The Correspondent

Longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2026

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The Correspondent

Written by: Virginia Evans

Narrated by: Maggi-Meg Reed, Jane Oppenheimer, Carly Robins, Jeff Ebner, David Pittu, Chris Andrew Ciulla, Mark Bramhall, Petrea Burchard, Robert Petkoff, Kimberly Farr, Cerris Morgan-Meyer, Peter Ganim, Jade Wheeler, Various

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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

*LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2026*

In her letters to family and friends we come to know the life of Sybil Van Antwerp: stubborn, cantankerous, opinionated, always steadfast in her belief in the power of the written word.

But as the clock begins to tick for Sybil, the need for a few post-scripts to the life she’s led becomes apparent. Fixing her difficult relationship with her children. Taking a final chance at romance. Atoning for an old legal case which has come back to haunt her. And finally, reckoning with a devastating loss that she has spent the last thirty years holding close to her chest.

'Subtly told and finely made, The Correspondent is a portrait of a small life expanding' ANN PATCHETT

'The superbly talented Virginia Evans has written a novel of connection and daring' - ADRIANA TRIGANI, bestselling author of The Good Left Undone

'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' - Elinor Lipman, author of MS DEMEANOR

© Virginia Evans 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Virginia EvansMaggi-Meg ReedJane OppenheimerCarly RobinsJeff EbnerDavid PittuChris Andrew CiullaMark BramhallPetrea BurchardRobert PetkoffKimberly FarrCerris Morgan-MeyerPeter GanimJade WheelerVariousPenguin

Epistolary

Friendship

Genre Fiction

Literature & Fiction

Women's Fiction

Epistolary Friendship Genre Fiction Literature & Fiction Women's Fiction

Critic Reviews

I was delighted and moved . . . Evans does an expert job at making you root for [Sybil] even as you want to give her a timeout . . . Masterful

This is the novel I'm giving to everyone for Christmas... The Correspondent is a delight: melancholy without being sentimental, warm without being cosy, witty without being silly... The comparisons to Strout are accurate but this novel also reminded me of Anne Tyler's ability to make the domestic dramatic... An ode to a dying art form, and proof that your life is never too decided to make a change. (Laura Hackett)

A warm, funny gem of a novel . . . It’s a clever conceit, which Virginia Evans uses to great effect in a novel that is melancholic without being sentimental. One for fans of Elizabeth Strout.

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, bestselling author of TOM LAKE)

‘A masterclass in how to put words on human frailty. This debut does not put a foot wrong. Smart and clever . . . Evans is a confident, competent author in whom we can trust’

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, bestselling author of SMALL PLEASURES)

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, author of THE NAMES)

This novel is a complete and utter joy. (Ann Napolitano, bestselling author of HELLO BEAUTIFUL)

I'm kind of speechless at how good this was. How unexpectedly perfect and profoundly moving. It is so rare that a novel surprises you, but this one certainly did. I loved it. Felt cradled by it. Moved, and hurt, and healed. It’s a masterclass in the passage of time, in showing, not telling. In humility and redemption and how to love. I couldn’t look away. It is genius. It is tender. It has left me bruised, and grateful, and in tears. One of my best reads of the year. (Claire Daverley, author of TALKING AT NIGHT)

Beautiful. A quietly brilliant debut that I didn’t want to put down. Sybil is one of the most rounded, real, fascinating characters I've read in a long time. (BETH O'LEARY)

Most relevant

No words to describe this one! It’s starts slow, meandering, and I wondered where is this all going….only soon to realize that how life from a 70 year old someone just puts everything under perspective. For someone who always strived for perfection and has been left disappointed, this book reminds you how life is meant to be full of challenges and grief…..but one needs to let go, forgive and seek forgiveness to feel full. The damage of grief is irreparable hence feel it completely and see the magic happen :):) The book beautifully highlights how we life lives masked with busy schedules to dim the pain we are scared to feel, how the feeling of not being accepted manifests in many other aspects of life and how compassion and forgiveness is the only way to solace. True masterpiece!!!!