The Correspondent | Christy, Kim, Shannon, & Briana

If you're looking for a read that makes you feel all the feelings, look no further. The Correspondent by Virginia Evans weaves a rich tapestry of one woman's life. Sybil Van Antwerp is a sharp-witted and sharp-tongued retired lawyer in her 70s who anchors her days through letter writing. Her correspondence reaches a wide array of recipients; including, family and friends, authors, and even total strangers. This daily ritual allows Sybil to process grief, connect with the world, and ultimately find healing. In today's conversation, Christy, Shan, Kim, and Briana sit down for a book-club style conversation about this deeply moving novel. This book will change the way you view aging and remind you to keep living every, single day. Be warned, upon finishing this read you will likely experience a "book hangover". Rest assured, it is worth every bit of pain! 

Book Club Read

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

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Transcript

The Correspondent

Christy: [00:00:00] Cheers. Welcome to Top Shelf with the librarians of Russell Library. I'm Christi Billings. I'm joined today by Brianna Gagnon. 

Kim: Hey. 

Christy: Shannon Bair-Leary. Hey. And Kim Spachman. 

Kim: Hi. 

Christy: Thank you for joining us today. On Top Shelf, you'll hear about compelling reads from people who know books best. Today, we're doing something a little bit different.

Christy: We are very excited to turn the page with you. The focus of today's show is a little bit different. We decided on the four of us talking about the same book for this episode, and we've decided to cover this topic because The Correspondent by Virginia Evans is just that good. The Correspondent is an epistolary novel by American author Virginia Evans.

Christy: This novel follows the letters and emails of Sybil Van Antwerp, who is a retired lawyer. This novel was a slow burn success, reaching the top of the New York [00:01:00] Times fiction bestseller list almost a year after it was published. It won a PEN/Hemingway Award for debut novel and has received widespread acclaim from critics.

Christy: A film adaptation starring Jane Fonda was announced on March 18th. 

Briana: I'm so excited for that also. Not to cut you off but I'm like- Yes ... Jane Fonda. 

Christy: Yes. Right? I mean, the casting is perfection- Mm-hmm ... for sure. So I kind of stumbled into this book because I had been seeing people talking about it on IG, and I really wanted to read it.

Christy: I actually went out and purchased it, and when I went into the bookstore, the bookstore guy didn't know anything about it. So this was, like, right at the beginning of the buzz- Wow. Mm ... which is where I love to be. 

Kim: Yes. 

Christy: So how about you guys? How did you hear about The Correspondent? 

Kim: You. 

Shannon: Yeah. Chrissy, you too.

Christy: Yes. 

Shannon: I was actually sitting at the circulation desk, or was I sitting in your office? And I was like, "I don't... Like, I'm not feeling the book I'm [00:02:00] reading." I think it was our 

Briana: office '

Shannon: cause- And I think it was The Idiot by Dostoevsky, so, like, I'm not- Am I? You know, that's not, that's, that's some heavy material.

Shannon: That's a lot. 

Kim: Yeah. 

Shannon: And Chrissy just handed me The Correspondent- ... and she was like, "Enjoy." And did I enjoy? Indeed I did. 

Kim: Mm-hmm. 

Christy: I love it. 

Shannon: Yeah. 

Kim: Yeah, and you talked about it on the podcast for, um, books to give, um, for our holiday episode. Nice. And it had been completely, like, not on my radar to read. I had seen it in the, the library in book displays.

Kim: Um, but as we've talked about a little bit, the cover is very subtle. Mm-hmm. And so your endorsement really, um, en- encouraged me and inspired me to pick up the book, and I'm glad I did. 

Christy: That's so fun. 

Briana: I feel similarly, like, because you just talked about it so much, and then you read it- Mm-hmm ... and you both just like, "Oh my God."

Briana: I was like, "Okay, I finally have to, not keep putting this off and actually read it." And I'm glad I finally did. Mm-hmm. Yeah. And 

Christy: you listened to it. 

Briana: I listened to it, 

Christy: yep. Which is cool 

Briana: because- It, I don't think I would've liked it as much if [00:03:00] I read it in the print. Like, to li- Did 

Shannon: they have different voices?

Briana: They had different voices for everyone. 

Shannon: Ooh, that's even funner. 

Briana: Yep. 

Shannon: Yeah. 

Briana: There's like I think 11 or 12 different- 

Shannon: Yeah ... 

Briana: voice actors. Oh, interesting. '

Shannon: Cause she corresponds significantly- A lot, yeah ... with like, we'll get into that, but yeah. Yeah. Yeah. 

