Dear Readers,
I found myself wondering, "How do I possibly write a review of The Correspondent that conveys just how original and brilliant this novel is?" It's an epistolary work told entirely through letters and emails, and yes, I know that format has been used before, but perhaps never to such wonderful effect.
Then it hit me.
Why not write this review as a letter to you?
After all, you're the one visiting my blog, Amazon, or Goodreads, hoping to hear my thoughts on whatever I've just finished reading. I'll admit, I had my doubts. This format is a departure from the way I usually write reviews, and I wasn't entirely sure I could pull it off. But then I thought, "What the heck?" If Virginia Evans was willing to trust letters to tell her story, surely I could trust one to tell you why I admired it so much.
So, dear reader, allow me to tell you about a novel that completely charmed me.
One of the questions The Correspondent asks is this: How does one tell the story of a life?
For Sybil Van Antwerp, that life is told through letters.
She writes to everyone she can: her brother in France, her best friend, her neighbor, the child of a family friend, even the authors of whatever novel she's just finished reading. And through those letters, we gradually come to know her. She's complicated. Retired, aging, and struggling to come to terms with her failing eyesight. She can be warm, but also stern. Generous, yet occasionally petty. Perhaps the most revealing letters, though, are the ones she never sends—the words she can't quite bring herself to share.
Readers, I was apprehensive when I began this novel. I worried the format would amount to little more than a gimmick. But in the capable hands of Virginia Evans, I needn't have worried. This is a story that worms its way into your heart not through grand revelations, but through the simple rhythms of everyday life. Within these letters, we witness love, grief, regret, forgiveness, and all the beautifully ordinary moments that make up a life. By the time I reached the final page, I had the strange feeling that I'd been corresponding with Sybil myself all along. I wasn't ready for there to be no more letters left to read. That's the remarkable power of Evans's writing, and it's what made The Correspondent such a memorable read.
Should you choose to read The Correspondent, I hope you'll find the same sense of wonder that I did as I reached its final letter. If you do, I think you'll understand why I felt compelled to write this one to you.
Until our next book,
Ethan
For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads.
(2026, 55)
