Summary of The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans quickly became one of my favorite books of 2025. As soon as I read the book, I knew that it would be perfect for the Beyond the Bookends Book Club. It has now been on the bestseller list for weeks, which means more book clubs will be choosing this spectacular book. I made a summary of The Correspondent to remind you of the plot, characters, and important moments in the book.

This epistolary novel is beautifully written, with complex relationships that will touch your heart long after you have finished the book. Because it is a detailed summary, there will be spoilers. These cannot be avoided. If you are reading this before you have read the book, you should be aware.

The Correspondent Summary: Quick

Sybil Van Antwerp writes letters for correspondence to friends and family. The book begins after Sybil’s 73rd birthday. She is assuring her friends and family that she had a minor car accident, when in fact, the accident totaled her car because she is losing her eyesight.

The narrative is told through letters from Sybil to her numerous friends and family, famous writers, as well as emails to customer service agents. We learn about Sybil’s past, her regrets, and her hopes. The reader accompanies Sybil on her journey to form new relationships.

Throughout, Sybil is writing a long, unsent letter to an unknown recipient. This is the only letter in which Sybil expresses her pain and worry.

Detailed Summary of The Correspondent

The book begins with a letter to Sybil’s brother Felix, the day after her 73rd birthday on June 12, 2012. This chapter introduced Sybil’s two children, Fiona, who lives in London, and Bruce, who lives in France with his significant other, Stewart. We also learn that Felix and Sybil were adopted. In the postscript, Sybil shares that she had a minor car accident.

Mr. Lubneck, Sybil’s neighbor, is concerned about her since he saw her come home in a taxi. She admits to him that she had a minor car accident. The two begin a brief correspondence (even though they are neighbors).

The next letter is a continuation of an unsent letter. In this letter, she admits that she wrecked the car because she could not see. Her ophthalmologist, Dr. Jameson, has told her that she is going blind, but she has not told Bruce or Fiona. She did mention it to her best friend, Rosalie, and Harry, Judge James Landy’s son.

Fiona emails her mother from Australia and is very upset to learn that the car was totaled because Sybil could not see. She admonishes her mother for not telling her sooner, and encourages her mother to think about moving into Happy Hills, a senior living facility.

Harry Landy is the child of a former colleague of Sybil. She has a monthly correspondence with him, and it is clear from the letters that the two of them are very close. She has confided in Harry that she is going blind, but also told him to keep it a secret. Harry mentions in his letter that he has a new psychiatrist whom he does not like very much.

Sybil writes a letter to her best friend and sister-in-law, Rosalie. She is perturbed that Rosalie has not responded to her last letter. She is also venting about the email she received from Fiona. She is upset that her children are talking about her health behind her back. She admits that Fiona has called her, and she is letting the calls go to voicemail. She also bought herself a new car.

In a letter to Judge James Landy, Sybil mentions that “Guy” died. She includes an article from the Baltimore Sun (written about her) in the letter. We learn that Guy was Judge Guy D. Donnelly, who served on the circuit court for 28 years. Sybil was Judge Donnelly’s chief clerk for almost 30 years and retired on the same day in 1999. Sybil graduated from the University of Virginia law school in 1967, which was very uncommon at the time. Civil and Donnelly started a law firm, but when he was made a circuit court judge, she decided to become his law clerk. The article mentions three small children at home. The article makes insinuations about Sybil’s relationship with Judge Donnelly.

Sybil writes a letter to Alex Toole, the journalist for the Baltimore Sun, where she states unequivocally that her relationship with Guy was strictly professional.

Shortly after the article is published, Sybil begins receiving threatening letters signed “DM”.

The memorial service for Guy is being held by invitation 6 months after his death. Sybil emails James to ask him to pick her up and drive her to the service. She is anxious because Liz, Guy’s wife, asked her to speak at the funeral.

Sybil shares with Rosalie that Fiona is pregnant. She had fertility treatments and is safely past the first trimester. Rosalie shares that Lars is getting quieter and more confused. He has dementia.

Sybil receives her first letter from Mick Watts. They met at the memorial service, and he initiated a correspondence because he discovered this is how she likes to communicate. However, he calls it quaint and impractical, which is deeply offensive to Sybil, who refuses his invitation to dinner.

