This was a story about a rather irascible, prickly, retired 'older' woman who tries to make sense of her life, both past and present, through the writing of letters - an epistolary novel. We agreed unanimously that the author had written an extraordinary book in a clear, concise and beautifully expressed language. No easy task. Although we all had reservations regarding Sybil, the protagonist, she managed to keep us engaged with her story, as it became more revelatory, even though she was not a particularly likeable person. 

As the book unfolds Sybil writes to numerous people, many who have been in her life, plus others who are extraneous. But she exposes her inner life, her marriage, her professional life, her role as a mother, her friendships, her mistakes, indeed every aspect of her is brought into the light through her letter writing. This novel is crammed full of other 'stories'. Her search for her roots following her DNA test, her marriage break-up, her formidable legal career including a terrible and haunting miscarriage of justice, her two older suitors, her links to the troubled Autistic son of an ex-colleague, her brother, her ex-husband, her children, her best friend, her encroaching loss of sight, the list goes on and on.

Several of us thought this was confusing with so many other characters but the story line kept us gripped, like a successful twisting thriller, as we waited for the climatic end. 

Ultimately,  like a confessional, the full horror of her deep sorrow, and source of lifelong guilt, is explained in her last written letter to her gentle, kind neighbour and friend, Theodore Lubeck. Although there had been hints throughout, this drives home the unspeakable truth, she had failed to protect her child and, as a result, he died.

This was an engaging book. Most of the group found it interesting and a great choice despite reservations. 

A couple of questions remain: was Sybil neurodivergent? Was she responsible for Gilbert's death? Did her silence cause her marriage to fail?  And.....