This month's meeting was hosted by Michèle who served pastries from La Maison du Kouign-Amann in Kanata and Apple-Bran muffins. Present were Betty, Carla, Marg, Michèle and we welcomed a new member Cathy. This month's book choice was The Correspondent by American author Virginia Evans. She studied at James Madison University in Virginia and also completed a M.Phil in Creative Writing at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. This is her first novel.
The book is written in an epistolary style. Sybil the main character is a retired lawyer, divorced. She communicates with friends, family and even close neighbours by letter. She seems to have no filters when she writes to friends and family, sometimes upsetting and insulting her chosen correspondents. Sybil has two suitors, her neighbour Theodore, who helps her with tasks around the house and her garden and Mick (or Harry) from Texas. She has several other correspondents, a friend Rosalie, her daughter, her son, a young teenage boy and also several "official" correspondents with customer services.
With the exception of a couple of our members, the book was not particularly enjoyed. Many found that Sybil has a mean streak and does not mince words when she is unhappy with a service or a comment from a friend or family member. Some members would have appreciated some text between letters to allow more information about Sybil's life and her family. Some felt it took too long via the correspondence to reveal the obvious emotional and dark time of her life.
Those who liked the book felt that her character and personality was revealed through her correspondence. The back and forth with her suitors, especially Mick from Texas, added humour and allowed us to peek a bit into her younger self, when emotional baggage did not colour her life as much.
As usual, a book that our members react to in different ways, always generates good conversation and some debate.
