A recent recommendation was The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. I enjoyed this book and finished it in just two days. The greatest challenge comes from the author choosing to write the entire book as a series of letters and emails. Hence the title.

Another quirk is the protagonist is in her 70s. Sybil is blunt, a bit antagonistic at times, and quite possibly lonely. She is also fascinating.

The Correspondent begins in 2012. At first, the letters are spaced close together and the reader discovers Sybil’s background and character in fits and starts. She corresponds mostly by hand-written notes with everyone from family members and favorite authors to children and teenagers. She also fires off missives of anger and contempt to individuals deserving such admonishments.

The book reveals everything through this format. And while it may be difficult to follow at first, Evans does an excellent job engaging the reader. Over the course of the decade, Sybil grows and gains understanding, even as she reaches her eighties.

Aging is a small piece of the novel. Health issues creep up as the years pass reflecting real life. Sybil is losing her sight, and this threatens her at the core. Writing letters becomes increasingly difficult and as the years go by, and time between missives widens.

The overarching theme is family relationships. The mother-daughter relationship between Sybil and her daughter, Fiona, is a major component of the story. As is the loss of a child. So, it is not surprising that grief, guilt, culpability and blame play important parts in The Correspondent.

Another significant theme is more upbeat. Sybil is courted by two men as the story progresses. Can she find happiness on her own terms? Do second chances at love happen in the senior years? Again, all of this transpires through letters. Furthermore, the reader becomes more and more intrigued by the characters from their methods of correspondence.

Love and joy also reignite Sybil’s passion for life with the discovery of unknown family members.

Finally, the author solidifies Sybil’s morals through forgiveness and reparations towards those few individuals she has wronged. In this manner, Evans shows how individuals never stop evolving in character. Until they are no longer with us.

I enjoyed The Correspondent. It is a great debut novel. The format is quite different in that the entire book is a series of letters. This takes tremendous effort to bring the characters to life and Virginia Evans succeeds. It is easy to see why the novel is a top seller. Visit your library or bookstore and find a copy to read.