Book Review: The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

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Book Summary: The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

Sybil Van Antwerp is a retired lawyer and law clerk who lives in Virginia, outside of Washington, D. C. Even though the book takes place from 2012 to 2021 (AKA, when smartphones and texting abounded as a means of communication), Sybil’s prefered form of communication is written letters, and emails when she has to.

She write’s letters and emails to her best friend, her brother, her children, a young boy, her neighbors, her gardening club, authors, and customer service reps. Through her correspondence, we learn about her life, her marriage, her children, her hobbies, the books she’s reading, and the pain she carries.

What starts as a book about grief, loneliness, and regret ends as a book about hope, love, understanding, forgiveness, and optimism.

Book Review: The Correspondent

This is a spoiler-free review. I hint at some specifics, but I do not reveal specifics that I think will spoil the reading experience for you.

My Take . . .

I’ll be honest, I had very little interest in this book, but when everyone started posting their favorite books of the year, it was on so many lists. I had to see if it lived up to the hype.

First, I decided to get the book on audio, which I found to be the wrong medium for this book. I have never returned an audiobook so fast. If it didn’t have emails, it would probably be fine, but the audiobook narrators have to read the email addresses, which I found very irritating to listen to. I decided to buy the physical copy.

I think this is one of those cases where you want a physical copy of the book. Letters just work better that way. For example, there are places where words are crossed out, which I think just don’t work as well on audio. (That being said, I know people have enjoyed the audiobook, but I wanted to offer my experience. While I love audiobooks, there are times when they don’t work as well, and this is one of them.)

I think this book definitely deserves the praise it’s receiving. That doesn’t mean everyone loves it (obviously). I think someone used to reading plot-driven novels like thrillers might not find this book as interesting by comparison. That being said, there is plenty of plot in this book.

By the time this book was over, I was crying like a baby, and very few books have that effect on me. I loved it!

What I Liked . . .

• It’s very impressive that this story is told entirely through letters and emails. It feels like someone is letting you into a very private side of their life that we don’t typically get to see.
• I liked how Sybil formed interesting, unlikely friendships with a variety of people, from children to the immigrant customer service rep she interacts with.
• For being a relatively short book, it is surprisingly sweeping. While the letters start in 2012 and end in 2021, it takes the reader back to Sybil’s professional and family life in the 1980s.
• While it is definitely not a thriller, it also has several surprising twists and turns.
• Evans shows the struggles of life as we age and the physical limitations that begin to happen.
• The complex relationship that Sybil has with her children and friends felt very realistic.
• I also think the portrayal of the tension working women face when trying to balance work and family life felt very realistic.
• This made me think a lot about the intimate nature of letter writing compared to quick text messages and emails.
• It also pulls back the curtain on the complex nature of being a judge.
• There is also a found-family element to this book, along with a sweet romance that I loved.

What I Didn’t Like

• While Evans does an impressive job of telling this story through letters, the nature of this type of storytelling ends up leaving out details that I wish could have been explained in some way, maybe by adding in occasional chapters told by a narrator or something like that.
• One thing that will bug me about a historical fiction novel is when the author has a character do or say something contemporary. There was one small instance of that when the author says that people referred to Sybil as the “work wife” to her law partner in the 1980s. As someone who grew up in the 80s, I do not remember this terminology ever being used until much later. (But correct me if I’m wrong!)

Who This Book I For . . .

• If you are looking for a book that is thoughtful and reflective.
• If you are in the mood for a quiet book that is also emotionally resonant.
• If you liked books such as How to Read a Book by Monica Wood or Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, I think you would like this book.
• If you’re looking for a great book club pick! (There is A LOT to discuss!)