The correspondent A novel

Review by Booklist Review

Evans' debut is an epistolary tour through the mind of retired Maryland law clerk Sybil Von Antwerp, who takes great joy in all forms of correspondence, from handwritten letters to emails. Here are thoughtful missives to her favorite authors such as Joan Didion and Ann Patchett, repeated email requests to audit a course at a local college, and exchanges with a customer service representative that become surprisingly involved. Mixed in with those are letters to friends and family that reveal details about Sybil's life: her divorce long ago from a man she still cares for, her strained relationship with her adult children, and a tragedy that changed the course of Sybil's life and still haunts her. Several developments threaten to upend Sybil's placid existence. She's receiving threatening letters from someone bearing a grudge about a court case from decades ago. She's been gifted with a subscription to a DNA company that will allow her to find blood relatives. And she has not one but two suitors circling her, a tenacious lawyer and a thoughtful, quiet neighbor. Charming, engrossing, and deeply moving, Evans' novel explores the way everyday choices and relationships shape a life and shows it's never too late to form new connections, make amends, or even fall in love.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

The charming debut from Evans takes the form of letters and emails exchanged by a divorced and retired woman with her friends, family, foes, and literary idols. It begins in 2012 as Sybil Van Antwerp, 73, politely declines an invitation to visit her brother, Felix, in France, then fancifully invites the author Ann Patchett to use her Maryland home as a writer's retreat. Sybil spent her career clerking for a judge, and after reading of his death in the newspaper, she begins receiving strange and threatening letters from an aggrieved former defendant, who calls her a "cold metal bitch." Evans juxtaposes these screeds with Sybil's intimate fan mail to Joan Didion, who writes her back in 2013, expressing empathy as a fellow member of "the club of parents who have buried children" (Sybil lost a son at eight). Sybil, who was adopted, grows curious about her ancestry after her older son gives her a DNA test for Christmas, and she brushes off concerns about her declining eyesight from her daughter, Fiona, who lives in Australia. As the years go on, Sybil's relationships brim with tension waiting to be released, and the detailed connections between each character are brilliantly mapped through the correspondence. It adds up to an appealing family drama. Agent: Hilary McMahon, Westwood Creative Artists. (May)

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Review by Library Journal Review

Evans's heartfelt debut, told through a series of marvelous letters, gets to the heart of the human connection. Sybil Van Antwerp is a complex figure: a 73-year-old retired lawyer, literary enthusiast, mother, grandmother, ex-wife, sister, adopted daughter, and, above all, dedicated pen pal. She is fiercely stubborn, thoughtful, and blunt; to her great dismay, she is gradually losing her eyesight. Sybil's life story is beautifully told through letters exchanged between her and a range of characters, expertly narrated in this audiobook by a large cast of seasoned voice actors. Sybil corresponds with a staggering variety of people: well-known authors (including Ann Patchett, Larry McMurtry, and Joan Didion), her caring neighbor, family members, friends, professors, long-lost relatives, customer service representatives, and a mysterious, disgruntled person from her past. Each letter is unique, a compelling monologue that communicates raw emotion and grief alongside humor and tart observations. Every missive offers glimpses into the characters' lives, allowing listeners to get to know them through their pieced-together exchanges. VERDICT Evans's epistolary novel is funny and dear, with a family drama and a bit of mystery too. It is a treasure.--Sarah-Ruth Tasko

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Review by Kirkus Book Review

A lifetime's worth of letters combine to portray a singular character. Sybil Van Antwerp, a cantankerous but exceedingly well-mannered septuagenarian, is the titular correspondent in Evans' debut novel. Sybil has retired from a beloved job as chief clerk to a judge with whom she had previously been in private legal practice. She is the divorced mother of two living adult children and one who died when he was 8. She is a reader of novels, a gardener, and a keen observer of human nature. But the most distinguishing thing about Sybil is her lifelong practice of letter writing. As advancing vision problems threaten Sybil's carefully constructed way of life--in which letters take the place of personal contact and engagement--she must reckon with unaddressed issues from her past that threaten the house of cards (letters, really) she has built around herself. Sybil's relationships are gradually revealed in the series of letters sent to and received from, among others, her brother, sister-in-law, children, former work associates, and, intriguingly, literary icons including Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry. Perhaps most affecting is the series of missives Sybil writes but never mails to a shadowy figure from her past. Thoughtful musings on the value and immortal quality of letters and the written word populate one of Sybil's notes to a young correspondent while other messages are laugh-out-loud funny, tinged with her characteristic blunt tartness. Evans has created a brusque and quirky yet endearing main character with no shortage of opinions and advice for others but who fails to excavate the knotty difficulties of her own life. As Sybil grows into a delayed self-awareness, her letters serve as a chronicle of fitful growth. An affecting portrait of a prickly woman. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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