Throughout her life Sybil Van Antwerp has used letters to make sense of the world and her place in it. Most mornings around half past ten Sybil sits down to write letters—to her brother, to her best friend, to the president of the university who will not allow her to audit a class she desperately wants to take, to Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry to tell them what she thinks of their latest books, and to one person to whom she writes often yet never sends the letter.
Sybil expects her world to go on as it always has. A mother, grandmother, wife, divorcée, distinguished lawyer, she has lived a full life. But when letters from someone in her past force her to examine one of the most painful periods of her life, she realizes the letter she has been writing over the years needs to be read and that she cannot move forward until she finds it in her heart to offer forgiveness.
My Review
The Correspondent is about the power of finding solace in literature and the ability to find connection with people we might never meet in person. I fell in love with Sybil Antwerp’s character. She may be one of the most endearing, unique characters I have met in a book in a long time.
This is a debut novel written by Virginia Evans and for me it was a homerun. She writes Sybil’s character with empathy and with wisdom. I love that Sybil sits at her desk every day and writes letters by hand, a custom that most today find antiquated.
The novel, written in the form of letters and emails, is unique and refreshing. Through those letters we see a glimpse of Sybil’s life, including her regrets and the guilt she feels. We don’t need a narrator to hand it to us, the letters are more than enough.
My Recommendation
It is my pleasure to recommend this book for readers who enjoy the epistolary format (letters) or who are interested in trying a new format. You will enjoy this book if you appreciate thoughtful, reflective literary fiction, and I think this would be a great book club read. This book was an easy 5-star read for me and one of my favorite books of 2025.