Sybil is a retired judge’s clerk, slightly cranky and opinionated, but oh! so open to change, eventually. She likes to express herself in conversation by writing, and keeps up long dialogues with friends, colleagues, family and others through correspondence – mostly hand written letters, occasionally emails. There’s something wonderful about conversations by letter; the thoughtful choice of topic, the chance to think before speaking, and the opportunity to finish each train of thought without interruption. The whole book is made up of these missives to and from Sybil Van Antwerp, all pithy and interesting, gradually outlining a hole in the heart of her story. There’s a disintegrated family at the bones of all this, things lost between her daughter, her husband, her son.
Sybil is in her seventies. There is a gentle neighbour who watches out for her as her vision deteriorates – he bakes for her occasionally, leaves sweet treats and notes. We realise he has a shine for her before she does. She’s also being courted by a man from her past, clever and amusingly good company. So she does get out occasionally but we are left feeling that she’d rather be at her desk, offering opinions to other people. She writes to authors with thoughts on their books and has a friendly on-going correspondence with Joan Didion. She’s a bulldog in her letters with her old university complaining that they will no longer allow her to sit in on classes and, when a difficult customer from her past reappears she has the grace to revisit the circumstances and own the consequences of her actions. Then there are letters, unstructured and wistful, that she doesn’t send and these start to form their own sad logic. It’s a surprisingly active book for a woman sitting at a desk, writing.
Tender and acerbic, Sybil feels every inch a beating heart. I know similar older women, where you’d be utterly mistaken to think outward fragility meant the wit was anything other than quick smart and surprising.
Wonderful letters, great story, thoroughly recommended for thoughtful readers.
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