Christy: Yeah, so she does correspond with family members. Um, she has a young friend named Harry Landry who- who, uh, is maybe 10, 11 that she corresponds with Yeah Um, she do- it's letters and emails, and that's the entire way the book is told.

Christy: Mm. So sometimes we're coming into the story after something has happened, and we're not getting the full picture, 'cause she's not telling the person- Mm ... she's writing the letter to the full picture. Mm-hmm. And other times we're getting way more of a picture, and we're not quite sure what's happening. Yeah.

Kim: Yeah. 

Christy: Because she's writing to somebody she's been writing to for a long time. 

Kim: Mm-hmm. 

Christy: So no backstory is necessary, so it's kinda interesting. Um, what was your first impression of Sybil as a narrator? Did she draw you in right away, or did you [00:04:00] need some time to warm up to her? 

Briana: I feel like I wor- I warmed up to her, like, right away.

Briana: I was just like, "This is just some iconic old lady who's, like, crotchety- ... and funny." And just I, I was like, I could listen to you complain or just talk to me about, like, random things all day. And I think that's because the person who voiced her in the audio, like, that just gripped me right away. I was like- Mm

Briana: "Oh, I love your voice. I love the way you're playing Sybil." Like, 10 out of 10, I'm gonna keep listening. 

Shannon: Yeah. I was... I felt like I was hanging out with my grandmother- Mm ... even though I really didn't know either of my grandmothers. But I kind of just felt like I was hanging out with an old lady I just, like, love.

Shannon: And she comes off a certain way in the beginning, and then when you read all the different letters, really, like, she envelops into, like, this true, like, this amazing person- Mm ... who has faults, who isn't perfect, who apologizes and forgives and [00:05:00] has all these things. I just thought she was such a well-rounded character.

Kim: Mm-hmm. There's 

Shannon: so many layers. Yeah. Mm-hmm. 

Kim: Yeah. And it's- And- Oh ... 

Shannon: and authentic. 

Kim: Yes. 

Christy: Yeah. 

Kim: And it's subtle at the beginning too. I mean, I think I started clueing into who she was as a person when she started writing to specific authors. So the, the letter to Ann Patchett just said s- I was like, "Oh, okay, so she's a reader, and she connects on a, u- uh, with, um, art on a particular level, and she's able to talk about it."

Kim: And I was like, "Okay, I, I get her kind of reader-to-reader." Mm-hmm. "This interests me," beyond, like, yeah, she's a, you know, she's a, a sassy older person, which I- Mm ... I totally respect- Yeah ... being a sassy older person herself. 

Shannon: Yes. That's how... Like, you just said it perfectly, Kim, because that's how she connects with people.

Shannon: Yeah. She connects people with her writing because she might not have the right words to say, and when she writes, that's when everything can really come out. 

Christy: Mm-hmm. 'Cause she'll reference phone calls that she's had, and then she [00:06:00] sits down and writes a letter because she can't necessarily get the entire bit in the phone conversation.

Christy: Yeah. Like any of us, right? Yeah. We figure out what we wanna say 10 minutes after we've stopped talking to that person. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. So she does write to famous, I will say fairly famous, authors and sort of expects responses. 

Kim: I love that. 

Christy: Which is so, like, it's very Sybil. Yeah. 

Kim: Yes. 

Christy: Yes. Like, like she writes to Ann Patchett numerous times and, and does get responses from her.

Christy: And in sort of a funny twist of, like, real-life fate, um, the author, Virginia Evans, wrote to Ann Patchett- She had written several novels that were not published, and she was getting very discouraged, and Ann Patchett told her to keep going. That's cool. And then... Isn't that cool? Yeah. And on the front cover of the book is a blurb by Ann Patchett, so like such a full circle.

Christy: No, I'm sorry, probably on the back. But- No, it's on the front. No, it's on the front. It's on the front? Okay. The front and the back. I was gonna be, like, a 

Shannon: little verklempt. 

Kim: Right? And it [00:07:00] says- Yes ... "A cause for celebration." Yes. Which, given the story, I mean, just gives me chills. 

Shannon: Yeah. 

Christy: Like, 

Kim: and it's Ann Patchett.

Kim: And it's Ann 

Christy: Patchett. Absolutely. 

Shannon: If I got that from Ann Patchett, whoa. Whoa. Oh, my 

Christy: God. 

Shannon: I'd be like, "Peace out, library." Yeah.

Christy: So have any of you guys written a letter to an author that you liked before, and did you get a response? 

