I love a good epistolary novel, if only to have a chance to use “epistolary”. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is the primary example that comes to mind of one such novel that really captured my interest, but I’m sure there are other books that cleverly use the sole use of letters (and emails) as the text of the story. (If you’ve not read that, I strongly recommend it– but back to the book at hand!)
Through The Correspondent, the reader gets to know Sybil Van Antwerp through the letters she writes and receives – learning things as light and random as her penchant to write to famous authors and as deep as the loss of her son. Though it felt like a lot of characters to keep track of at the beginning, Sybil’s life and the lives of those around her began to take shape through the pages, documenting growth, hurt, mystery, and new beginnings.
I loved how beautifully flawed, raw, and human Sybil was, which is an ironic thing to say about someone who lived and communicated so professionally. As a reader, there were times I was deeply disappointed with the decisions she was making, sometimes not even understanding why she did so. It is, in my opinion, such a talent to communicate deep character change in this type of writing style, and I thought Evans did it beautifully.
While there was much I enjoyed, I was not as captivated by it as many others seem to be. I thought it was sweet and well-written, but not necessarily attention-holding. I attribute this, however, to my stage of life, as I think the book beautifully explores and navigates elements I have not encountered or lived through, and therefore it could easily hold more weight for others.
If you’re looking for a character-driven story or are an especial fan of epistolary novels, this is for you!
2% Rating: 7/10
Recommend? Yeah, I think so
Re-Read? Probably not
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