October 2025

There are times when the buzz about a book seems to be everywhere. But in this case, it was from our readers, none of whom I knew personally. They were passionate about THE CORRESPONDENT by Virginia Evans, which came out in April. Their drumbeats about the book encouraged me to explore it. I confess that the two birds on the cover did nothing to draw me in, but reading these declarations of how good it was spurred me to read it in September.

I was going to be on the road a lot, so I decided to listen to the audiobook. I think it was a brilliant choice as it is a completely fabulous production and listening experience. Even if you have never listened to an audiobook before, this could be an easy gateway one. Each narrator reading the letters feels perfectly cast. And with the voice changes, you know exactly which character is speaking.

The book is epistolary, and the protagonist, Sybil Van Antwerp, drives these conversations. I can picture Sybil as a very proper lady living in Maryland hosting dinner parties. I am sure her house is spotless, her handwritten notes are perfect, and her typed messages contain no typos or dangling participles. She is a precise woman.

Sybil is now 73 and losing her eyesight, which worries her as she is not sure how to survive without the written word. While at the start readers get a sense of her, as the book continues, we are invited inside as she peels away her past, and we learn about her missteps in life as much as her triumphs.

Indeed, each letter is filled with deep thoughts as Sybil assesses situations, people and lives. She often references a book that she is reading or rereading. The return correspondence is written with the same kind of flair, but also is delivered in the voice of each of the characters –-- be it a young boy she is shepherding to a neighbor who is older, a man who is pursuing her, her son or her daughter, as well as a myriad of friends and colleagues from throughout her life. Sybil also writes to authors --- and they write back! Joan Didion, Ann Patchett and Larry McMurtry sound so much like themselves with their fictious words. There are times when Sybil felt so real to me that I was thinking, I should drop her a note. After all, her address comes up again and again, as do the addresses of those to whom she is corresponding.

There is one letter threaded throughout the book that is not sent, and that message has its own kind of reveal. I thought it was just a place where Sybil kept track of thoughts like I do in draft emails.

To me, this is one of the best books of the year, and I want to see how it is rewarded. At a time when life is mostly digital and the pace is frantic, there is something lovely about pulling back to the time of letter writing. Even an email that is longer than a few sentences is something we rarely see. Today we get so many advertisements in our snail mail, so when a handwritten letter is delivered, it is a special moment. Thinking of those moments is another reason why I think this book resonates with readers.

My book group is reading THE CORRESPONDENT this month. Virginia Evans has a full tour schedule, but if you are not lucky enough to see her in person, you can watch or listen to my interview with her.