Thank you Libro.fm/PRH Audio for the ALC and Crown Publishing, #partner, for the finished copy of The Correspondent in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Crown Publishing / Random House Audio
Published: April 29, 2025
Summary:
Throughout her life Sybil Van Antwerp has used letters to make sense of the world and her place in it. Most mornings around half past ten Sybil sits down to write letters—to her brother, to her best friend, to the president of the university who will not allow her to audit a class she desperately wants to take, to Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry to tell them what she thinks of their latest books, and to one person to whom she writes often yet never sends the letter.
Sybil expects her world to go on as it always has. A mother, grandmother, wife, divorcée, distinguished lawyer, she has lived a full life. But when letters from someone in her past force her to examine one of the most painful periods of her life, she realizes the letter she has been writing over the years needs to be read and that she cannot move forward until she finds it in her heart to offer forgiveness.
My thoughts:
I know I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again. The debuts this year have been AMAZING!!! And while I have not been going out of my way to find them, I’m glad they are finding me! This gem…oh my. I don’t even know if I have the right words to describe how much I loved it…how much the main character here, Sybil Van Antwerp, spoke to my soul.
I loved that this book is in epistolary format…it just makes it stand out that much more. The letters that Sybil writes, to friends, family, even people she doesn’t know, allow us to see a side of Sybil that is so raw and true. She doesn’t censor herself in these letters and while she only tells certain people certain things, we as the reader are seeing it all and as heartbreaking as it is at times to learn some of Sybil’s “truths,” it’s also what makes her so endearing and memorable. This is a story I finished sobbing, but with such a sense of hope and joy. I want everyone to read this book…it’s such a fantastic read and will definitely be making my list of top reads of the year!!!
Audio thoughts:
This is narrated by a full-cast ensemble and was amazing to listen to! Sybil was voiced by Maggie-Meg Reed, who did such a phenomenal job and the many other narrators who also contributed did a fantastic job as well.
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