Ken Lindholm's Reviews > The Correspondent

I am very interested in authors who decide to write novels in an epistolary manner so The Correspondent quickly drew my interest when it was published. Author Virginia Evans focuses on Sybil Stone Van Antwerp, a retired and divorced attorney living near Annapolis Maryland. Sybil and her brother Felix were both adopted by a well-to-do family. She is well educated, and has strong opinions, including her belief in traditional letter writing. This, as well as other events, add several layers to the story.

We, the reader, learn about Sybil, her family and friends through the many letters (and occasional emails) she writes and receives. With a novel like this, the reader is presented with bits of information which have to be sorted out and assembled to both understand the individuals involved and what has happened in both the past and present. Not fully counting on my memory, I did jot down a short “cheat sheet” of the characters as I started the book - in hindsight, I found this not necessary since things fell in place as I read along.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable, quick read. Although I had some minor issues, it was an excellent debut novel. After finishing one letter, rather than stopping, I found myself always saying “I’ll just read one more….”

Note: The Correspondent is Virginia Evans first published novel, and has been a surprise bestseller. I found of interest this WSJ article about Evans and her early career.
https://www.wsj.com/business/media/th...