Briana: Oh, when we were younger, we had to write to Tomie dePaola in elementary school, and not a single person got a response. Oh, no. It was sad. Oh, yeah. But it was fun. Yeah. 'Cause he grew up in Meriden, and I- Yeah.

Briana: Yes ... I'm from Meriden, so that was, like, our thing in elementary school. Like, we're all gonna write him a letter because we read Grandma Upstairs, Grandma Downstairs, I think. 

Christy: Yes. 

Briana: Um- 

Christy: Very popular Tomie dePaola book. 

Briana: Yeah. 

Christy: Yeah. Like, an illustrated picture book. Beautiful. 

Briana: Mm-hmm. 

Shannon: I didn't. My sister did, so. Who'd she 

Briana: write to?

Shannon: J.K. Rowling. Oh. 

Christy: Oh. 

Shannon: Like every kid- Yeah. ... like, that was our age. And you know, it was just... It wasn't from J.K. Rowling, but that's okay. 

Christy: But she did get a response. 

Shannon: She, yeah, [00:08:00] she did get a response, but it was from, like, the company- Yes ... of, like, whoever's managing all of that stuff. 

Christy: Right. 

Shannon: And my mom wrote to Stephen King.

Shannon: Ooh, but not to, like, plug myself in a way, I've, like, tagged, not, like, they're writers. Yes. I tagged, um, Cameron Crowe- 

Kim: That's 

Shannon: what I was- ... in my blog post Yeah, I was thinking about that ... The Uncool. Yes. Um, and he reposted it, so I also wrote a blog about this, but we'll get to that later. Yeah. I shoulda tagged Virginia Evans, but she's so buzzy right now she's not gonna be paying attention to me, but that's okay.

Shannon: You never know. You never know- You never know ... so I should repost it maybe- I think- ... and tag 

her ... 

Christy: I think so. Yeah. I mean, and that is sort of the new way of, like- Yeah ... reaching out to somebody. Yeah. I feel like people tag Stephen King all the time in, on Threads and other places, and- 

Shannon: Mm-hmm ... 

Christy: he sometimes pops out of the woodwork and answers, and you're like, "Oh, my God."

Christy: Yeah. Like- I know ... he's answering like a regular person. Celebrities are just like us. But not always. 

Kim: Yeah, and [00:09:00] it's funny, I have never written to an author, and it's something, you know, I don't know why I, I never have. After I read, um, Leslie, um, Effing Jones- Mm-hmm ... I was so empowered by her story that I actually, I wrote a letter, but I did not have the guts to send it.

Christy: Wow. Well, you should rethink that. 

Kim: Maybe I, maybe I will- Yeah ... based on, uh, on this book. 

Christy: Yeah. 

Kim: Um, 'cause yeah, sh- it, that, that book came to me at a time when I really needed some, um, I don't know, just some encouragement and just some, uh, bad ery. Oh, sorry. 

Shannon: That's okay. 

Kim: Sorry, Dylan. 

Shannon: Let's not bleep that. Yeah, keep that in.

Shannon: No, keep it in, man. Let's not bleep. 

Kim: Yeah. Um, badassery. Oh, sorry. 

Shannon: That's okay. 

Kim: Sorry, Dylan. 

Shannon: Let's not bleep that. Yeah, keep 

Kim: that in. 

Christy: No, keep it in, man. Let's not bleep. Yeah. I, I think books find people. 

Kim: Yeah. 

Christy: And, and, um, there is a, a, a word for that, I'll have to look up what it is. But- Mm-hmm ... but they do have a way of finding us- Yeah

Christy: and, and, and connecting us, especially readers, I think. [00:10:00]

Kim: Hmm. 

Shannon: Oh, I love that, 'cause every book is a journey, and how you get to that book is always a journey. 

Kim: Mm-hmm. 

Shannon: Mm, that's a good point. And it's fun 'cause you're like, "How did I come across this?" 

Christy: Especially if you reread it. Yeah. 'Cause I, I reread parts of this for this discussion- Mm-hmm

Christy: and I'm like, "Oh my God, this book is so beautiful." 

Kim: Yes. 

Christy: I'm gonna have to just- read it all over again at some point. Yeah. Yeah. You know, not just pieces of it, and like, oh, man, especially now that I know what happens. Mm-hmm. So I will say there will, there might be some spoilers, so if you haven't read the book yet, maybe come back after this point if you don't wanna- Yeah

Christy: have anything- 

Briana: Yeah. 

Christy: There's not a lot of twisty turns, but there's a lot of deep things that happen, I feel like. Mm-hmm. 

Briana: Yeah. 

