PRE-ORDER: The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (HC)

Every morning, Sybil Van Antwerp sits down to write letters – to her brother, to her best friend, to the president of the university who will not allow her to attend a class she desperately wants to take, to her favourite authors to tell them what she thinks of their latest books, and to one person to whom she writes often yet never sends the letter.

Because at seventy-three, Sybil has used her correspondence – witty and wise – to make sense of the world. But beyond the page, she has spent the last thirty years keeping the people who love her at arms’ length... Until letters from someone in her past force her to examine one of the most painful periods of her life.

Now, Sybil must send the letter she has been writing for all these years - and find forgiveness within herself in order to move on.

Sybil Van Antwerp’s life of letters might not be an extraordinary one, but she also might be one of the most memorable characters you will ever read.

REVIEWS

"I was delighted and moved . . . Evans does an expert job at making you root for [Sybil] even as you want to give her a timeout . . . Masterful ― New York Times

"This is the novel I'm giving to everyone for Christmas...The Correspondent is a delight: melancholy without being sentimental, warm without being cosy, witty without being silly... The comparisons to Strout are accurate but this novel also reminded me of Anne Tyler's ability to make the domestic dramatic... An ode to a dying art form, and proof that your life is never too decided to make a change." - Laura Hackett ― The Times

"A warm, funny gem of a novel . . . It’s a clever conceit, which Virginia Evans uses to great effect in a novel that is melancholic without being sentimental. One for fans of Elizabeth Strout." ― The Times, Best Books of 2025

PRODUCT DETAILS
Hardcover Edition
Publisher: Michael Joseph
ISBN: 978-0241721254
Pages: 288