Epistolary Novels

Books about letters about books

The first epistolary book I remember reading was Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary. Of course, at the time I didn’t know the word “epistolary.” I learned that much later, but being a Sunday School kid well versed in the epistles, I understood it immediately. A story told, at least in part, through the exchange of letters.

I’ve enjoyed more recent epistolary novels like The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society and Where’d You Go, Bernadette.

Those are books about letters.

As an elementary school teacher, I exchanged letters about books with my students every week. They wrote to me about their books, sharing their connections, impressions, and questions as they read. I wrote back, not only attempting to guide them toward deeper thinking, but also engaging with them as a fellow reader.

When I was completing my Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction, I chose to study this practice in a fifth-grade classroom. I wanted to know what the teacher learned about her students through the exchange of letters about books and how she might use that information to make instructional decisions.

I was almost finished drafting So Long As It’s Wonderful before I realized I’d brought this practice to my fictional characters. In my novel, Willie Tollett exchanges letters with John Musick, a collector of Zane Grey’s Westerns. In her letters, Willie shares her connections, impressions, and questions as she reads.

I wrote a book about letters about books.

The narrative device created a way for me to engage with and push back on some of Grey’s perspectives that didn’t age well. It opened the door for me to honor his literary and Western legacy without ignoring the problematic elements of his worldview.

In their exchanges of books and letters, John and Willie deepen their understanding of their world and each other.

What are your favorite epistolary books? What’s the first one you remember reading?