Christy: I just, I would just caution people from this point on if they don't wanna get stuck with any of that. So what kinds of emotion did this novel evoke in you? Um, hope, sadness, amusement, or maybe something else?

Shannon: I think everything. Mm-hmm. 

Christy: I think all of the above. Yeah. 

Shannon: Yeah. I think this is such a great book, and [00:11:00] a great book makes you feel all the feels. Mm-hmm. Like, it makes you feel all the feelings. Um, there's times when you're laughing. There's times when you're crying. There's times when you are furious in this book- Yes

Shannon: and you're like, "Oh my God." Um, so I experienced everything- Yeah ... that you could probably f- not everything, but, like, a lot of feeling. 

Christy: A lot of emotion. 

Shannon: Yeah. Mm-hmm. And I love when a book makes me do that, because to be sad the whole time, what a bummer. 

Christy: Right. 

Shannon: You know? Right. To be happy the whole time, how annoying.

Shannon: You know? Like, give me some oomph. Give me 

Briana: some range. 

Shannon: Yeah. That's right. I need range in my- This book 

Christy: has range. 

Shannon: I think it has, like, a perfect balance of range- Yeah ... though. 

Christy: Yeah. Yes. I love that. 

Briana: Mm-hmm. 

Shannon: Yeah. 

Christy: Mm-hmm. 

Briana: It reminded me that, not to take every day for gra- for granted. Like, live every day like it's your last day, because- 

Shannon: Yeah

Briana: this I think will be the first spoiler, but she's gonna die, [00:12:00] and that, like, broke me a little inside, and I was like, "No, come back. Please don't go." Yeah. And I was like, "No." 

Shannon: When did you realize that she was gonna die? 

Briana: When the... Did she end up marrying him, the old guy? Yes. 

Shannon: That's when I realized it, too. That's when I figured it out.

Shannon: When she finally- 'Cause I had this 

Briana: feeling ... 

Shannon: when she finally got with the neighbor, Theodore? 

Christy: Yes. Yep, 

Shannon: Theodore. And oh, love- 

Christy: I was like, thank God it's Theodore and not the Texas stud ... I know. I know. Oh, thank God, I know. I know. I was like, "Sybille, don't go to Texas." Don't go to Texas. 

Kim: And, and how awesome was it that, like, the 72-year-old woman was like, you know- Being courted by these very different men Yes.

Christy: Yes. 

Kim: And enjoyed herself. 

Christy: Yes. Yep. Mm-hmm. Yes. I love that because that's so unusual- 

Kim: Yeah ... 

Christy: you know, in our day- Mm-hmm ... and age to have that in a, in a story, to have that kind of representation was amazing. 

Briana: Mm-hmm. 

Christy: Truly. 

Shannon: But maybe that is what's happening. I'm not older. I don't know. You know, I think old people, if they don't have their partner anymore, I hope they're- Yeah

Shannon: having a good time. 

Christy: I hope so too. 

Briana: Mm-hmm. 

Shannon: Yeah. And they find [00:13:00] some many partners and keep loving- Yeah ... and living life- Like- ... like Sybil. 

Briana: Yes. Yes. Like, I, I wish she had more time to live that life, 'cause I felt like- 

Shannon: Yeah ... 

Briana: I was like, give her another, like, 10 years or something. Like, let her keep going 'cause she's finally, like, embracing herself as she is now, like, doing all these things, like going flying and, like, meeting this other family she never knew she had.

Briana: Yes. I know. And I was like, "Sybil." And then she has to die, and I'm like, "Ugh." So it's really like live every day like it's your last, and I feel like she really started to do that towards the end of her life. So I feel like that was a big takeaway I took from this book, like, to just keep doing the things.

Briana: Even if they scare you, do it. 

Shannon: Mm-hmm. Just 

Briana: keep 

Christy: doing. 

Briana: You never know. Yeah. Keep doing. Keep moving. 

Shannon: But maybe she had to go because she accomplished e- That's true ... she accomplished everything that she needed to do. She 

Briana: did. 

Shannon: Maybe she found all her answers that she could, and you know- Mm-hmm ... that she was searching for.

Christy: Yeah. 

Shannon: And you know, that could be it. She had 

Christy: completed her mission. Her journey. Her 

Shannon: mission, her journey. 

Christy: Mm-hmm. You mentioned a book [00:14:00] hangover- 

Kim: Yes ... 

Christy: after you finished it. 

Kim: Yeah. I had to sit in silence for 15 minutes afterwards 'cause I was just so connected, and y- there was a little grief in having to say goodbye to her.

