An epistolary novel is, traditionally, a novel written as a series of letters between characters. The form has waxed and waned in popularity for over 300 years, and features a number of classic novels such as Dracula, and The Screwtape Letters, as well as "modern classic" works such as The Color Purple, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
The form has also evolved since its creation. Since the start of the 20th Century, many epistolary novels have expanded to include fictionalized lab notes (Flowers for Algernon), cassette tape recordings (The Handmaid's Tale) and newspaper articles (Carrie). In the modern context, what better way to present modern correspondence than by email and text messages?
The Appeal, by Janice Hallett does just that, presenting to the reader an interesting case of murder and deception outlined in the form of emails, texts, and phone call transcripts. These glimpses into the greater goings on of a small English village draw the reader into a suspenseful mystery filled with surprises.
Join Charlotte, and Femi, two law students who are asked to analyze the evidence presented in the recent case of their mentor. At the beginning of the novel we know very little about the circumstances of the case. Only that there was a murder, and that their mentor doesn't believe that the courts have convicted the right person.
Within this nesting story we find the correspondence of a community theater group, who band together to raise money in support of a child who has recently been diagnosed with brain cancer. Almost immediately, the reader will notice that the money isn't the only thing not adding up. But is this a case of willful fraud, or merely incompetence? And what happens when members of the cast start asking the wrong questions?
Epistolary novels often lend themselves well to mystery, as the reader tries to form a complete picture out of the fragments made available to them. Janice Hallett's The Appeal succeeds in casting just enough breadcrumbs to allow the careful reader to reach the correct, and satisfying, conclusion.
For more examples of epistolary novels available at the Greensboro Public Library, check out our list.
(Blaine Henderson, Information Services)
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