A witty, wise life told through letters
Seventy-three-year-old Sybil Van Antwerp has spent decades making sense of life through sharp, unsentimental letters. When someone from her past writes again, she must face old pain and finally send the letter she has never posted.
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The Correspondent
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A witty, wise life told through letters
Seventy-three-year-old Sybil Van Antwerp has spent decades making sense of life through sharp, unsentimental letters. When someone from her past writes again, she must face old pain and finally send the letter she has never posted.
- Book Synopsis
-
Discover the word-of-mouth bestselling phenomenon that thousands of readers are calling their favourite book of the year!
SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2026 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER OVER TWO MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE A TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025 IRISH TIMES BESTSELLER A BBC RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB PICK
'A warm, funny gem of a novel' LAURA HACKETT, THE TIMES
'Masterful . . . I was delighted and moved' NEW YORK TIMES
'I can't praise it enough. It's an absolute triumph' CLARE CHAMBERS
'What a novel! Tender, dry, sharp...devastating, but still feel good.' PANDORA SYKES
'Tremendous' FREDRIK BACKMAN
'Shows us what a glorious thing growing older can be' FLORENCE KNAPP
'The year's breakout novel no one saw coming' WALL STREET JOURNAL
- 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 be 'a very small thing', but she also might be one of the most memorable characters you will ever read. *Over 90,000 five-star reviews on Goodreads*
Ideal for readers who…
- Enjoy character-led epistolary fiction told through letters and correspondence.
- Like novels about ageing, memory, and second chances later in life.
- Want warm humour alongside family history and long-held regrets.
- Prefer relationship-driven stories where the past resurfaces in unexpected ways.
- Are choosing a book-club read with plenty to discuss.
- About The Author
- Virginia Evans is from the East Coast of the United States. She attended James Madison University for her bachelor's in English literature. After starting a family, she went back to school for her master's of philosophy in creative writing at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, where she studied under tutors including Claire Keegan and Kevin Power. She now lives in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, with her husband, Mark, two children, Jack and Mae, and her Red Labrador, Brigid.
- Product Details
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- ISBN
- 9781405971553
- Format
- Paperback
- Publisher
- Penguin Books, (11 June 2026)
- Number of Pages
- 320
- Weight
- 228 grams
- Language
- English
- Dimensions
- 196 x 130 x 22 mm
- Categories: