The Correspondent

《紐約時報》榜首暢銷書 • 探索這部被安·帕契特譽為「值得慶祝之作」的口碑熱門書——這是一部關於文字的轉化力量，以及放慢步調與所愛之人重新連結之美的親密小說。
「《通訊員》是今年沒人料想到的黑馬小說。」——《華爾街日報》
「看著這位才華橫溢的女性開始更深刻地理解自己，我不止一次流下眼淚。」——《名字》作者弗洛倫斯·納普
同名電影正由珍·芳達主演開發中。
入圍小說中心首作獎、安德魯·卡內基獎章及女性小說獎長名單 • NPR、《華盛頓郵報》、《波士頓環球報》、Elle、《基督科學箴言報》、She Reads 年度最佳書籍。
「想像一下，一個人寄往世界的信件，以及隨之收到的回信，就像是一塊宏偉拼圖的碎片。……想著一個人的生活故事以某種方式被保存下來，這難道不是很美好嗎？想到這封信或許有一天對某人具有意義，即便那只是一件非常微小的事情？」
充滿了唯有從完整人生中才能習得的知識，《通訊員》是一部如瑰寶般的小說，講述了在文學中尋找慰藉，以及與未曾謀面之人建立連結的力量。它關於青春的狂妄與老年的智慧，也關於一生中發生的種種錯誤與仁慈之舉。
莎比爾·范·安特衛普一生都在利用信件來理解世界及她在其中的位置。大多數的早晨，大約在十點半左右，莎比爾會坐下來寫信——寫給她的哥哥、她最好的朋友、拒絕讓她旁聽心儀課程的大學校長、寫給瓊·狄迪恩與賴瑞·麥克墨特瑞告訴他們自己對其新書的看法，以及寫給一個她經常動筆卻從未寄出的對象。
莎比爾預期她的世界會像往常一樣繼續——身為母親、祖母、妻子、離婚者與傑出的律師，她擁有非常充實的一生。但當一封來自過去某人的信迫使她檢視人生中最痛苦的一段時期時，她意識到那封她寫了多年的信需要被讀到，且除非她在心中找到寬恕的力量，否則她將無法前行。
莎比爾·范·安特衛普的書信生活或許是「一件非常微小的事」，但她也可能是你讀過最令人難忘的角色之一。
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Discover the word-of-mouth hit hailed by Ann Patchett as “A cause for celebration”—an intimate novel about the transformative power of the written word and the beauty of slowing down to reconnect with the people we love.
“The Correspondent is this year’s breakout novel no one saw coming.”—The Wall Street Journal
“I cried more than once as I witnessed this brilliant woman come to understand herself more deeply.”—Florence Knapp, author of The Names
In development as a major motion picture starring Jane Fonda
LONGLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE, THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL, AND THE WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION • A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: NPR, The Washington Post, Boston Globe, Elle, Christian Science Monitor, She Reads
“Imagine, the letters one has sent out into the world, the letters received back in turn, are like the pieces of a magnificent puzzle. . . . Isn’t there something wonderful in that, to think that a story of one’s life is preserved in some way, that this very letter may one day mean something, even if it is a very small thing, to someone?”
Filled with knowledge that only comes from a life fully lived, The Correspondent is a gem of a novel about the power of finding solace in literature and connection with people we might never meet in person. It is about the hubris of youth and the wisdom of old age, and the mistakes and acts of kindness that occur during a lifetime.
Sybil Van Antwerp has throughout her life used letters to make sense of the world and her place in it. Most mornings, around half past ten, Sybil sits down to write letters—to her brother, to her best friend, to the president of the university who will not allow her to audit a class she desperately wants to take, to Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry to tell them what she thinks of their latest books, and to one person to whom she writes often yet never sends the letter.
Sybil expects her world to go on as it always has—a mother, grandmother, wife, divorcee, distinguished lawyer, she has lived a very full life. But when letters from someone in her past force her to examine one of the most painful periods of her life, she realizes that the letter she has been writing over the years needs to be read and that she cannot move forward until she finds it in her heart to offer forgiveness.
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.