Shannon: I cried. 

Kim: Yeah. 

Shannon: And then I called my mom. 

Kim: Yes. Yeah. 

Shannon: I was like, "Mom, I just read a really good book." She's like, "Oh my God. Are you okay? It's 7:00 in the morning." Yes. 

Christy: Like, not okay at all. 

Shannon: Not 

Christy: okay. Not okay, yeah. So did this book change your perception of aging and maybe how you might come to terms, come to terms with your past later in life?

Kim: Yes, I have to say. I, you know, as somebody who is, you know, in, you know, in middle age, yes. I mean, the idea that there are experiences to be had and after, you know, major milestones in your life, I thought that was incredibly hopeful. And, I mean, she has a lot to process. She has really faced some devastating losses, and to be able to come out of [00:15:00] the other...

Kim: You know, to be able to carry that in a different way, and, and again, you know, have all of this life to live, to travel, to, you know, have these men in her life, to, um, connect with her, her roots in a different way, I thought was, you know, gives, gives, gives everybody something to look forward to. 

Christy: Right, 'cause I think if you stop living- 

Kim: Yeah

Christy: or you stop looking forward to things, then that's a real part of aging that, um, can happen to a young person even. But- Yeah ... she did not do that. 

Shannon: I would like to read this book later on in life. 

Kim: Mm-hmm. 

Shannon: I'm a, on the younger side, but I'm not young, as young as I used to be. But I would like to read it at a different time to see.

Shannon: What this kind of made me think, I love life. I think I try and live it as best as I can. 

Kim: Yeah. 

Shannon: Um, as just a reminder to just keep on trucking, you know? You gotta do the thing. And for Sybil to do and be so brave, and [00:16:00] what she did accomplish, and she... And all the, like, barriers that were put in front of her and how she overcame them.

Christy: Being a lawyer at, at a y- Yeah ... like 

Shannon: in that time frame. Yeah. In that time and a woman. 

Christy: Yes. 

Shannon: And then her family, the relationship with her children, it goes on and on, and her ex-husband, like... And then the case she has to deal with, and, like, forgiveness and being able to apologize. Sorry, guys, this is just, like, word vomit a little bit, but, um, yeah, just- It's all 

Christy: true.

Christy: Just- 

Shannon: Yeah. But it's all true. Yeah. Just to keep living, and it's a nice reminder that, you know, you gotta keep going. 

Christy: Mm-hmm. So I have, I had two grandmothers who were like this. 

Shannon: Mm-hmm. 

Christy: Like, both never gave a rat's you know what about, like- ... their age. Yeah. Like, they never, they never tried to be younger. They didn't try to hide, you know, anything with makeup or anything.

Christy: They just who the... You know, they were who they were. 

Shannon: Mm-hmm. 

Christy: And I think that's such a, a [00:17:00] beautiful thing to have as a role model. Mm-hmm. And I felt like she was like that, too. Yeah. Like, "Yep, I'm 75," or whatever, and And that's it, and that's the way it is. And- 

Shannon: Mm-hmm ... 

Christy: you don't see that a lot. I think Jane Fonda will play it so incredibly well- So 

Shannon: well.

Shannon: Mm-hmm ... 

Christy: um, to just kind of be that badass woman for sure. Yeah. Yes. Yeah. You know? Um, I'm really looking forward to the adaptation. 

Kim: Yeah. Um- And I love that, unapologetic. Mm-hmm. Unapologetic. That really is a gift of becoming older- Oh ... I think. 

Christy: Absolutely. 

Kim: You've lived your life. People, you know, don't have to...

Kim: When you're, when I was younger, people were always trying to convince me of things. Mm-hmm. And now that I'm older, I'm like, "Yeah, no, I've, I've gone down that path, thank you. I have enough information." 

Christy: To do this path, because- To do this path, yeah ... this is the path I need right now. 

Kim: Exactly. 

Shannon: You know- Exactly

Shannon: let's, let's... no less shits to give. 

Christy: Yes. 

Shannon: Sorry we are swearing in this one- Yes ... but Sybil would maybe, too. 

Christy: I would. [00:18:00] Yeah. Yeah. And, and de-centering people that need to be de-centered- Mm-hmm. Yes ... which I think is, is amazing. 

Briana: Mm-hmm. 

Christy: So the story of The Correspondent is told in letter format. If you were to write daily letters, who would be your most frequent recipient, and what might be a frequent topic?

Briana: Hmm. I would say my cousin, and we'd probably be talking about the baby. 

Christy: Who is six months? 

