Likely Stories - The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

This book, an epistolary novel full of long-form letters, the rare email, and notes to
friends, family, colleagues, and even strangers, filled my heart and soul and
became one of my favorite books of last year.

Sybil van Antwerp contains multitudes. She was once an indispensable law clerk to
a powerful judge (only missing a judge seat herself because of her gender and the time period), and now she is a retiree, a divorcee, a mother to estranged children, a
friendly neighbor, an avid reader and communicator with authors, a best friend, a
woman with failing eyesight, and most of all a letter writer. Once a dying art, Sybil's
correspondence proves that choosing one's words carefully is a learned skill and
that writing letters to someone is a way of showing great devotion to them in your
time and your attention to detail. As we follow Sybil's letters over the course of 8-9
years, we infer many things about her life and relationships. We come to know a woman who is too old to mince words but who is also harboring secrets she may
take to her grave.

We see fractures in her closest familial bonds and rejoice when she takes both a
suicidal young man and a Syrian refugee customer service representative under
her wing. Not all is golden in Sybil's world, as someone from her past with a grudge
wants to track her down, as she contends with two admiring men, and as the
effects of impending blindness are never far off. And through it all, there is one last
letter that Sybil seems unable to finish or send, even if doing so may provide her
the closure or catharsis she desperately seeks. But from the words she sends and
those she receives, we come to know a woman unafraid of any obstacle and self
reflective enough to realize there is always a little more life left to live.

I know that Sybil and her story will stay with me for a long time. Epistolary novels can be hard to settle into (I once read Dracula in high school and had such a time of it getting into the rhythm), but the structure of The Correspondent worked beautifully. Pay attention to the dates and the salutations, and you'll be just fine. I'm inspired to pick up a nice pen and compose my own correspondence in Sybil’s honor.

PREVIOUS EPISODES OF LIKELY STORIES

Likely Stories - The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

Hello, and welcome to Likely Stories, everyone. I’m Paige Connell, and I am an English teacher, so it feels like, sometimes daily, I am “fighting the good fight” against the use of AI in place of real thinking and writing, the omnipresence of technology in our communication, and the detriment that those things can produce in a new generation. But lest I sound too cranky, let me say what a refreshing delight it was to read The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (and I do mean read it in physical form versus listening or reading on my Kindle, as even I am wont to often do).

Likely Stories - Love, Sivvy by R.L. Toalson

I'm Joe Riley, and this is Likely Stories. I recently accompanied my wife, a school librarian, to the Texas Library Association convention. She won an award, and I'm proud of her, but this is not a review of her, but rather of a book she picked up there: an autographed copy of 'Love, Sivvy', a novel inspired by the life letters and diaries of young Sylvia Plath.

Likely Stories - Saints and Liars by Deborah Dwork

I consider myself a fairly courageous person, but I will confess after reading this book, I’ve decided maybe not. To purposefully travel to foreign countries to put yourself in harm’s way to protect complete strangers is a level of bravery reserved for the military, not your neighbors.Welcome to “Likely Stories.”I’m Diane Kemper.

Likely Stories - Trouble Boys by Bob Mehr

Hi, Malcolm Foster here, operations assistant at KWBU and habitual stacker of books that one day, hopefully, will eventually be read. For this week's episode of Likely Stories, I’m combining two of my passions. Music and the written word.

Likely Stories - The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand

Hi, and welcome back to another edition of Likely Stories. I’m Paige Connell, and I teach English at Midway High School. Growing up, I went to a private school for many years, though it wasn’t a boarding school, and whether it’s in real life or in pop culture, I think there’s just something about the prestige and allure of a private academy that makes people want to know all the potentially lurid details of life behind the curtain.

Likely Stories - Why I Love Horror by Becky Siegel Spatford

I have a confession to make. I hate jump-scare horror movies. I always have. I don’t enjoy being startled. It took me until adulthood before I could even watch fireworks without bracing myself for the next explosion. (Truth be told, I still kind of do). I’m not a huge fan of gory horror movies either. And yet, I absolutely love horror novels.

Likely Stories - Something We Said: Richard Pryor, a Notorious Word and Me by Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor

I’m Kevin Tankersley, and this is Likely Stories.

Likely Stories - The Land and Its People by David Sedaris

My name is Maggie McCarthy and today I will be reviewing The Land and Its People by David Sedaris.

Likely Stories - Two Old Women by Velma Wallis

I'm not a huge fan of hot weather. My summer reads tend to be set in cold climates, in wintertime- books that take me away from the heart of Texas. Two Old Women by Velma Wallis is a perfect diversion.

Likely Stories - A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L Peck

Imagine if one day you suddenly discovered that the tenets that have governed your life, through no choice of your own, have been undeniably broken. This is exactly where protagonist Soren Johanssen finds himself at the start of Steven L Peck’s novella, ‘A Short Stay in Hell.’