![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBNa78K3oLmn3NDE1dsNqywt3j2NgxvFRQeg_8Ts_11RzDFwqd7-7vwCtLmGT3q_z-d7M5CU8pxUda9d9LYzUlrZ_NYbAaPGSZ6Ydjw5tvXzjbLcK-58UE1t3BHEjl9Qy-TgDh-q5nrErr/s200/1geer_letter_650.jpg)
An epistolary novel is a novel written as a series of documents. The usual form is letters, although diary entries, newspaper clippings and other documents are sometimes used. Recently, electronic "documents" such as recordings and radio, blogs and e-mails have also come into use. The word epistolary comes from the Latin word epistola, meaning a letter.
The epistolary form can add greater realism and verisimilitude to a story, chiefly because it mimics the workings of real life. It is thus able to demonstrate differing points of view without recourse to the device of an omniscient narrator.