Briana: She's- She's gonna be five months at the end of May. By the time this airs, she'll be, like, five months old. So just- 

Christy: Yeah, there's a lot to talk about. That's- There's a 

Briana: lot ... 

Christy: a lot of changes that happen. 

Briana: Mm-hmm. 

Christy: Yeah. And she- Sybil talks a lot about her, her family and her kids and- 

Briana: Yeah

Christy: and what's happening in her life. Like, I won't call it mundane in a bad way, just I think sometimes the mundane is the piece that we forget. Mm. Like, people in the future wanna know the mundane. Yeah. Yes. Like, the little nitty-gritty stuff that we do- Mm ... because in the future, [00:19:00] that's not how it works, and it's not so mundane.

Shannon: Oh my God, I love the mundane. 

Christy: Mm. 

Shannon: I hope for the mundane back. Yeah. I need mundane 

Christy: in my life. But- Hear that 2026? We want it. Yeah, really. Give it back. Thank you. 

Shannon: But I think it would be my mom. 

Christy: Yeah, that's what I thought, too. 

Shannon: You know, I talk to my mom every day on the phone. 

Christy: Mm-hmm. 

Shannon: And when I did live with her, I still called her on my lunch hour to say hi.

Kim: Mm-hmm. 

Shannon: Don't... You know. I think if I was writing to my mom, it would be, it would be a different voice than what she's hearing on the phone. It would be my voice, but it's all the things that my mom picks up in me that I don't say that I think I would be able to put down on paper that she, that I could then express.

Shannon: So. 

Christy: Mm-hmm. Yeah, just like Sybil, where she- Yeah ... could continue that conversation that she'd had verbally- 

Shannon: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm ... 

Christy: in a different way. 

Shannon: Yeah. 

Christy: I think the same with my mom. There's things that I would really like to convey better- Mm-hmm ... and sometimes words just fail you in an immediate [00:20:00] conversation. Or as you hit middle age, you get the little brain farts and you just can't think of the right word.

Kim: Mm-hmm, 

Christy: yeah. It's so annoying. Where you're writing, you're like... You can go through them all. You have a moment to digest it and, like, and then reread it. 

Kim: Mm-hmm. Mm. And they have a moment to digest it, too. They can choose when to engage. Um, it's interesting, 'cause I would probably write to my mother, too. Mm-hmm.

Kim: And we're talkers. We talk all of the time, but there are certain things that I would wanna say to her about- Things in the past that I would want to acknowledge. Like, you know, um, we moved to Connecticut when I was 15 years old, and it was a difficult transition for me. But now I understand why my parents did it.

Kim: I understood, um, I understand why they loved the place we moved to so much, um, and connected with it in a way that I, I didn't at the time. So there's never a good moment to, to talk about that necessarily, but to be able to write a letter and [00:21:00] just say, "I understand now. I see it now," is something I would probably like to do.

Christy: I think that's beautiful. 

Shannon: Mm-hmm. 

Christy: It is. Yeah. It really is. Our wild card question is did you see Sybil as a representative of her generation, or is she written as a uniquely individual voice? 

Kim: Both. 

Shannon: Both. Yeah. I think both. 

Christy: Um, 

Kim: I'll go. She's, oh yeah, she's an individual shaped by her times, for sure. And we had talked about how her career trajectory was- Mm-hmm

Kim: definitely shaped by her being a woman in a particular time and place. But I also, it's also a callback to the authors that she rep- you know, she references. You know, the fact that it is Ann Patchett, and it is Joan Didion, and it is Larry McMurtry. I'm like, yeah, those, those are authors of a specific time and a specific voice.

Kim: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Um, and certainly they, you know, but they're also timeless. You know, people still read them. Generations connect with them. So yeah, so she's of her time, but also, you know, has, has things to share that are timeless. 

Christy: [00:22:00] Modern classics, if you will, right? 

Kim: Yes. 

Christy: Yes. 

Kim: Yeah. Yeah. 

Christy: Yeah, no, absolutely. 

Shannon: No, she's so r- Like Brianna and I both said, this is like the cranky grandma that we wanna hang out with.

Shannon: But she's so relatable in that sense because you talk to somebody of, like, her age, and it's not like they didn't do the same things that you did. 

Kim: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. 

Shannon: You know? We all are human. We still do the same things. Mm-hmm. Society hasn't changed that much. Mm-hmm. But when it comes to the events that happened in her life and decisions she had to make, um, that really is, I think, in tuned with her generation.

