Sybil is retired, but her days are far from empty. She spends some time each day exchanging correspondence with people who have impacted her life. She writes to authors whose books she has enjoyed. She composes emails to customer service representatives and college deans. She writes to her brother, to her best friend, to her children, to people she has mentored and people she has hurt. She does not write to her ex-husband, but she hears about how he is doing--how he is coping with his cancer diagnosis. Sybil learns about the lives of others and tells about her own life, but there is often something missing, something left unsent. Piecing together the life of Sybil Van Antwerp through her correspondence, seeing her growth from letter to letter and rooting for her from afar, one gets the sense of the fullness of her experience. Her connections to others not only define her existence but also enhance it. In the end, it is clear that Sybil has impacted many lives herself.
My mom recommended this to me as her favorite read of 2025, and I have to echo her endorsement. This book deals with a lot of heavy topics--aging, death, loneliness, grief--but it is also full of hope and love. Sybil is such a fun character to follow because she is deeply flawed from the start, but there is something endearing about the way she reaches out for connection and (for the most part) thoughtfully communicates with others. I also found myself becoming invested in the storylines of folks that Sybil wrote to. Virginia Evans did a great job writing this book full of love and empathy, especially for folks coping with the grief of aging. Please read this book :)
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