Sybil Van Antwerp is a woman of letters, literally. She values communication via letters and typically eschews less personal communication forms like texts and emails. In return, she cherishes those letters her recipients send back to her. Through her writing, Sybil discovers herself and reconnects with friends and family members, connects to well-known individuals, and heals family relationships.
Virginia Evans’s The Correspondent is not your typical novel. Rather, its a collection of correspondence between her protagonist, Sybil, and her many family members and friends. Sybil’s recipients are numerous, and Evans jumps from one to another, so pay attention and 
be prepared to go back and refresh your memory of the last letter written between the two.
But all in all, this is a joyful and heartfelt novel that is hugely entertaining. I highly recommend it.
reviewed September 2026
Sybil Van Antwerp is a woman of letters, literally. She values communication via letters and typically eschews less personal communication forms like texts and emails. In return, she cherishes those letters her recipients send back to her. Through her writing, Sybil discovers herself and reconnects with friends and family members, connects to well-known individuals, and heals family relationships.
Virginia Evans’s The Correspondent is not your typical novel. Rather, its a collection of correspondence between her protagonist, Sybil, and her many family members and friends. Sybil’s recipients are numerous, and Evans jumps from one to another, so pay attention and be prepared to go back and refresh your memory of the last letter written between the two.
But all in all, this is a joyful and heartfelt novel that is hugely entertaining. I highly recommend it.
reviewed September 2026