Book Club Questions for The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

Book club questions for The Correspondent by Virginia Evans take a closer look at this quiet and richly drawn story about one woman’s journey toward self-reflection and growth. There will be spoilers, so for more context about the story, check out my spoiler-free review first.

What a wonderful novel. I loved the idea that it’s never too late for a second chance. The growth of Sybil was quite remarkable and also made sense with her character. The secrets she kept were absolutely devastating, and it gave her actions toward Fiona more clarity.

Her support of Harry was wonderful and exactly what they both needed. Her eventual romance with Theodore was so quiet and lovely.

All the stars for this one.

Let me know what you thought about the book in the comments section below!

The Story

Sybil Van Antwerp, a retired lawyer and also a mother and grandmother, is now 73 and spends most of her time writing letters to her family, friends, and even to famous people such as authors and George Lucas. However, her most personal letters are to one person, but they are never sent.

However, when she receives a letter from an individual from her past. It causes her to reexamine her entire life, both the good and the bad, and plenty of mistakes she made along the way.

While she is forced to relive one of the most painful periods in her life, it might also help her finally move forward.

Book Club Questions for The Correspondent

1. Why did Sybil choose letter writing as a hobby? What drew her to it, and what kept her in the routine of writing letters?
2. Sybil writes to family, friends, and even famous people and authors. What were some of the memorable letters she wrote and the responses she received?
3. Let’s talk about the differences between handwriting a letter and sending an email. Do you feel handwriting is more of a personal experience? How do letters help instill a personal connection?
4. Do you like to write and receive letters? Or did this novel inspire you to start?
5. The story is a love letter to literature. Have you read any of the novels mentioned?
6. What was your overall impression of Sybil when you first started the book? How did it evolve as the story went on?
7. Sybil is quite set in her ways. She’s stubborn, quick to judge, and isn’t easily swayed or influenced. When did she start to show cracks in her facade?
8. We learn that Sybil is slowly going blind. Why did she wait so long to tell her loved ones?
9. She receives a letter from the past that is unsettling. It’s from the son of a man (Dezi) that she helped send to jail, and it completely changed everything for his family. Why did this letter affect Sybil so much?
10. Sybil develops a bond with Henry, the son of a former colleague. Why do you feel the two shared a bond? How did they both help each other?
11. We find out that Sybil had three children, but that her son Gilbert died when he was nine. And that grief impacted every single action Sybil took moving forward. Let’s discuss our thoughts about this.
12. Her ex-husband Daan writes her a very heartfelt letter before he passed away from cancer, absolving her of any blame for Gilbert’s death. But Sybil couldn’t bring herself to respond, which infuriates her daughter. Why didn’t Sybil send the letter she was working on to Daan?
13. Sybil was adopted, and she finds out about her birth family and connects with her sister. In what ways were she and Hattie similar?
14. When did Sybil finally realize she had feelings for Theodore?
15. Eventually, Sybil answers Dezi and admits that she was in the wrong, but at the time, she was overwhelmed with grief about losing Gilbert. How did telling the truth to Dezi finally help Sybil move forward with her life?
16. Throughout the novel, Sybil writes her most personal letters to an unknown recipient, and they are never sent. It’s revealed that she’s been writing to Gilbert this entire time. How did this help her process her grief? When did she finally feel at peace to stop writing letters to Gilbert?
17. What helped her repair her relationship with Fiona?
18. Sybil passes away, and the truth comes out about Sybil’s guilt for what happened to Gilbert. Let’s discuss this reveal and also the ending.

Additional Recommendations

Hope you enjoyed the book club questions for The Correspondent! Here are some more recommendations, along with links to book club questions.

After her husband passed away, 70-year-old Tova spends her nights cleaning the floors at her local aquarium in a small town in Washington. She keeps busy to avoid thinking about the unimaginable loss of her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, who mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.

During her nights alone at the museum, Tova eventually strikes up a friendship in the most unlikely place, with Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus is an extremely intelligent octopus that is one step ahead of the humans, but he grows fond of Tova. He even puts the pieces together to find out what happened to Erik.

He’s short on time and must find a way for Tova to learn the truth.

If you haven’t read Remarkably Bright Creatures yet, I highly recommend you move it to the top of your list. This is a poignant and lovely story about moving forward and second chances. A great book club read with much to discuss and analyze. For more about the book, check out my spoiler-free review.

For book clubs, check out my discussion questions here.

The story covers many timelines and different places. From the 1930s to the 1940s, Shanghai to Los Angeles in 2008. It also features time in Hong Kong and parts of Taiwan. The 1940s and beyond were quite volatile, with numerous wars and significant changes in government that devastated communities and broke apart families.

But all of this is unbeknownst to seven-year-old Suchi, who is drawn to the quiet Haiwan, a talented violist. Eventually, their childhood friendship turns into love. But everything changes when Haiwan secretly enlists in the Nationalist army in 1947 to save his brother from the draft. Life will never be the same for them or their families. 

And then, sixty years later, Haiwen sees Suchi again, at a grocery store in Los Angeles. While Haiwen hopes this is finally the chance for them, Suchi refuses to look back at the past. But is it possible that a second chance could exist after everything they have been through?

Karissa Chen’s writing is exquisite with a vivid and descriptive tone. She took a rather unique storytelling approach by moving back and forth in time, and it worked quite well. All of this led to a story where the characters feel real, and we were on the journey with them. For more about the story, check out my spoiler-free review here.

Check out my discussion questions here.

Happy reading!