Shannon: That maybe we might not have had to make those decisions, that maybe I won't have to make those type of decisions, but you don't know what life is gonna throw at you either. So what I think, you know, Sybil is a representative more so of is, like, life, like a w- a life well lived and, [00:23:00] um, in honest and transparent- Like version of herself that is authentic to show the world, and she shows it through letters, which I think is so cool.

Christy: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Right, 'cause she's adopted- Yeah ... and her brother's adopted, and there's discussion about this. Probably in... If it had been years later, that might have looked a little bit different. 

Shannon: Mm-hmm. 

Christy: Mm-hmm. And now there's DNA testing, which her brother, you know, kind of inspires her to do by sending her a kit.

Christy: Yeah. 

Kim: Yeah. 

Christy: So right, it was a whole level of things that would not have existed. Probably you... She couldn't have even imagined something like this existing- 

Shannon: Yeah, no. Yeah ... it's 

Christy: true ... in her lifetime. So very interesting piece. 

Shannon: Oh, that just made me think, not to like segue for a sec, but the correspondence that she had with the guy at like the ancestry.com- Bashan.

Shannon: Yes. Yes. I 

Christy: loved Bashan. Bashan Mansour. He's the cu- customer service representative at Kindred Project. 

Shannon: And I [00:24:00] loved that. I know. Yes. And then it's like he went and got a new jo- like and she helped him, and it's like she was just doing good things for people. And I think maybe she was getting to a part, a point in her life where that's what she wanted to do because maybe she wasn't able to do it earlier.

Christy: Yeah. But she reached out and had this sort of relationship with everyone, right? Yeah. Like, it didn't matter that he was a customer service rep. Yeah. Oh. And he kept kind of trying to put her back into like the queue. In a box. 

Kim: Yes. 

Christy: The queue, yeah. And, and she's like, "No, no, you are my person, and I need to talk to only you."

Christy: Because she would, would make these connections. 

Shannon: Yeah. Well, that hap- not to go into our job, that happens with patrons all the time. 

Christy: Yes. 

Shannon: Mm-hmm. They're like, "I only wanna talk to Shannon." Yeah. "I only wanna talk to Kim." 

Christy: Mm-hmm. '

Shannon: Cause we built these connections, and maybe because we do that on a daily basis, that connecting with Sybil was just another connection that we were able to make.

Christy: Yeah. I think that's very true. 'Cause we do. We- [00:25:00] people trust us with conversations, and we, you know, as librarians, that is part of our, our job- Mm-hmm ... but we love it. We love to make these kinds of connections with people. Mm-hmm. So who would you recommend this book to? 

Kim: Book lovers, people who love to read, people who love the written word, and who communicate through stories, both personal stories and- The stories told in novels.

Christy: There's... I have a list over here of all the books that are mentioned. I think there's like- 

Kim: Oh, cool ... 

Christy: 20 on this list. Mm-hmm. And they go from, like, Dan Brown, Inferno- Right. 

Kim: Yes ... 

Christy: to a bunch by Ann Patchett, of course, but Cunning for Stone, which is, like, a, a classic, um- So good ... I'm gonna not say his name correctly.

Christy: Abraham Verghese? Oh, I'm sure. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Verghese 

Kim: maybe. 

Christy: I think that's right. Um, and even, like, Murder on Orni- Orient Express by Agatha Christie. Like, she talks about all of these really interesting- Yeah ... books in the story, and I love books that are about books. 

Kim: Yes. 

Christy: 100%. Maybe that's the librarian piece.

Christy: Mm-hmm. 

Shannon: But... [00:26:00] No, I love that it bridges that connection. I do love bo- like, I, I s- I would recommend this to my mom. I did. She has yet to read it, but that's okay. She will. 

Christy: She can t- she can take my copy 

Shannon: back from her. Yeah. Yes. She will read this book. But when you talk about books within books, it's kinda... It's like, "Oh, yeah, I read that.

Shannon: Oh, yeah, I know what that means." Yeah. Because then it connects with the writing. Mm-hmm. You know, it's connects with what they're saying, which is just, like, fun. 

Kim: Yes. Yeah. 

Briana: Mm-hmm. I think, for me, I couldn't recommend this to anyone. It'd have to be really specific in terms of, like, who. Like, I didn't connect to really any of the books that she mentioned because it's not...

Briana: I'm too young- It's not, yeah ... to know what they are. 

Christy: Yeah. 

Briana: So, like, someone my age, I might not always recommend that to them, unless it's someone who is, like, a book lover and likes lit fic and can kind of vibe with that personality, 'cause I know a lot of people who won't. So I feel like I'd have to be very picky with who I would recommend that to.

