First of all, I would like to wish all my followers and readers a very Happy New Year (Year of the Wood Snake 🐍), and may this year bring each of you only the best. I think it is also fitting to open this year with some thoughts on books that detail correspondence or messaging, often signalling renewed hope or intrigue in books. Why would some authors pen their books in the epistolary format (in the format of a letter(s))? What is the meaning of this book format, and what purpose it serves? Below are 7 books that were written using this curious technique.

This format has many purposes and aims depending on a book and plot, for example to open a world from a curious perspective, but books where characters pen letters may also give an impression that these characters somehow would like to take the reader into their confidence, and, possibly, make them psychologically complicit in these characters’ thoughts and deeds. Letters, like diaries, in novels may also carry a purpose of eliciting sympathy for whoever writes them, and this is especially beneficial in plots where the main character is not altogether likeable, like Lady Susan below. At times, “epistolary” also means a novel written in a diary-format (Edith’s Diary, The Liar), but for the purposes of this list, I will only talk about letters and correspondence.

Lady Susan by Jane Austen

Lady Susan is probably the best-known example of a book written entirely in the format of letters. It suits the comedic plot, too, since the perspective is from charming, mischievous, slightly devious Lady Susan. She is a widow, and from her letters to her distant relatives and in-laws we deduce that she would like to maintain her luxurious style of living despite having “fallen on hard times”. She is after a husband yet again, and not only for her, but also for her daughter Francesca. The letter-format of this novel keeps us in suspense and also allows us a glimpse into the mental gymnastics of the main character, who has to survive through cunningness and deceit if she is to maintain her societal status.

Continue reading “7 Great Epistolary Novels” →