I realize this book gets mixed reviews, but I really enjoyed it. If you prefer a plot driven story instead of a character driven story, this is not the book for you. It has a leisurely pace, but I found it very interesting how the main character, Sybil Van Antwerp, relates better to people writing letters rather than talking in person. It is how she makes sense of the world around her, and her place in it. Of course, the reason why she prefers letters to people is slowly revealed which makes me love her even more. Sybil writes to friends, family members, and complete strangers. Her collection of letters over the years include famous people too. She writes to her best friend, and those letters always include what they are reading at the time. As an avid reader, she also writes letters to famous authors, like Larry McMurtry, to let them know how she enjoyed their book. She even writes to Stephen Spielberg to ask him to encourage her youngest pen pal with his budding movie career. Sybil also writes notes to her neighbor, a German man who lost his family to a concentration camp in World War II.
It isn't all happy times for Sybil. She and her daughter have an estranged relationship since the death of a family member and the subsequent divorce that occurred because of that. The daughter does not understand her mouther's preference of letters to people. They often argue about that. These family dynamics come to a boiling point when Sybil's ex-husband is dying. Sybil doesn't want to go visit, and part of that is her facing what happened to their son. This event is forcing Sybil to examine the most painful part of her life. She realizes she cannot move on until she can forgive what happened and everyone involved.
This story is a breath of fresh air with its slow pace and character development through correspondence. This is one of my new favorites, and I have recommended it to many people.
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