Virginia Evans: The Correspondent, Crow Publishing,C format

Paperback

" The Correspondent" by Virginia Evans was a complete surprise  discovery, loved this brilliant book from start to finish.

Sybil Van Antwerp, a feisty outspoken seventy- something former lawyer, is struggling to make sense of her life, retirement and her somewhat troubled communication with her children and her ex husband. 

She has always written letters to all sorts of people, be it to her widowed neighbour, her best friend Rosalie, her brother Felix , Kazuo Ishiguro, Joan Didion, the customer service department of a DNA lab, the disturbed son of a former colleague etc..  And as a reader that is what you get, a book composed of letters she writes almost daily which slowly bring the story of her past to life and uncovers her current struggles. 

I laughed, shed an occassional  tear and ultimately found the story of this prickly pear of a woman who is shedding layers of protective armour trusting her heart more and more very uplifting. Now this storyline could have been smaltzy but it is anything but, blending humor with seriousness, makings for a great reading experience