what it is to live a creative life in a world driven by clicks and an obsession with the next big thing.

I loved this book immensely. It's clever, current, and a reminder that sometimes a good belly laugh is just as meaningful as a great epiphany.

This is a SHARE.

Dear Edna Sloane, from Red Hen Press, will be released in April 2024.

[twoey (rachel q.) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m giving this book five stars because I feel that the point of art is to incite an emotional reaction of some kind. However, this book brought out a very visceral reaction out of me, and made me so mad at some points.

From the beginning, I hated Seth and everything about him, and at first I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to or not. But as I got to know Edna, I realized what his purpose was as a character a bit more. I flew through this book, partially because of the format and also because I genuinely needed to know where this story was going. It engaged me throughly.

I’m all about “unlikeable” women in literature, and I adored what this book was saying about that. The juxtaposition of Edna’s rage towards her editor for wanting to punish her character’s sexuality and the men in her life in general with Seth’s reducing of the women in his life to what he can get from them is extremely well written and rage inducing. It was a very good commentary on how women are treated in their creative endeavors, and the obliviousness of men in the same industry to those struggles. I just wanted to protect Edna and her choice to stay out of the spotlight.

I also wrote in my notes that the book made me crave matzoh ball soup. I come from a long line of New York Jews, and I really enjoyed that infusion of culture within the narrative as well.

Overall, a really powerful story with engaging characters, good and bad. I devoured the book in just a few hours.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Ivy Grimes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very engaging epistolary novel...it's fun to read emails and articles and old letters, after all, and the book juggles a few mysteries all the way through. In addition, this is a very ambitious book. I understand if some readers felt like something was missing, but I think that's part of the point...there is something missing. The letters directly discuss what is missing from real life. 
We get glimpses of three generations and three different kinds of pain and emptiness...the unthinkable trauma of a Holocaust survivor, his daughter who is too sensitive and too feisty for ordinary or literary society, and a guy in his 20s who is dealing with his own generation's catastrophes. Our catastrophes. The book also explores how to make art and how to live the good life regardless...how that might mean growing a beautiful garden for one person, and being alone to write stories for another. How to keep going. How to make it all mean something. Of course, there are no clear answers...we haven't collectively solved these problems! They remain mysteries. But there is much here that's thought-provoking. I know I'll be thinking about these characters and their problems for a long time. 
I'd like to say more about my fascination with history repeating itself throughout this story, but I don't want to give anything away. 
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC

[Stacy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lopsided letters

Disclaimer: I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway

As suggested by the title, the story unfolds through letters/emails.

The first part of the book is very one-sided, only showing letters from Seth, an online magazine writer trying to find a reclusive author that wrote a highly regarded book and then disappeared for over two decades. The letters are short and help to build context, but were very slow in moving the story along.

The second part of the story is when the author, Edna Sloane, responds to Seth. This part of the book is much better written and allows us to really get to know both Seth and Edna. Personally, I enjoyed Edna's letters much more, and I almost wish that her fictional novel was real so that I could read it.

Without spoilers, the book ends with another seeking out of a seemingly disappeared person.

It took me a long time to get through part one. I almost stopped reading it a few times, but I am pretty stubborn and don't easily give up on books. I am glad I sludged through to get to part two, because Edna's letters were so enjoyable to read.

Overall, however, I feel like the story fell flat and I didn't really care about what happened to either Edna or Seth. I rate it maybe a 2.5, but rounded down because of how long it took me to read it.

[Belinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plot summary: Edna Sloane was a literary IT girl of the 80s. Her first book was a huge hit and she was a star of the literary scene. Then, on the day she was due to meet her editor to discuss her second book, she vanished, never to be seen again. Now, decades later, a rumour has emerged that Edna has been seen in in NYC. A young journalist, Seth, who works for one of those literary websites that pays extra for clicks, becomes obsessed with finding Edna. Can he track down this reclusive author, or is the story of what happened to her more sinister than it first sounds?

Thoughts: This book receives both four stars and two stars from me. It's an epistolary novel, which is a format I really enjoy. I also really enjoyed Part I, which details Seth's investigation. He is a really charming character and I enjoyed hanging out with him. However, for me the book gets a bit lost in Part II, which includes more voices than just Seth's. It felt me me like this section suffered from the epistolary format - it just got a bit long winded. And, no spoilers, but there was one voice in particular that I just didn't buy.

So, even though this did fully hit the mark for me, I liked it enough to definitely look up more books from this author.