The Correspondent

Sybil writes to Melissa Genet, the new dean of the College of English at the University of Maryland, to audit literature classes during the semester. She gives details about the classes Melissa’s predecessors allowed her to audit and asks for the course list and the dean’s recommendations. She specifically tells her to avoid poetry, as she doesn’t enjoy it, and offers to pay the auditing fee.

Rosalie writes to Sybil. Daan called her to inform her he’s been diagnosed with metastatic colon cancer, and his treatments will begin soon. Rosalie advises Sybil not to be angry with Fiona and Bruce for not saying anything, because Daan had asked they tell her nothing. She tells Sybil to go to dinner with Mike. She tells her she’s reading Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go and asks after Fiona and the baby.

Melissa writes back to Sybil and denies her permission to audit any of the courses on account of regulation changes.

Theodore sends a Christmas card with cookies and an article about Christmas markets in the town in Germany where he was born. He compliments her new hair.

Sybil writes to Felix to ask if the Christmas gifts she sent him arrived. She recounts Fiona and Bruce’s visits with their respective families and how Bruce gave her a license for the Kindred Project, a program that uses DNA testing to find family connections. The gift left Sybil feeling odd, as her perspective on her adoption has been a mixture of contentment, because of her wonderful adoptive parents, and pain, since she never knew why her parents gave her up for adoption. She felt humiliated and angry upon receiving the gift, and she believes it was Fiona’s idea. She does not want to know her heritage, claiming to be perfectly content as is.

Sybil sends a thank-you note to Theodore and wishes him a happy new year.

DM writes another threatening note to Sybil and says he hopes his notes strike fear in her. He tells her he has driven by her house and comments on her neat garden. He tells her he hopes the thought of him nearby will impede her ability to enjoy her life.

Sybil sends a note with Theodore’s mail that was delivered to her erroneously. She asks him in the postscript if he has seen anything odd on their street lately.

Theodore hasn’t seen anything, but he invites her over for coffee to discuss it. Since he hasn’t seen her outside, he asks if there is a problem with her vehicle and offers to drive her on his errands.

Mick informs Sybil that he will be returning in April and wants to know whether they can meet then. He gives her a synopsis of his life: how he moved to Texas when he was 15, how he was married with a son, and then divorced twice. He explains how bored and lonely he’s been, but meeting Sybil at Guy’s service livened things up.

Sybil writes to Didion, telling her she hasn’t been able to read Blue Nights, Joan’s memoir, as she doesn’t have the courage. She tells her about Daan’s cancer. They divorced 30 years ago, but Sybil believes they had a good marriage. When Colt died, Daan concentrated on being there for their children, while Sybil had thrown herself into her work, which she acknowledges was premature. Weeks before her return to work, Sybil wouldn’t leave her room unless everyone left the house. Then, she would sit in the dirt of her garden no matter the weather, as it was her only haven. Daan moved back to Belgium soon after, and Fiona accompanied him to finish high school. She admits she still loved him then but couldn’t bear him any longer. In her postscript, she says that someone with an old grudge is leaving her creepy notes, but she will be taking precautions.

Sybil sends a note thanking Theodore for the roses for her birthday. She asks when his birthday is, since she doesn’t know how he figured out when hers was.

Theodore sends her back a note explaining he noticed her birthday date when her son, Bruce, brought over sunflowers and cake years ago. Since the date holds significance for him, too, he remembers it and shares his roses. He doesn’t offer his birthday date, as he doesn’t want her to feel obliged to send him roses.

Felix sends Sybil a postcard from Portugal to inform her he will be visiting Baltimore in July, as he is worried about her “crochetiness.” He asks to see Bruce while he is there and have dinner together with her friends, Trudy and Millie.

Sybil sends an email to Basam, a customer service representative at Kindred Project. She wants to know what happens to her DNA once they’ve tested it, what assurance she has that they will not override her choice not to connect with others with similar DNA, whether they have an emergency contact record (as she would like to nominate Felix), and whether they can refund her son if she decides not to send her DNA. She assumes Basam is from India because of his accent and comments on his “quite passable” level of English.

Basam corrects Sybil and explains that he lives in California with his wife and children. He moved to the US from Syria after his home was destroyed. Despite his advanced degree in engineering, customer service is the only job he can have. He assures her that her DNA will be disposed of and that she will need to trust the contract. He recommends providing Felix a copy of her login information, but they cannot reimburse Bruce.

Sybil accepts Mick’s invitation but notes his boldness. She changes the venue, as she does not want to drive in the dark.

Sybil writes to Melissa to again ask permission to audit classes, given she was allowed to do so nine times in the past and does not add to a professor’s workload. She points out that according to the office of the registrar, auditing courses is permitted with permission of the dean.

