The Correspondent – A letter to the Author 7.10.25

Dear Ms. Evans,

I am writing to you after reading your book The Correspondent. As background, I know your father, Tim, and your brother, Kyle, through work.  Your father and I shared some clients in the senior living industry and spoke together at several conferences.  And through my relationship with your dad, I hired Kyle as one of my associates in our investment banking practice serving non-profits.  

I have the utmost respect for your father and brother and I am grateful that our paths crossed.  I learned much about leadership from your dad.  And your brother is the salt of the earth.  When his current employer called me for a reference, I told them without hesitation to hire him.  He is a quick learner, works hard and had boatloads of integrity.  But bragging on your relations is not why I am writing to you.

Two weeks ago, I played a round of golf with Kyle.  Knowing that I am an avid reader and that I like to write, he mentioned that one of his sisters had a book published recently and that it was doing well – surprisingly well.  Curious, I asked him about the book and about you.  And he mentioned that you love writing letters and that your book The Correspondent was the result of years of work.  And I told him that Dalia Owens, who I had a chance to meet at a Washinton and Lee Writer’s Workshop, took 10 years to write Where the Crawdads Sing.  

So, it sounded to me like your book was a passion project for you.  intrigued, I ordered the book on amazon while we were playing golf.  I did not get around to reading it until about a week ago, But once I was a third of the way into it, I could not put it down.  So, I read the last 2/3 of the book this afternoon. And I loved it.

I read mostly historical fiction and non-fiction.  So, it has been a while since I have actually read a book of true fiction.  And I had forgotten how you can literally lose yourself in a book. As a lifetime runner, I tell people that the runner’s high is a real thing, and it is why I run.  When the endorphins kick in and you are in the flow, you leave reality behind, and you get lost in yourself.  A good book of fiction can do the same thing.  But instead of leaving reality behind and getting lost in yourself, you get lost in the story and the characters.  Your book did that for me.

And speaking of characters, let’s start with Sybil. As the reader gets pulled into Sybil’s orbit you admire her.  But then you realize that she can be stubborn, cold and a quite a bitch.  But then she shows enormous generosity and kindness – especially to strangers.  So, you begin to get pushed and pulled by this complicated character.  And without realizing it, you become so invested in Sybil’s “rebirth.”  If she could only get out of her own way.

And then the side characters and their own stories are so compelling – the Dean of the English Department, Basam, Harry Landy, Theodore Lubeck, and most tragic, DM’s family. Most of us know people who have gone through similar trials and tribulations. And they are all heroes in their own right. And Rosalie – everyone needs a friend like Rosalie! She is the type of true friend as described by Scott Peck in his book The Road Less Traveled who is willing to risk the friendship to speak truth with love.

And I love the pearls of wisdom that get dropped into various exchanges.  I found myself wanting to underline certain passages. One passage that I really related to was Basam’s email with the subject heading “A job for me.” He writes, “I remember when you said in an email that when you find a place for yourself in the world, it feels like music, and I thought of that, sitting over the table with Dale Woodson and talking about highway infrastructure.  I guess I am a very boring person, but to me highway infrastructure is a symphony.”  And what makes that passage so powerful is, as an immigrant escaping the violence in Syria trying to make a better life for his family in America, you know through earlier correspondence that it is his dream to someday do what he was trained to do.  So, as the reader, you pray that his dream one day will be realized.

I was very lucky. I found my symphony during my third job.  I remember walking into my boss’s office in 1989 after six months on the job and exclaimed, “Cam, I was born to do this.” And I continue doing the same work today. Most people never get to experience that.

I also loved the reference to the books that the characters are reading, some of which are my favorites including Cutting for Stone mentioned early in the book and Lonesome Dove mentioned at the end of the book.

I told Kyle while we were playing golf that I would like to meet you if you make it to Richmond.  He said he could get a signed book for me in the interim.  I said I would wait until I see you and you can sign the copy I already own.

Some final thoughts.  I am in a book club with my three sons and their thirty-something friends. I think they keep me in the club because I am the only one with a personal zoom account.  We just finished A Place of Greater Safety by the English writer Hilary Mantel. The guys make fun of me because I listen to most of our books on Audible. So, they asked me if I actually read anymore and I promptly put your book on the screen and said I just finished this one.  They were duly impressed. They asked what I liked about it, and I said that “In many ways I identify with the main character”.  When I see you, I will share with you why that is so – or maybe in a future correspondence…

Keep writing.  You are indeed gifted.

With much gratitude,

John Franklin