In Sybil’s letter to Harry Landy, she talks about her childhood and her parents. She was adopted at 14 months and grew up in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Maryland. It is in this letter that she reveals that her third child, Gilbert, died when he was eight-years-old.

In the unsent letter, Sybil reveals that her parents gave her a letter written to them by her biological mother. It is because of this letter that Sybil began writing letters. She includes a copy of the letter, which is signed L.T.

Sybil writes a letter to The Baltimore Sun and shames them for writing an article about a man who accidentally killed his child by backing over her with his car. This letter gives us a lot of insight into Sybil.

On August 10, 2013, Sybil writes the first of many letters to Ms. Genet, the Dean of the College of English at the University of Maryland. She has audited courses over the last ten years. She is writing about the course list and schedule for the fall semester. Melissa Genet sends a rely denying the request. Over the next two years, Sybil writes a total of 5 letters to the dean asking for permission to audit classes.

In September 2013, Rosalie writes to Sybil to let her know that Daan has been diagnosed with metastatic colon cancer. She is unsure if Lars understands what is going on with his brother. Fiona had a baby boy.

For Christmas 2013, Sybil received a DNA testing kit from Bruce and Fiona. She feels humiliated and has to fight back tears of embarrassment. Sybil exchanges letters with her neighbor, Mr. Lubeck. These letters start to become more consistent over the next few months.

DM continues to send threatening letters.

Mick is not deterred by Sybil and continues to send her letters. Sybil eventually agrees to meet Mick for a date.

Sybil has questions about the DNA kit. After an initial phone conversation with Basam from The Kindred Project, Sybil follows up with an email. Sybil makes the assumption that Basam is from another country and comments on his English proficiency in her email. In his response, Basam informs her that he lives in California with his wife and children. He has an engineering degree that is not recognized in the United States.

Throughout the book, Basam and Sybil continue their emails, which become more personal in nature, rather than “Kindred Project” related. Basam eventually gets fired for being unprofessional, but Sybil is able to help him find a job.

Harry sends a letter to Sybil to let her know that his mother was hospitalized for “mental problems.”

Sybil accidentally runs over Mr. Lubeck’s cat. She goes to his house to let him know and comments to Rosalie on how neat the house is.

James emails Sybil to let her know that Harry ran away. She gets a quick email about 12 hours later stating that Harry has returned, but he threatened to leave if James picked up the phone. So he sent a quick email instead to let Sybil know he is safe.

Rosalie and Sybil have been writing letters to each other since the summer after junior high school. Rosalie recalls when Felix stopped talking after Rosalie’s mother died. Rosalie includes some of the letters between the women from 1953 to 1958.

Sybil receives the DNA results and is deciding whether to check the box to receive notifications about any relatives. Three months later, she receives an email saying she has a DNA match. She is confused about how this happened until she realizes that her brother must have done it.

Daan writes a letter to Sybil. In this letter, he talks a lot about Gilbert’s death and its effect on the entire family. He knows that he is dying, and he wants to reconnect with Sybil before then. He shares that both Bruce and Fiona are in therapy. Daan blamed Sybil for Gilbert’s death, but the truth is that it was a terrible accident. Daan died on September 11, 2015.

Sybil never wrote him back because she could not find the words. She could only think about when Gilbert died. We discover that Sybil was on a dock when Gilbert dove into the water, hit the bottom, and broke his neck. Sybil is still heartbroken thinking about those days, and is trying to determine whether or not she will go to Daan’s funeral. In the end, she does not go.

Sybil writes her first letter to Henrietta Gleason on September 21, 2015, but the email is sent back with a message that the account holder is temporarily suspended. She tries to find out who the person is, but cannot get in touch with Basam because he was fired.

In the unsent letter, Sybil admits that the threatening letters are frightening her. She is further worried by the prospect of going blind.

Sybil learns that not only did Daan leave her some things, but he also left her a large amount of money.

Harry Landy writes to Sybil to update her on what has been happening with him, but also to let her know that he won’t be writing to her anymore. He is in a special class for kids who are really good at math, but he is bullied and teased. His mother has been in and out of mental hospitals, and Harry is not sure if she will be coming home. Sybil writes to James to let him know she is worried about Harry.