Harry writes to Sybil and apologizes for his late letter. He asks after the state of her vision and whether she intends to learn Braille. He details the events of the past two months since his last letter: his trip to Alaska with his family, the 46-page story he wrote, how his mother spent a week in a mental health facility, and how he went to summer camp for two weeks. While some of the activities interested him, he couldn’t sleep well, and he was bullied by the other children. When he was late to an activity and had what he calls “a freakout,” he was made to feel embarrassed and won’t tell his parents about it.

Sybil writes to Kazuo Ishiguro, the author of Never Let Me Go, after finishing his book. She wrote to him when she read The Remains of the Day and tells him how both books made her want to see England. She analyzes the books, comments on how clever she found his latest one, and says how she liked the character developments. She asks him if he would impart any advice to a young aspiring writer, as she thinks his advice would cheer Harry up.

Mick writes to Sybil to tell her how much fun he had at dinner with her and how they must meet again in the next two weeks.

Sybil writes to Rosalie in distress because she’s run over Theodore’s cat by accident. As she was returning from her garden club meeting, the evening sun blinded her, and she stopped to avoid wildlife. The cat had moved beneath her car, and Sybil unknowingly killed it when she drove. Theodore came out to greet her and saw the cat. He gathered the cat up with a towel Sybil took from his house. In her postscript, she notes that Mick has invited her to dinner again, and she asks her opinion on whether she should go.

James sends an email to Sybil because Harry has run away, and he couldn’t reach her on the phone.

Sybil secretly writes to James to let him know Harry has arrived at her home after walking for hours with his dog. Harry does not want his parents to know where he is, so Sybil asks that he come get him the next morning.

Sybil asks James for advice on security cameras since he mentioned having them when Harry ran away.

Fiona writes a postcard to Sybil from Belgium after seeing a book (84 Charing Cross Road) that reminded her of Sybil. She gives news about Daan, tells her she and her baby Charlie will miss her during the holidays, and asks after Harry.

Sybil writes to Colt and explains that she is alone this Christmas since Fiona and Bruce and their families are in Belgium with Daan. She talks to him about Harry’s visit and how she almost wishes he would stay with her. She tells him of a beloved path where an old, fallen oak tree plays host to an ecosystem. When she settles by the water, the view is a bit melancholy because she knows it’s only a matter of time before she can’t see it anymore.

Sybil writes to Basam to announce she will be sending in her DNA. She apologizes for the offense she caused by assuming he was from India. She explains that emails somehow make her less civil in her communications. She asks after his degree and his children. She explains that she has three, though one died, and it’s for the remaining two that she’s going through with the DNA test.

Basam writes to Sybil and explains that he will not personally handle her DNA, but he accepts her apology. He tells her of his family, his education, and the losses he’s experienced because of the war in Syria.

Rosalie found the first letters she and Sybil exchanged when they were children and Sybil was away at camp. She writes to Sybil about it and expresses the mixed feelings of nostalgia and the painful knowledge of what was yet to come for them as children. She tells her she is reading Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck.

A young Sybil writes to Rosalie about her experience at Camp Cedar Ridge and how she likes some of the activities, but she doesn’t enjoy the scavenger hunt with the other people in her cabin. She details the message from her father, who explained how her mother had received her first chemotherapy treatment. She worries about Felix and her mother.

Young Sybil writes to Rosalie as she attends her new high school. She asks about her latest crush and explains why she didn’t attend her homecoming dance. She tells her of her correspondence with C. S. Lewis and how he recommends she read The Lord of the Rings, which she has started and appreciates.

Young Sybil announces that her mother has died to Rosalie and that Felix is no longer speaking. She invites Rosalie to the funeral.

A high schooler named Caroline Dobsen sends Sybil a letter, asking if she could interview her for her school assignment on someone who worked for the judicial system.

Sybil receives a notice from the Kindred Project with her DNA testing.

Sybil writes to her brother and tells him how her DNA test revealed she is half British, a quarter Crow, and a quarter Russian/Iberian. While she believes her indigenous ancestry makes some sense given her features, she finds this newfound knowledge changes nothing. The Kindred Project allows connections with individuals of similar DNA to match, and while she is interested, she claims she will not engage in it. She tells him of meeting Caroline Dobsen and asks for his June visit itinerary.

Sybil asks after Basam’s wife, his wife’s job, and his children, and she tells him of Bruce’s acquaintance, Dale, who works in city planning. He would be willing to look at Basam’s résumé, and she suggests Basam send it to her so she can look it over for him. She asks him, as an aside, what happens when she checks the connection box.