The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

 

Elderly Sybil Van Antwerp spends her days tending her garden, reading books, and writing letters. Given a glimpse into the letters she writes, we learn of the diverse relationships she has with family, friends, and acquaintances.

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans has been on my radar since it was first published. Having recently purchased a copy of the paperback, I moved it to the top of my TBR. I do enjoy novels written in epistolary format, short passages keep me turning the pages, and the voyeuristic aspect is difficult to avoid. 

I liked the main character, Sybil. She's a highly educated woman, having been a successful lawyer. Divorce and a difficult relationship with her children have led to her living alone. Sybil is a stubborn woman and is adamant that, despite being alone, she's not lonely; she has lots to fill her time, particularly her insistence on keeping the art of letter writing alive. I loved the way in which Sybil would write to authors if she wanted to share her opinions of their books, and some authors wrote back! 

Through the content of various letters, we learn of aspects of Sybil's life which give us a greater understanding of her character. Both grief and guilt have impacted the choices Sybil has made, and continues to make (I did say she was stubborn). With her eyesight failing, Sybil finally begins to address the issues that have troubled her in recent years. Building bridges, accepting the hand of friendship, and travelling are not easy when you are in your seventies, and even harder when you are never sure if your vision will suddenly disappear, so it was lovely to see Sybil lowering her defences and finding joy in whatever life still had to offer.

Author Details

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.