Lifetime of Letters

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans is a narrative built through only letters to and from the main character – a retired legal assistant named Sybil.

Sybil is a unique character. She is bold in her letters and creates many meaningful relationships through them. She writes to family (her adopted brother, her son and daughter) friends, and also a friend’s son who is very troubled, an employer at a DNA lab, several authors, and a college dean (to name some).

Sone major events in Sybil’s life are understood. Most significant is the loss of her middle child, Gilbert. She also discovers that she has a sister after doing a DNA test. She receives hateful letters from someone known to her during her days in court. She is also experiencing vision loss. These life events are all explained through letters throughout the book.

I really appreciated Sybil’s character. She is strong, smart and also vulnerable. This is definitely a book I would like to read again (despite some character confusion in the beginning) as there are so many meaningful lines throughout (and it’s a tearjerker!). It is about aging, friendship, family trauma and forgiveness.