The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

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📬 Love It or Loathe It: The Correspondent Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

✨ Quick Thoughts

I had a full-on love/hate relationship with The Correspondent by Virginia Evans—and honestly? That made it even more interesting to read. This one had me hooked, frustrated, invested, and occasionally side-eyeing the page like, “Are we serious right now?” 😅

⚠️ Trigger Warnings

  • Child death

  • Suicide / attempted suicide

  • Illness & terminal cancer

  • Grief & loss

  • Mental health struggles

  • Substance use

  • Pregnancy loss

🚨 SPOILER WARNING 🚨

This review contains FULL spoilers, including the ending!

📖 What This Book Is About (Spoiler-Filled Summary)

The Correspondent follows Sybil Van Antwerp, a 70+ year-old woman who communicates primarily through letters—both sent and unsent. Through this epistolary format, we piece together her past, present, and the emotional weight she carries.

Sybil is quietly falling apart. Her eyesight is deteriorating, but instead of telling anyone, she lies—afraid of losing her independence. Meanwhile, she continues writing letters to the people in her life… and most importantly, to her deceased son, Gilbert (Colt).

As the story unfolds, several threads emerge:

🧩 The Mysteries

  • Who is DM, the threatening letter writer?

  • What is Sybil’s connection to Harry, a troubled young boy she corresponds with?

  • Who exactly was Colt, and what really happened to him?

We also see:

  • Her complicated past with her ex-husband Daan

  • A budding (and slightly questionable) romance with Mick

  • A softer, more genuine connection with her neighbor Theodore

  • Her exploration of her biological roots through DNA testing

Eventually, the truth comes out:

👉 Sybil’s greatest secret is that her neglect contributed to Colt’s death.
She didn’t directly cause it—but she failed to intervene when she should have, and that guilt has shaped her entire life.

And here’s the kicker:
She never told Daan before he died. That unresolved guilt? Brutal.

🧨 The Stalker Reveal

DM turns out to be Dezi Martinelli, whose family was deeply harmed by a legal decision Sybil was involved in years ago.

Instead of a dramatic confrontation, we get… forgiveness. Pretty quickly.

Which leads to my main issue 👀 (we’ll get there).

💔 The Ending

In the end:

  • Sybil confesses her truth to Theodore, Fiona, and others

  • She reconciles with her daughter

  • She chooses Theodore over Mick (correct choice, honestly 🙌)

  • She embraces her biological family

  • She finally begins to live more honestly

And then… she dies. Quietly. Peacefully. On Colt’s birthday.

It’s sad, reflective, and honestly very fitting.

💭 My Thoughts (aka The Love/Hate Chaos)

💕 What I Loved

  • The epistolary format actually worked (shocking for me!)

  • Sybil feels incredibly real—flawed, selfish, complicated

  • The emotional depth is strong and often heartbreaking

  • The mysteries kept me hooked early on

  • The character study? Fascinating

I genuinely found myself rooting for Sybil… even while disliking her. That’s not easy to pull off.

😤 What Drove Me Nuts

Okay. Let’s talk.

  • People forgive Sybil WAY too easily

    • She kills Theodore’s cat… and he’s just like “no worries”?? 🐱💀

  • Mick proposing??

    • Sir. She’s in her 70s, going blind, emotionally unavailable, and already entangled with someone else. Be serious.

  • The stalker resolution felt underwhelming

    • After all that tension… we get quick forgiveness? That’s it?

  • Sybil becomes increasingly annoying over time

    • And yet everyone continues to adore her???

Like… I needed at least ONE person to hold a grudge. Just one! 😂

🧠 Final Verdict

This is one of those books where:

  • The emotions feel real

  • The events sometimes don’t

And yet… I couldn’t stop reading.

It started as a 5-star read, dipped into frustration territory, and landed at a solid:

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4 stars)

A deeply thought-provoking, character-driven novel that will absolutely get under your skin—in both good and bad ways.

📚 If You Liked This, Try These:

  • The Postcard by Anne Berest

  • 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

  • The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

  • Still Life by Sarah Winman

  • The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller

If you love messy, human characters, emotional unraveling, and stories told in a unique format—this one is worth the ride. Just be prepared to occasionally yell at the book like I did 😄📬

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