Discover the word-of-mouth bestselling phenomenon that thousands of readers are calling their favourite book of the year!
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
A TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR
A BBC RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB PICK
SHORTLISTED FOR THE GOODREADS READERS' CHOICE AWARDS
'A delight . . . This is the book I'm giving to everyone for Christmas'
LAURA HACKETT, SUNDAY TIMES
'Masterful . . . I was delighted and moved'
NEW YORK TIMES
'I can't praise it enough. It's an absolute triumph'
CLARE CHAMBERS
'A warm, funny gem of a novel'
THE TIMES, BEST BOOKS OF 2025
'Shows us what a glorious thing growing older can be'
FLORENCE KNAPP
'The year's breakout novel no one saw coming'
WALL STREET JOURNAL
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Every morning, Sybil Van Antwerp sits down to write letters - to her brother, to her best friend, to the president of the university who will not allow her to attend a class she desperately wants to take, to her favourite authors to tell them what she thinks of their latest books, and to one person to whom she writes often yet never sends the letter.
Because at seventy-three, Sybil has used her correspondence - witty and wise - to make sense of the world. But beyond the page, she has spent the last thirty years keeping the people who love her at arms' length... Until letters from someone in her past force her to examine one of the most painful periods of her life.
Now, Sybil must send the letter she has been writing for all these years - and find forgiveness within herself in order to move on.
Sybil Van Antwerp's life of letters might be 'a very small thing', but she also might be one of the most memorable characters you will ever read.
*Over 50,000 five-star reviews on Goodreads*
