Venera's Reviews > The Correspondent

My oh my, I wish I could give this book 10 stars. What a memorable story, and I only hope my 70’s will be as full as Sybil’s turned out to be. Sybil Van Antwerp is a retired lawyer and avid letter writer. She is smart, sassy, interesting, and going blind. We learn about her life journey through her correspondence, which she describes with experiences on a continuum from the magnificent to the mundane. Her ‘pen pals’ include her brother, sister in law and best friend, a young boy on the spectrum, Joan Didion, Larry McMurtry and many many more. Like any life well lived, she is proud of what she has done in many respects, while dealing with regrets and secrets that impact her life and interactions with others in countless ways. She was turned over to be adopted when she was a toddler, which on the surface doesn’t seem to trouble her, but as the story unfolds she discovers that the abandonment issues are a theme in her life. She lost a child tragically and her relationship with the two who are living is far from idyllic. I don’t want to give away much of the plot, just want to document a few things for when I re-read this in the future. The big reveal near the end is the identity of the pen pal with a string of unsent letters. I will say no more. If you haven’t read, and if you are in my generation, you absolutely must as it will resonate deeply. I listened to the story on Audible and the woman who read Sybil brought tears to my eyes with her performance. Sybil Van Antwerp, and her story, will stay with me for a very, very long time.