Letter writing is personal, intimate, and incredibly sentimental. Often, what begins as a one-off letter or casual pen pal can transform into an unexpected, tight-knit friendship and moving romance. Here are some epistolary novels that poignantly explore these unassuming and heartwarming relationships.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
It’s 1946, and London is beginning the difficult path of a return to normalcy after World War II. For author Juliet Ashton, that means figuring out what her next book will be about. When, out of the blue, she receives a letter from Charles Lamb, she knows she has found her subject. Guernsey resident Charles is trying to track down a book to read, and after seeing Juliet’s name written inside one of his books, he hopes she’ll be a kindred spirit who can help him.
The pair begin corresponding, and Juliet learns all about the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society — an organization accidentally formed by a group of friends seeking solace from the devastating Nazi occupation of the Island. It’s a tale of resilience, community, and the power of literature.
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
Blue and Red are from opposing sides of the time war. Blue works for an agency fighting for a nature-centric future, and Red works for an organization that represents all things modern and technological. To ensure the future of the respective agencies, only one can remain. A correspondence between the enemies begins as a simple means of taunting between these warring sides. However, it quickly deepens, and their startling, forbidden relationship forces them to view this unwinnable war in a new light.
84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
Helene Hanff, a writer in New York City, is on the hunt for a rare book. Her search drives her to pen a letter to Frank Doel, a buyer for Marks & Co., an antiquarian bookseller in London. Despite them living an ocean apart and never meeting, the pair became closely bonded over their love of books. What follows is a touching, unique friendship none of them could have predicted.
Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson
Professor Anders Larsen is feeling lost and hopeless after the tragic passing of his wife, simply going through the motions of life. But when the museum curator receives a query about an artifact, things start to turn around for him. Thus begins an unlikely correspondence between Anders and Mrs. Tina Hopgood. They live an ocean apart, but their shared love of antiquity and history forms the foundations of an intimate friendship. Things are finally looking up for Anders, but when Tina’s letters randomly stop, he is quickly thrown back into a state of sadness. What will come of their relationship?
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
In this fantasy world, the gods are at war. Ordinary people are just trying to keep their lives from falling apart. For Iris Winnow, that means looking after her addict mother and praying for the safety of her brother, who has gone missing from the front lines. She thinks the way to hold everything together is to get a promotion at the Oath Gazette, a paper she works at.
To help cope with the stress and turmoil, Iris begins writing letters to her missing brother, slipping them underneath her wardrobe door. But the letters vanish and become transported not to her intended brother but to her workplace rival, Roman Kitt. Moved by her words, he writes an anonymous response. As the pair begin exchanging letters, Iris falls for the boy behind them, and their connection empowers her on a journey to the front.
Love and Saffron by Kim Fay
Twenty-seven-year-old Joan Bergstrom is a huge fan of Imogen Fortier, the fifty-nine-year-old food columnist for Pacific Northwest Magazine. To express her admiration, the novice food page writer decides to send Imogen some fan mail and saffron. The two women live vastly different lives, yet their pen-pal friendship, formed by a shared love of food, has a dramatic influence on each of them. Their relationship becomes a grounding force during tumultuous times in history, like the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Kennedy Assassination. Their correspondence teaches them lessons about the connection between food and what it means to live a complete and happy life, a lesson that positively influences their respective love lives.
Even though these individuals are separated by distance, age, and even time, letter writing is a powerful practice that can bring people together. Whether it’s a shared love of food, literature, or history, our passions can lead us to form some unexpected relationships. Hopefully, you find something on this list that is perfect for you and maybe even feel inspired to pen a letter yourself. Who knows, it might just be the start of an incredible friendship!
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