Review of The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

This quiet, epistolary novel witnesses the creaky, sometimes difficult shifts and realizations that a septuagenarian achieves around her health, children, past secrets, friendship, romantic relationships, and previously unknown blood relatives near the end of her life.

I had in my possession a prepublication version of this book in the spring, but it slipped through the cracks until two friends shared their rave reviews of the title this summer, whereupon I fell in love with the idea of the novel and bought the audiobook on Libro.fm because the Libby list was so long at the library. Just recently I realized that I owned that prepublication edition and began reading, until a third friend strongly suggested I listen to my audiobook version, which I then did.

Anyhoo, I feel like this book and I have been circling each other since early May, and I was so delighted as I finally dove into this charming novel.

Sybil Van Antwerp has written letters her whole life--letters to dear friends and family, letters of complaint, letters of praise and wonder to authors of books she's loved, and more. She reflects, sorts out her thoughts and makes sense of the events of the world.

Now Sybil is in her late 70s, she's set in her ways, she's sometimes out of step and old-fashioned, often grumpy--and she's facing immense changes. We find out early on that she faces the impending loss of her sight, that she is somewhat estranged from her daughter, that deep tragedy has shaped her life and closed off her heart, and that she may be stumbling into information about her biological parents.

She's never welcomed change before, but maybe, just maybe, she will be able to shift her perspective and open herself up to some pivotal new experiences in the life she has left.

It's lovely to witness Sybil's slowly allowing herself to face the past, addressing difficult issues in the present, and allowing for surprising adventures in her life. The Correspondent offers messy, imperfect characters in often difficult situations, and they find their way through having changed and grown.

This was charming and I loved both reading this novel and listening to the audio version of this title. The Correspondent was the right book at the right time for me.

I received a prepublication version of this title courtesy of NetGalley and Crown Publishing.

More Epistolary Novels

This is Virginia Evans's first novel.

I do love a novel in letters. To find Bossy reviews of other books I've read, please check out the titles at this link.