The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

 

Summary (from the publisher): Throughout her life Sybil Van Antwerp has 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, divorcée, distinguished lawyer, she has lived a 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 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.

Review: I have only heard rave reviews of this book. So I was a bit nervous going in thinking my expectations would be too high. 

They weren't. This is absolutely beautiful and incredibly charming. Absolutely one of my favorites from this year. 

Our main character, Sybil Van Antwerp, loves to write letters to make sense of her world and in order to deliberate before she communicates with others. This is a collection of her written communications to a whole host of correspondents including her best friend, her brother, her daughter, the president of a local university, authors like Joan Didion and Diana Gabaldon, and a customer service representative for a genetic profiling company. Through these writings and their responses, we get a clear sense of who Sybil is - an adopted daughter, a divorcee, mother, grandmother, a lawyer. Sybil has had a full life. But she has regrets, most of which stem from the most painful period of her life. 

The thing about Sybil is that she is a woman in her 70s who is particular, cantankerous, and does not always make the best choices. Hers has been an imperfect life. I think that was the most relatable part about her. The good, the bad, it is all hers and part of what makes her life beautiful. 

This was also a moving lesson on the inevitable nature of regret. Sybil tries to right some of her mistakes. But ultimately, we all get one chance. It is the nature of life that we die with things unresolved, things left undone, letters left unsent. Some things must be left unresolved and that is just the way things must end. Life is always a mixture of pain and joy. 

This is one of my favorite audiobooks I've ever listened to. It was so beautifully done. I loved that they included a whole cast of narrators for the writings from different characters. Since this was an epistolary novel, I think it could have ended up feeling a bit dry and lacking in personality, but it felt quite the opposite. The narrator who read Sybil's parts truly performed this role. When she read the final letter, I could palpably hear the emotion in her voice, and I wept listening to the close of this book. 

Stars: 5