According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the word epistolary is defined as “contained in or carried on by letters”, and most readers would agree that one of the greatest things to be included in a letter is a story. If you happen to be one of these readers, an epistolary novel — told through, as evidenced by its name, a series of letters or other kinds of correspondence — might be the perfect next read for you. Scroll on to discover three incredible recommendations that you can start with.
Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel
When eleven-year-old Rose Franklin falls through the earth, she wakes up in the palm of a titanic metal hand — the residue of a robot, thousands of years old, that could have never been created by humanity. Seventeen years later, she continues to search for answers, now as a highly skilled physicist at the University of Chicago who receives the opportunity to discover that same ancient hand’s secret. Tasked with leading a covert research team, Rose gains access to the remnants of an unknown language carved into vast panels, but enigmatic forces beyond her control may be racing against time to lead her astray.
This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone
As a world smolders to ash, Red finds a letter that begins with “Burn before reading”, and thus sparks to life a rivalry between two agents on opposing ends of an immortal war. Their letters start as threats, provocations, and taunts — after all, they’re meant to be enemies and meant to watch the other fall — but something shifts and cracks open both their vulnerabilities. Now, what began as competition is becoming more like love for Red and Blue, but admitting that would be treason. They’re still in a war — and only one can win.
Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson
When Tina Hopgood writes a lonely letter to the curator of the Silkeborg Museum, she doesn’t want to allow herself to hope for a response. When Professor Anders Larsen, the former curator’s successor, writes back to her, he assumes that his correspondence will be the last one. Instead, it begins a tentative friendship, blossoming from a shared fascination for poetry and history as well as a shared sense of grief neither can overcome alone. However, when Tina’s letters stop coming, Anders doesn’t know whether they’ll ever speak again.
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