The Correspondent

WINNER OF THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2026 #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER OVER TWO MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE A TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025 AN IRISH TIMES BESTSELLER A BBC RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB PICK 'A warm, funny gem of a novel' LAURA HACKETT, THE TIMES 'Masterful . . . I was delighted and moved' NEW YORK TIMES 'Immensely enjoyable' GUARDIAN 'I can't praise it enough. It's an absolute triumph' CLARE CHAMBERS 'What a novel! Tender, dry, sharp...devastating, but still feel good.' PANDORA SYKES 'Tremendous' FREDRIK BACKMAN 'Shows us what a glorious thing growing older can be' FLORENCE KNAPP 'The year's breakout novel no one saw coming' WALL STREET JOURNAL – Sybil Van Antwerp is seventy-three, slowly losing her sight and always writing letters . . . To her children. Her favourite authors. Her ex-sister-in-law. The journalist poking into her past. Her doctor. Suitors. Kindly neighbours. The infuriating gardening club. All receive Sybil’s witty, wise correspondence, rich with everyday concerns. But there is one letter that she has never sent. It concerns the darkest period of her life. To post it, Sybil must find forgiveness within herself. The hardest letter to write is the one you’d never dare to send.

WINNER OF THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2026 #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER OVER TWO MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE A TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025 AN IRISH TIMES BESTSELLER A BBC RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB PICK 'A warm, funny gem of a novel' LAURA HACKETT, THE TIMES 'Masterful . . . I was delighted and moved' NEW YORK TIMES 'Immensely enjoyable' GUARDIAN 'I can't praise it enough. It's an absolute triumph' CLARE CHAMBERS 'What a novel! Tender, dry, sharp...devastating, but still feel good.' PANDORA SYKES 'Tremendous' FREDRIK BACKMAN 'Shows us what a glorious thing growing older can be' FLORENCE KNAPP 'The year's breakout novel no one saw coming' WALL STREET JOURNAL – Sybil Van Antwerp is seventy-three, slowly losing her sight and always writing letters . . . To her children. Her favourite authors. Her ex-sister-in-law. The journalist poking into her past. Her doctor. Suitors. Kindly neighbours. The infuriating gardening club. All receive Sybil’s witty, wise correspondence, rich with everyday concerns. But there is one letter that she has never sent. It concerns the darkest period of her life. To post it, Sybil must find forgiveness within herself. The hardest letter to write is the one you’d never dare to send.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - Discover the word-of-mouth hit hailed by Ann Patchett as "A cause for celebration"--an intimate novel about the transformative power of the written word and the beauty of slowing down to reconnect with the people we love. " The Correspondent is this year's breakout novel no one saw coming."-- The Wall Street Journal "I cried more than once as I witnessed this brilliant woman come to understand herself more deeply."--Florence Knapp, author of The Names LONGLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE, THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL, AND THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION - A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: NPR, The Washington Post, Boston Globe, Elle, Christian Science Monitor, She Reads "Imagine, the letters one has sent out into the world, the letters received back in turn, are like the pieces of a magnificent puzzle. . . . Isn't there something wonderful in that, to think that a story of one's life is preserved in some way, that this very letter may one day mean something, even if it is a very small thing, to someone?" Filled with knowledge that only comes from a life fully lived, The Correspondent is a gem of a novel about the power of finding solace in literature and connection with people we might never meet in person. It is about the hubris of youth and the wisdom of old age, and the mistakes and acts of kindness that occur during a lifetime. Sybil Van Antwerp has throughout her life used letters to make sense of the world and her place in it. Most mornings, around half past ten, Sybil sits down to write letters--to her brother, to her best friend, to the president of the university who will not allow her to audit a class she desperately wants to take, to Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry to tell them what she thinks of their latest books, and to one person to whom she writes often yet never sends the letter. Sybil expects her world to go on as it always has--a mother, grandmother, wife, divorcee, distinguished lawyer, she has lived a very full life. But when letters from someone in her past force her to examine one of the most painful periods of her life, she realizes that the letter she has been writing over the years needs to be read and that she cannot move forward until she finds it in her heart to offer forgiveness. Sybil Van Antwerp's life of letters might be "a very small thing," but she also might be one of the most memorable characters you will ever read.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - Discover the word-of-mouth hit hailed by Ann Patchett as "A cause for celebration"--an intimate novel about the transformative power of the written word and the beauty of slowing down to reconnect with the people we love. " The Correspondent is this year's breakout novel no one saw coming."-- The Wall Street Journal "I cried more than once as I witnessed this brilliant woman come to understand herself more deeply."--Florence Knapp, author of The Names LONGLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE, THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL, AND THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION - A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: NPR, The Washington Post, Boston Globe, Elle, Christian Science Monitor, She Reads "Imagine, the letters one has sent out into the world, the letters received back in turn, are like the pieces of a magnificent puzzle. . . . Isn't there something wonderful in that, to think that a story of one's life is preserved in some way, that this very letter may one day mean something, even if it is a very small thing, to someone?" Filled with knowledge that only comes from a life fully lived, The Correspondent is a gem of a novel about the power of finding solace in literature and connection with people we might never meet in person. It is about the hubris of youth and the wisdom of old age, and the mistakes and acts of kindness that occur during a lifetime. Sybil Van Antwerp has throughout her life used letters to make sense of the world and her place in it. Most mornings, around half past ten, Sybil sits down to write letters--to her brother, to her best friend, to the president of the university who will not allow her to audit a class she desperately wants to take, to Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry to tell them what she thinks of their latest books, and to one person to whom she writes often yet never sends the letter. Sybil expects her world to go on as it always has--a mother, grandmother, wife, divorcee, distinguished lawyer, she has lived a very full life. But when letters from someone in her past force her to examine one of the most painful periods of her life, she realizes that the letter she has been writing over the years needs to be read and that she cannot move forward until she finds it in her heart to offer forgiveness. Sybil Van Antwerp's life of letters might be "a very small thing," but she also might be one of the most memorable characters you will ever read.

