2026 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction (longlist)
2026 Libby Award for Debut Author of the Year (nominee)
Discover the word-of-mouth bestselling phenomenon that thousands of readers are calling their favourite book of the year!
THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
OVER HALF A MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE
A BBC RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB PICK
ONE OF THE TIMES' BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR
'A warm, funny gem of a novel'
THE TIMES, BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR
'Masterful . . . I was delighted and moved'
NEW YORK TIMES
'Tremendous'
FREDRIK BACKMAN
'I can't praise it enough. It's an absolute triumph'
CLARE CHAMBERS
'The year's breakout novel no one saw coming'
WALL STREET JOURNAL
'Shows us what a glorious thing growing older can be'
FLORENCE KNAPP
–
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.
Genre: General Fiction
THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
OVER HALF A MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE
A BBC RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB PICK
ONE OF THE TIMES' BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR
'A warm, funny gem of a novel'
THE TIMES, BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR
'Masterful . . . I was delighted and moved'
NEW YORK TIMES
'Tremendous'
FREDRIK BACKMAN
'I can't praise it enough. It's an absolute triumph'
CLARE CHAMBERS
'The year's breakout novel no one saw coming'
WALL STREET JOURNAL
'Shows us what a glorious thing growing older can be'
FLORENCE KNAPP
–
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.
Genre: General Fiction
Praise for this book
"An absolute delight from start to finish, this novel is subtle, moving, wise and intelligent. I devoured it and will be reading everything Virginia Evans writes from now on. In the meantime, I'll be recommending The Correspondent to anyone who'll listen." - Lucy Atkins
"A witty, tenderly rendered story of a life, in all its fragments and knots, and ultimately a beautiful meditation on the lost art of communication. I can't imagine anyone with a soul not loving it." - Lauren Bravo
"I can't praise it enough. Sybil is such a wonderful character, and the supporting cast so vivid and real. For a book about grief and regret it is also properly funny. It's an absolute triumph." - Clare Chambers
"The Correspondent is the rarest of debuts with not a misplaced word, or a beat missed. Moving, funny and exquisite, it is a masterpiece in human frailty." - Anne Griffin
"Open-hearted with some, a hedgehog curled tight in a ball with others, I cried more than once as I witnessed this brilliant woman come to understand herself more deeply and risk lowering her defences. Both serious and uplifting, in The Correspondent, Virginia Evans shows us what a glorious thing growing older can be." - Florence Knapp
"I was wowed by this deliciously brilliant book! Thank you, Virginia Evans, for a life beautifully told in letters, for creating a character whose mind struggles with her heart in a most intriguing, sympathetic, witty, and binge-worthy way. Author friends - please forgive me for proclaiming The Correspondent my new favorite book." - Elinor Lipman
"I finished this wonderful, wonderful book in tears, and had to take a moment to pull myself together.It will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will make you reflect, as all the best novels do. Read it, read it, read it! Then buy it for your family, your friends, your people." - Fran Littlewood
"What a lovely novel . . . I fell in love with the eloquent, stubborn Sybil, such a wonderful character." - Margot Livesey
"Subtly told and finely made, The Correspondent is a portrait of a small life expanding. Virginia Evans shows how one woman changes at a point when change had seemed impossible. That change, like this novel, turns out to be a cause for celebration." - Ann Patchett
"The superbly talented Virginia Evans has written a novel of connection and daring . . . The circus of beautifully drawn characters, who receive and respond to Sybil's letters are vibrant and rich . . . The letters are so deliciously crafted, Sybil's life itself becomes a work of art." - Adriana Trigiani
"A witty, tenderly rendered story of a life, in all its fragments and knots, and ultimately a beautiful meditation on the lost art of communication. I can't imagine anyone with a soul not loving it." - Lauren Bravo
"I can't praise it enough. Sybil is such a wonderful character, and the supporting cast so vivid and real. For a book about grief and regret it is also properly funny. It's an absolute triumph." - Clare Chambers
"The Correspondent is the rarest of debuts with not a misplaced word, or a beat missed. Moving, funny and exquisite, it is a masterpiece in human frailty." - Anne Griffin
"Open-hearted with some, a hedgehog curled tight in a ball with others, I cried more than once as I witnessed this brilliant woman come to understand herself more deeply and risk lowering her defences. Both serious and uplifting, in The Correspondent, Virginia Evans shows us what a glorious thing growing older can be." - Florence Knapp
"I was wowed by this deliciously brilliant book! Thank you, Virginia Evans, for a life beautifully told in letters, for creating a character whose mind struggles with her heart in a most intriguing, sympathetic, witty, and binge-worthy way. Author friends - please forgive me for proclaiming The Correspondent my new favorite book." - Elinor Lipman
"I finished this wonderful, wonderful book in tears, and had to take a moment to pull myself together.It will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will make you reflect, as all the best novels do. Read it, read it, read it! Then buy it for your family, your friends, your people." - Fran Littlewood
"What a lovely novel . . . I fell in love with the eloquent, stubborn Sybil, such a wonderful character." - Margot Livesey
"Subtly told and finely made, The Correspondent is a portrait of a small life expanding. Virginia Evans shows how one woman changes at a point when change had seemed impossible. That change, like this novel, turns out to be a cause for celebration." - Ann Patchett
"The superbly talented Virginia Evans has written a novel of connection and daring . . . The circus of beautifully drawn characters, who receive and respond to Sybil's letters are vibrant and rich . . . The letters are so deliciously crafted, Sybil's life itself becomes a work of art." - Adriana Trigiani
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Used availability for Virginia Evans's The Correspondent