The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
on April 29, 2025
Genres: Fiction / Epistolary, Fiction / Family Life / General, Fiction / Women
Pages: 304
Format: Hardcover
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The Correspondent by Virginia Evans is an absolute gem—an intimate, moving, and beautifully written epistolary novel that completely swept me away.
The story follows Sybil Van Antwerp, a seventy-something woman who has spent her life writing letters to make sense of the world and her place in it. Every morning, she sits down to write—to her brother, her best friend, university officials, authors like Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry, and even to one person she writes to often but never sends the letters. Through her correspondence, we see a full and complex life unfold: she’s been a mother, grandmother, wife, divorcée, and a distinguished lawyer. But when letters from someone in her past resurface, Sybil is forced to confront a painful chapter of her life and the unfinished forgiveness that has haunted her for years.
I devoured this book. If you love epistolary novels, The Correspondent is an absolute must-read. It’s hard to even describe how wonderful it is—it makes you feel all the feelings. Sybil’s letters are sharp, witty, poignant, and deeply human. You can feel her grief over the loss of her child, her humor, her frustrations, and her wisdom in every line. Writing letters becomes her way of processing the world, her grief, and her memories—it’s both a form of therapy and a testament to a life fully lived.
Sybil is the kind of character who lingers long after the final page. I found myself wishing I could correspond with her myself; she’s insightful, compassionate, and unflinchingly honest. Virginia Evans’s debut captures not only a remarkable woman’s voice but also the power of writing itself—how words can heal, preserve, and connect us, even across years and heartache.
This is easily one of the best books I’ve read this year. Tender, funny, and profoundly affecting—The Correspondent is a letter you’ll be grateful to have received.
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