The Correspondent, 
by Virginia Evans (hardback)
 
The BBC Radio 2 Book Club Pick

'A CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION' ANN PATCHETT, bestselling author of TOM LAKE
'I CAN'T PRAISE IT ENOUGH. AN ABSOLUTE TRIUMPH' CLARE CHAMBERS, bestselling author of SMALL PLEASURES
'YOU WILL FALL IN LOVE WITH SYBIL. YOU WILL NOT WANT TO LET HER GO' IRISH TIMES
'I CAN'T IMAGINE ANYONE WITH A SOUL NOT LOVING IT' LAUREN BRAVO, author of PROBABLY NOTHING
'UNIQUE AND CHARMING' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING
'I'LL BE RECOMMENDING IT TO ANYONE WHO WILL LISTEN' LUCY ATKINS, author of MAGPIE LANE
'MOVING, FUNNY, EXQUISITE, A MASTERPIECE' ANNE GRIFFIN, bestselling author of WHEN ALL IS SAID

A heartwarming, witty story about the life of an extraordinary woman, told through her letters, for fans of Olive Kitteridge, A Man Called Ove and 84 Charing Cross Road
--
Every morning at around half past ten, 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.

Because at seventy-three, Sybil has used her correspondence – full of sharp humour and hard-earned wisdom – 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 she had put out of her mind land on her doorstep, forcing her to reckon with her past mistakes.

For as Sybil is about to learn, it’s never too late to write a few post-scripts.

Funny, wry and bittersweet, The Correspondent is a gem of a novel about the power of connection, the hubris of youth and the wisdom of old age, and the mistakes and acts of kindness that occur during a lifetime, told by one of the most memorable characters you will ever meet.