Review: "The Correspondent," Virginia Evans

Sybil, a retired lawyer, is 72. She has been writing letters all her life. In The Correspondent, we follow Sybil’s “third act” through her correspondence.

It’s quite a show.

Sybil’s story is amusing, sad, sometimes infuriating—but always compelling. The Correspondent is one of the best books I’ve ever read.

Sybil is crusty, funny and has a “take no prisoners” attitude. She is ready to do battle on behalf of just about any perceived injustice to herself or the people she (apparently) cares about.

She has exchanged letters with Rosalie, her friend and sister-in-law, since they were teens. They always end their letters with a note on what they are reading. But when Sybil perceives Rosalie has overstepped a boundary, their relationship is endangered.

Sybil’s ex-husband, Lars, is dying of cancer in Belgium. Can she bring herself to write back to him?

When the new head of the English department at the University of Maryland doesn’t want to let Sybil audit classes, as she’s done for years, Sybil tries to deal with the situation through letters, but finally has to face the woman in person.

Her interactions with her neighbor, Mr. Lubec, involve notes, but are also recounted in letters to others. Mr. Lubec is attracted to Sybil, even after she accidentally runs over his cat. 

This tragic mistake happens because Sybil has macular degeneration, a devastating diagnosis for a reader and writer. Her condition runs as a thread throughout the novel.

Meanwhile, a lawyer from Houston whom she meets at a funeral wants to date her and won’t take no for an answer. She exchanges letters with the quirky, troubled teenage son of a former colleague and helps him when he reaches a crisis point.

Sybil has a secret, deep and dark. She tries to deal with it through letters. But her fraught relationship with her daughter Fiona is related to this past trauma, and that too must be dealt with in person.

Sybil is adopted, and has a warm relationship with her brother (also adopted), who lives in Paris. Yes, they exchange letters. Then Sybil has the opportunity to connect with her birth family. Should she? Her decision could change her life.

Through it all, she writes letters to authors—and Joan Didion writes back. More than once!

Sybil can be an exasperating character, and her relationship with Fiona is truly awful, but I found it impossible not to like her and feel compassion for her. Sybil is stubborn and usually doesn’t see the big picture, but that’s not the sum of her character.  I was in tears as I reached the final pages.

And that’s all you really need to know about this wonderful book.