4/5 stars
Read from Friday, 12/26/2025 through Friday, 12/26/2025.
I love me an epistolary novel. When this was one of Barnes & Noble’s recommended books of 2025, I could not get it out of my head.
I love epistolary novels partially because you have to consider who the character is writing to, the context they are writing in, and the format fundamentally changes the story. This story, as a traditional novel, would not have been nearly as good. I love that it is written in mostly Sybil’s letters and emails. I love that from time to time, you get to see other people’s responses, too. It draws attention to Sybil’s flaws and unspoken desires more than her own letters do.
Literary fiction always gets me. I like a character-driven book. I found myself confused by this book only from time to time. It was not absolutely profound or heart-wrenching in a triggering way. It was about grief, how grief shapes us, and how we are so much more than the events in our lives.
The events in our lives certainly shape us, and can inform how we become. But Sybil is much more than a grieving mother, a former attorney, a retired woman who is active in her local gardening club. She is more than a stand-in caretaker to a colleague’s son, more than a potential partner for two different men, more than a divorcee. She is so much more than any plot summary a person could write.
I finished this book in one day. It was not harrowing, it was not life-changing, but it was a very enjoyable book.
The Counselor Reads 