Kim: Mm-hmm. That's a good point. I was speaking to [00:27:00] Diane, one of the other librarians here, and she said that she had been in a book club that discussed this story, and it was people of all ages. And I guess there was somebody in her 20s who was like, "Oh, no. Mm-mm." Really? "This did not-" 

Briana: Like, my book club would probably not like this.

Kim: Yeah. 

Briana: Yeah. So- And fair ... it's, 

Kim: yeah. The references just didn't rev- resonate with the person. 

Shannon: Mm-hmm. Yeah. You know, that's so funny, 'cause I... You guys know how I read, so- Yeah ... this- Such a 

Christy: wide- 

Shannon: Yes ... variety. It's a wide range. But, like, this, my sisters and I and my mom, we go ham. Like, this is, this is our bread and butter right here.

Kim: Yeah. 

Shannon: Yeah. 

Christy: Yeah. But I can see that because- Yeah ... lived experiences are not necessarily something that people would wanna talk about in a book club. I think sometimes they wanna- Mm-hmm ... talk about fun topics. Yeah. And it... there's some pretty happy topics here. 

Briana: Mm-hmm. 

Christy: Mm-hmm. But maybe if they listen to it? 

Briana: I don't think so.

Christy: No. 

Briana: They're very- romance, like- 

Christy: Yeah ... 

Briana: so they, they did read the Jennette McCurdy biography. I feel like that was probably [00:28:00] like the deepest thing that has been read, but I don't see this really vibing with many of 

Kim: them. Yeah. Like, I don't know. Well, and the references in the Jennette McCurdy book, um, which is, what, I'm Glad My Mother Died.

Kim: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, those are younger. Mm-hmm. You know, that's coming from those... It's Disney, right? Like, we 

Briana: grew up watching her on TV. 

Kim: Yeah. Right, exactly. I grew up watching 

Christy: her, too. 

Briana: Yeah. 

Christy: Yeah, I think those touchstones are really important- Mm-hmm ... when you're reading something because if you're reading a book and, um, was it the fool that you're reading?

Christy: The imbecile? No, what was the book? The 

Shannon: Idiot 

Christy: By 

Shannon: Dostoevsky. 

Christy: I'll get there. You 

Shannon: were close. Imbecile, fool, idiot. 

Christy: That one. Um, but right, if you're reading something like that and you don't know any of the references, it's not going to make such an impact on you. Yeah. 

Shannon: It do- yeah, but then that's the fun part that you get to go do the research on after- And see

Shannon: and look for them. Or the 

Christy: after that, 

Shannon: if you're caring enough. That's, like, the nerd of Shannon. 

Kim: I'm so glad I was like- Well, but... And that's when reading an e-book is actually really helpful because I might not take that extra [00:29:00] step to, like- Mm-hmm ... you know, go and, and look, uh, up an author. But, like, I love being able to highlight and be like search the web, and you know.

Briana: Yeah, that's a good point. 

Kim: It's really 

Shannon: fun. Yeah. Well, I never do that. I don't read e-books, that's why. 

Kim: Yeah. No, that's what I was saying. That's cool though. It's a, it's a surprising, like, plus. Mm-hmm. Yeah. You know, 'cause I like e-books for some things, I like print books for others, but yeah. Especially, and also if there are a lot of characters in the book, being able to, like, search inside the book for a particular name.

Kim: Mm-hmm. Um, like with Russian novels, that would probably be really helpful. 

Briana: So yeah. 

Shannon: You have no idea. 'Cause I can't say them. I literally, when I read, um, War and Peace, I kept the- 

Kim: Yes ... 

Shannon: like a little thing- They have, yeah ... sorry. Cheat sheets. Cast list, yeah. Cheat sheets, so I could just keep flipping back and forth like, "Who was this again?"

Christy: Yes. Which one? Right. Well, and the Russian names often they, to me, they feel like they're very similar, and- Oh, they're very similar. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. And they're not similar characters at all, and it's like- Completely 

Shannon: different. 

Christy: Yes, and so that was a little frustrating when I was- Yeah ... trying to read things like that, 

Shannon: but.

Christy: Yeah. So [00:30:00] it's time to close the book on today's episode. If you like what you've heard here, please subscribe to the show. This ensures that you won't miss any episodes. And if you have a moment, kindly rate and review the podcast. This helps other bookish people like yourself find the show. Tune in next time to find out what else is on the shelf.

Christy: Bye-bye. Bye. 

Kim: Bye. And thank you, Christi, for the recommendation. Yeah, thank you, Christi.