THE CORRESPONDENT by Virginia Evans

 

The world probably doesn't need another review of this book. It was the must-read of the summer for most of the middle aged ladies I know. It's an epistolary novel - which is a favorite format of mine. And the full-cast audiobook was a real treat. It's the story of a retired prosecutor who is prickly and loves to write letters. She considers her correspondence to be a way of achieving immortality. Her words will live on beyond her lifespan, even if they are spread to the winds. Which I think is a lovely sentiment. 

Sybil VanAntwerp is going blind and reassessing her life and choices in the letters she writes. She has an ex-husband who is dying overseas, a few kids with whom she has complicated relationships, a sister-in-law who is going through a lot, a garden club festering with drama, a couple suitors, a stalker, former co-workers, a closer than normal relationship with a customer service agent, a young man who needs her far more than either of them realize, and a mysterious recipient of an unsent letter. 

She also writes to writers - Joan Didion, Ann Patchett and Larry McMurtry are all name-checked. (I was inspired to revisit LONESOME DOVE and regret nothing!) - with confidence and respect. She's a good writer (both the character and the author) and her correspondents are fleshed out and lively. There is a narrative arc, and it works, but what kept me reading is the way the letters seem random, but slowly reveal a life that is finally examined.