WINNER OF THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2026 #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER OVER TWO MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE A TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025 IRISH TIMES BESTSELLER A BBC RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB PICK 'A warm, funny gem of a novel' LAURA HACKETT, THE TIMES 'Masterful . . . I was delighted and moved' NEW YORK TIMES 'I can't praise it enough. It's an absolute triumph' CLARE CHAMBERS 'What a novel! Tender, dry, sharp...devastating, but still feel good.' PANDORA SYKES 'Tremendous' FREDRIK BACKMAN 'Shows us what a glorious thing growing older can be' FLORENCE KNAPP 'The year's breakout novel no one saw coming' WALL STREET JOURNAL - Every morning, 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, and to one person to whom she writes often yet never sends the letter. Because at seventy-three, Sybil has used her correspondence - witty and wise - 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 in her past force her to examine one of the most painful periods of her life. Now, Sybil must send the letter she has been writing for all these years - and find forgiveness within herself in order to move on. Sybil Van Antwerp's life of letters might not be an extraordinary one, but she also might be one of the most memorable characters you will ever read.

WINNER OF THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2026 #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER OVER TWO MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE A TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025 IRISH TIMES BESTSELLER A BBC RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB PICK 'A warm, funny gem of a novel' LAURA HACKETT, THE TIMES 'Masterful . . . I was delighted and moved' NEW YORK TIMES 'I can't praise it enough. It's an absolute triumph' CLARE CHAMBERS 'What a novel! Tender, dry, sharp...devastating, but still feel good.' PANDORA SYKES 'Tremendous' FREDRIK BACKMAN 'Shows us what a glorious thing growing older can be' FLORENCE KNAPP 'The year's breakout novel no one saw coming' WALL STREET JOURNAL - Every morning, 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, and to one person to whom she writes often yet never sends the letter. Because at seventy-three, Sybil has used her correspondence - witty and wise - 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 in her past force her to examine one of the most painful periods of her life. Now, Sybil must send the letter she has been writing for all these years - and find forgiveness within herself in order to move on. Sybil Van Antwerp's life of letters might not be an extraordinary one, but she also might be one of the most memorable characters you will ever read.