The Correspondent
A book reaction
In 7th grade I had a reading teacher who had an overstuffed couch and a giant library in her classroom. Instead of book reports we had to do book reactions. Of note, that same teacher also taught P.E., and occasionally she’d make us meditate after the 10 minute run. It was 1981. Hippie teachers were awesome. In honor of 12-year-old Janet, each week I will try to share a book reaction. Far out, man. Enjoy!
The Correspondent is 2025 epistolary novel by Virginia Evans, and it is all the rage this year! Several of my friends have read it, Katie Couric started her book club with it, and various book lovers I follow weighed in on it, so I had to move it to the top of my list. And it’s a lovely book. Sybil Van Antwerp is a retired lawyer and former court clerk who writes letters on the regular to her family members, friends, the local university, her garden club, and even Joan Didion. Sybil is divorced and in her 70s, and she has a lot on her mind! She’s educated and a bit sharp-tongued, and she processes her life through her letter writing. The story unfolds nicely and it’s interesting and engaging, yet I’m afraid this book suffered a bit from overhype for me. I was expecting it to knock my socks off based on all the attention, and it just turned out to be a lovely read. I read A Woman of Independent Means by Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey back in college, which is an epistolary novel told through letters over 60 years. Now that book captivated me back in the day, and I’m inclined to read it again to see if it holds up. A little compare and contrast if you will. That said, The Correspondent is an easy read with a solid story, and it might even jerk a tear or two out of you. I give it 9 college audit classes and a couple of unsent letters.