Sybil decides to go for a walk late one night and almost bumps into Mr. Lubeck. She falls down and breaks her wrist and sprains her ankle. He brings her home and to the hospital. Theodore and Sybil start developing a closer relationship.

Rosalie writes a letter to Sybil and admits that she has kept a secret from Sybil. Rosalie is Fiona’s godmother and takes the role seriously. She has often been the go-between, which is difficult when it’s a best friend and goddaughter. After Daan died, Fiona came to the United States and stayed with Rosalie for a few days. Neither of them told Sybil.

In a letter to Felix, Sybil shares a few important things. First, she knows that Henrietta lives in Scotland. Second, Harry tried to kill himself, and third, Fiona is pregnant with a girl. Sybil writes to Mack to cancel her visit to Texas so she can help James with Harry.

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Review of The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

The Correspondent Summary Almost at the End

Dr. Jameson, the ophthalmologist, tells Sybil to prepare for going blind. He tells her that she should have services in place for when it happens.

Harry has moved in with Sybil. James still has contact with them, but knows its good for Harry to stay with Sybil for a little while.

Sybil writes a letter to Henrietta Gleason. She shares that Harry was able to find her address with the information she had regarding the DNA match. She shares that the two share 49% of their DNA.

In the unsent letter, Sybil reveals that DM came to her house and cut all her flowers. She finally confessed to Theodore and Harry that she thinks she knows who DM is. She recalls the court case and Enzo Martinelli.

Throughout the book, there are emails from Sybil’s gardening club. She is eventually kicked out of the club and removed from her position as secretary.

Rosalie writes to Sybil to follow up on what is going on with her. She comments that she has not heard from Sybil in a while. Sybil writes back three weeks later. Her letter is sarcastic as she confronts Rosalie. She is extremely hurt and upset that Rosalie did not tell her that Fiona was in town. She is also embarrassed that she did not know her daughter had miscarriages and fertility issues.

We see the developing relationship between Theodore and Sybil in the letter he writes to her for her birthday in 2017. He shares how he escaped Germany with his mother. His father and brother were both sent to Dachau, where they died.

Meanwhile, Sybil has made plans to go visit Mick in Texas. When she eventually goes to see him, she confides to her brother that he might be a little much for her.

The Correspondent Ending Explained with Spoilers

Hattie writes Sybil back in June of 2017. She explains that she just received the letter that Sybil sent in April because she moved. She is shocked that they have such a high DNA match. She asks if Sybil will send a copy of the report to see with her own eyes.

Rosalie calls Sybil out for her horrible letter. Rosalie explains that Fiona needs to confide in her because Sybil is not there for her. Sybil has never shared what the loss of Gilbert did to her. Paul had surgery, which did not go smoothly.

Sybil writes a letter to Dezi Martinelli. She gives her email address and invites him to openly tell her what is bothering him.

Dezi writes back. He explains that he found the letters she wrote to his father in prison. He did not know who she was until he read the article about Judge Donnelly’s death. He remembers his mother begging Sybil for leniency. Her husband, Enzo, has used his bakery truck to deliver stolen goods. She said that the family would not survive without Enzo. Dezi has spent his life hating her.

Hattie has a lot of information for Sybil. Sybil and Hattie are sisters. Their mom was Scottish and their father was half Crow. Sybil is older than Hattie. Their mother told Hattie that she had an older sister who died. Their father left shortly after Hattie was born. Eventually, their mother moved back to Scotland and got married. Together, they had three children. Hattie had done Kindred to find more information about her father. Hattie included a picture of their mother, Louisa Gleason, pregnant with Sybil. She died of cancer. Her father’s name is Charles Broderick Thorne.

Stewart cheated on Felix. He left France to come home.

Sybil continues to confide in Harry. She asks him to look up her father and print out any information he can find. Even after everything they have been through, she still signs the letters from Ms. Van Antwerp.

Sybil writes to Theodore to let him know in no uncertain terms that she will spend time with whoever she wants. She felt some coldness from Theodore when he saw a Mick’s car at her house. She shares that they have a lot in common, and he is funny. She lets Theodore know that she will have nothing to do with him if he continues to act that way.

