Prejudices are hard to shed, especially when you have an overactive imagination. As soon as you hear about the 73-year-old protagonist of a new epistolary novel, you picture a gentle old woman sipping her tea, writing letters every morning. But Sybil Van Antwerp in The Correspondent by Virginia Evans quickly dismantles that image.
Sybil is not your adorable granny from Looney Toons. She is a stickler for the rules, stubborn to the point of exasperation, and at times, even unlikeable. Yet, that is what makes her compellingly human. The novel is a frontrunner for this year’s Women’s Prize for Fiction, the winner of which will be announced on June 11.
Hidden in plain sight
As you dive into Sybil’s world, you get caught up in the excitement of the world of letters — both handwritten missives and emails. Obvious questions such as whether she is lonely, strike you much later because her life seems full of connections, even if few people share her physical space.
The tone remains consistent, whether Sybil writes to her oldest friend Rosalie, her brother Felix or her kindly neighbour Theodore. She opens up only to close ones, but does not hold herself back even with newcomers. It’s funny how, as a reader, you begin to look for character even in a letter, in every exclamation and endearment.
But again, you will be wrong to judge her too soon. Sybil can seem like a distant mother, especially to the one daughter who writes back, yet her letters brim with detail — books read, thoughts half-formed, fragments of memory. Still, she remains elusive. Evans is gentle with her, unfolding the layers of a woman who has buried too much within.
Author Virginia Evans | Photo Credit: Austin Joffe
The introvert’s life
Hints of Sybil’s past — a long career in law alongside a respected judge — offer only glimpses into her life. She speaks fondly of the judge, who passes away at the beginning of the book, and herein lies the limitation of the epistolary form. You cannot be a witness to a live event. For weeks, Sybil talks about the speech she has to make at the funeral but you never get to partake in the moment. You will have to wait for her report in the next letter.
Not that it takes away from your enjoyment of this beautifully arranged novel. Evans builds her story with patience, revealing a new layer of Sybil with every carefully-curated mail.
Relationships may not be Sybil’s strong suit, but she has her ways of reaching out. She can easily connect to a brilliant but socially awkward teenager. She makes friends with a customer care executive, but is wary of getting close to men who show an interest in her. Sybil confides more than once that it is easier for her to write than to have a conversation.
Quite effortlessly, Evans shapes The Correspondent into both a slow-burn mystery and a warm, witty novel. Even when you don’t agree with Sybil, you find yourself reaching out to her, to reassure her that it’s alright, Sybil.
The Kerala-based feature writer explores culture, cinema, history and literature.