The Correspondent - a heartfelt story of an aging woman told through her letters.

Sybil Van Antwerp is a retired woman in her seventies living in Maryland. She begins each day at her desk, writing letters, her preferred form of communication. She not only writes to her family and friends, but also to authors who have moved her. She also writes to those with whom she has a bone to pick. Sybil is a retired lawyer and former clerk to a judge. She is divorced and has a complex relationship with her two children, and she has never fully healed from the loss of her third child at the age of eight. Her life unfolds through her numerous correspondences, including those with her brother Felix and Rosalie, her childhood best friend and former sister-in-law. Sybil writes to Harry, the troubled yet brilliant teenager of a former colleague, becoming a mother figure to him. She also writes a series of heartfelt letters to an unidentified person, which remain unsent. As her declining eyesight threatens her love of reading and writing, it might not be too late for Sybil to make amends.  

The Correspondent is a unique and poignant novel in an epistolary style. The writing is simply beautiful. Through letters and emails, we gain insight into the life of Sybil, who initially seems like a cantankerous septuagenarian. She offers plenty of advice to others, yet her behavior, particularly with her family, hasn't been without fault. Ultimately, Sybil must look inward to see if she can change. In her remarkable debut, author Virginia Evans tackles challenging themes of aging, loss, and grief with sensitivity and often with laugh-out-loud humor. Sybil will capture your heart. How can you not care about someone who ends most of her letters with "What are you reading?" 

Rated 5 out of 5 stars.

Literary Fiction.

Publication Date: April 29, 2025.

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