Many hesitate to read a novel written in an epistolary format. But with debut novelist Virginia Evans' remarkably capable writing, THE CORRESPONDENT is not only extremely emotionally resonant, it leads us to contemplate and re-evaluate our lives: our regrets, our accomplishments and our failings. Just as Sybil Van Antwerp keeps certain favorite books to read and reread, this is one volume that readers will be inclined to display on their bookshelves and visit again and again.

When we meet Sybil, she has just turned 73, and we read a letter she has written to her brother, Felix, thanking him for his birthday card, fountain pen and a book. As we continue to read Sybil's correspondence, letter after letter, we see how prescient the inclusion of those items is in the opening line of the first letter that Evans shares in this novel. Sybil has written letters for most of her life. It's how she makes sense of the world around her and how she communicates best. She also loves to read, and many of her letters are to authors whose books she wants to comment on. Surprisingly, many of them respond, and at least one has formed a friendship with her.

"[B]e assured that reading this epistolary novel will grip you emotionally and stay with you long after you read the final letter.... The book can be savored in private, but it also is perfectly suited for debate and discussion in a book club."

We learn about Sybil's life through the letters she writes and the ones she receives. Often, she must join the 21st century and send and receive emails, but her preference is to pen longhand letters to those she loves and those she doesn't. They are etched on a particular stationary she orders from England because it's the best she's found. Each is clearly marked with the recipient's address and the date, including the emails, so we see the chronological progression.

There is one mystery --- a letter that Sybil continues to write, but not send, to an unknown recipient. Those pages, unlike the proper letters, have no salutations or address --- just the date on which the letter continues. It's obvious that these mystery pages are written in a style that is more relaxed and direct. We know that Sybil is writing to someone with whom she feels a closeness, but we don't have any idea who that might be until we learn more about Sybil and her sometimes tragic past.

I was especially touched by Sybil's relationship with the young son of a good friend. Although he was "different" and didn't fit in, he felt at home with Sybil. She provided him space, unconditional love and routine, and she shared his love of books. She changed his life…and maybe even saved it.

One of the beautiful thoughts that Evans articulates through Sybil's letters is the concept of seasons in our lives. Sybil rails at people --- for example, when talking about grief or a new baby --- who say, "Oh, this is only a season," meaning that "the season will change eventually to something sunnier." She doesn't agree. While seasons repeat yearly and in a measured pace, our lives don't. Sybil's thought is that we get one round of seasons, beginning with childhood being the spring of our lives. This is definitely a topic that would make great fodder for a book club.

There is a wonderful symmetry to the letters Sybil pens. When she offers her thoughts about seasons and life in her letter to Joan Didion at the beginning of the novel, she describes it as a long, lonesome walk. While sometimes we have someone to walk with, and we find a warm welcoming house, Sybil believes that the stretches of life lived alone on "the high, wind-blown road" are what the majority of her life has been. At the end of the book, when Sybil writes those same words but with a different intent, it's really lovely because we can see that Sybil, in a sense, has come full circle.

There are too many beautiful instances of Sybil's life and her thoughtful commentary on life in general as seen through her correspondence to share here. But be assured that reading this epistolary novel will grip you emotionally and stay with you long after you read the final letter.

THE CORRESPONDENT is truly a brilliant debut, and it's not surprising that it's been hailed as "a cause for celebration" by Ann Patchett and is a New York Times bestseller. The book can be savored in private, but it also is perfectly suited for debate and discussion in a book club. What a conversation they will have!