Mick asked Sybil to marry him.

In July 2018, Melissa Genet finally sent a list of classes and offered Sybil to choose any classes she wants.

Sybil writes to her doctor in August of 2018 to say that her eyesight is declining.

In a heartfelt letter to Fiona, Sybil finally shares her feelings. She apologizes for making Fiona feel like she wasn’t enough. She finally shares the grief she experiences when Gilbert died. There is a lot said in this letter, and she finally shares with Fiona things she has been sharing with Harry for years.

Sybil writes a letter to Rosalie and apologizes.

Steward writes to Sybil and asks for help in getting in touch with Felix.

Sybil writes to Theodore and lets him know that she has broken things off with Mick. She is going to visit Fiona in London, and then they are going to drive together to meet Hattie. She asks Theodore if he would take her to the National Symphony. Theodore responds that he would take her to Paris. Sybil flies to see Fiona- her first time out of the country in 79 years.

Sybil tells Theodore about Gilbert. She signs the letter “with affection”.

Sybil finishes the unsent letter and signs it.

As of August 2019, Theodore reads Sybil all her correspondence and transcribes them as well. She travels to Paris with Theodore. He writes a note at the bottom of Sybil’s postcard to Rosalie to let her know that the loss of vision is making her afraid. Sybil continues to travel with Theodore to Scotland to visit Hattie.

Harry is doing well and has published a book.

November 10, 2021: Theodore writes to Hattie to let her know that Sybil passed away.

Fiona writes a letter to Desi Martinelli. Fiona left him money in her will so he can help his son with his addiction. She gave him all the money that Daan left her in his will. Fiona thanks Desi for forgiving her mother.

While Theodore is going through Sybil’s things, he finds a letter to Daan in her copy of Rebecca. He sends the letter to Fiona.

The Correspondent Character Guide

Main Characters

• Sybil Van Antwerp- main character, 73 at the start of the book. Adopted at 14 months old, a retired lawyer and law clerk (for Judge Guy Donnelly)
• Felix Stone- Sybil’s brother, long-term boyfriend named Stuart
• Rosalie Van Antwerp- Sybil’s best friend and sister-in-law (her husband Laars is Daan’s brother)
• Mr. Theodore Lübeck – neighbor
• Harry Landy – Son of Judge James Landy (former colleague)
• Bruce Van Antwerp (married to Marie)- Sybil’s child
• Fiona Van Antwerp Beaumont (married to Walt)- Sybil’s child
• Gilbert Van Antwerp – Sybil’s child

More Characters

• Daan – Sybil’s ex-husband
• Trudie and Millie- Friends of Sybil
• Joan Didion- Author, friend, met in a support group for parents who have lost a child
• Walt Beaumont- Fiona’s husband
• Mick Watts- love interest
• Melissa Genet- Dean of the English Department of the University of Maryland
• Basam Monsour- customer service representative at Kiidred Project DNA testing
• Caroline Dobson- Junior at Broadneck High School
• Hattie (Henrietta Gleason)- Sybil’s sister
• Alan Menken and Howard Ashman – famed songwriters
• Dezi- Man that Sybil helped send to jail

Writers With Whom Sybil Had a Correspondence

• Ann Patchett
• Joan Didion
• Kazuo Ishiguro
• C.S Lewis
• Diana Gabaldon
• George Lucas
• Larry McCurty

Books Mentioned in The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

• State of Wonder by Anne Patchett
• Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
• Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
• Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner
• Blue Nights by Joan Didion
• Mary Poppins by P.L. Traverse
• The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie
• Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
• The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson
• 84 Charing Cross Road by Helen Hanff
• Travels with Charley in Search of America by John Steinbeck
• The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien
• Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
• The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
• Foundation by Isaac Asimov
• Inferno by Dan Brown
• The Round House by Louise Erdrich
• The World Below by Sue Miller
• Amongst Women by John McGahern
• They May Face the Rising Sun by John McGahern
• The Collected Stories by William Trevor
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• Lonesome Dove by Larry McCurty
• Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
• Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson

What to Read After The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

Frequently Asked Questions

Epilogue

Did you like my summary of The Correspondent? Will you choose The Correspondent by Virginia Evans for your next book club?