Some books are just special, and this is one of them — The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans. After you read it, you’ll tell everyone you know about it because it’s just that good. You’ll want your friends to experience it, too. I’ve never read anything else like it, and that’s one of the many things that make it such a great experience. It’s a story that will stay with me for a long, long time. I listened to the Audible version, which is a masterclass on excellent narration. Highly recommend it.
Book title: The Correspondent
Author: Virginia Evans
Genre: Contemporary Women’s Fiction
What it’s about (without spoilers):
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Discover the word-of-mouth hit hailed by Ann Patchett as “A cause for celebration”—an intimate novel about the transformative power of the written word and the beauty of slowing down to reconnect with the people we love.
“Imagine, the letters one has sent out into the world, the letters received back in turn, are like the pieces of a magnificent puzzle. . . . Isn’t there something wonderful in that, to think that a story of one’s life is preserved in some way, that this very letter may one day mean something, even if it is a very small thing, to someone?”
Filled with knowledge that only comes from a life fully lived, The Correspondent is a gem of a novel about the power of finding solace in literature and connection with people we might never meet in person. It is about the hubris of youth and the wisdom of old age, and the mistakes and acts of kindness that occur during a lifetime.
Sybil Van Antwerp has throughout her life 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, divorcee, distinguished lawyer, she has lived a very 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 that 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.
Sybil Van Antwerp’s life of letters might be “a very small thing,” but she also might be one of the most memorable characters you will ever read.
Why we like it:
Honestly, I read the short description of this book once on Amazon, and I was on the fence. A book made up of letters? I’d never heard of anything like it, and I wondered if there’d be enough action to keep me turning pages. So I put it in my mental “maybe” category and kept browsing. Then a few weeks later, my sister-in-law texted to see if I’d read the book, and she told me it was amazing. This sister-in-law is a former school principal who is a mom of 5, smart as a whip and funny, too. I trust her opinion completely, so I downloaded the Audible version of the book.
I’m so grateful for her text that nudged me into trying this book because it is INCREDIBLE. I’ve never been so eager to hear another letter. I couldn’t wait! There’s plenty of tension, action, emotion, and suspense. I ate Chick-fil-A meals in my car just so I could keep listening. It’s that good. You’ll wish the car pickup line at school would go slower just so you can hear another chapter. This is a special book, and I’d hate for anyone to miss it. Download it asap.
What other people say:
“The Correspondent is this year’s breakout novel no one saw coming.”—The Wall Street Journal
“I cried more than once as I witnessed this brilliant woman come to understand herself more deeply.”—Florence Knapp, author of The Names
LONGLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE AND THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL • A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: NPR, The Washington Post, Boston Globe, Elle, Christian Science Monitor, She Reads
About the author:
Virginia Evans is from the east coast of the United States. She attended James Madison University for her bachelor’s in English literature. After starting a family, she went back to school for her master’s of philosophy in creative writing at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, where she had the good fortune to study under Carlo Gébler, Eoin McNamee, Claire Keegan, Harry Clifton and Kevin Power. She now lives in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, with her husband, Mark, two children, Jack and Mae, and her Red Labrador, Brigid.
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