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Love Letters to the Dead

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

Sometimes the best letters are the ones that go unanswered

It begins as an assignment for English class: write a letter to a dead person - any dead person. Laurel chooses Kurt Cobain - he died young, and so did Laurel's sister May - so maybe he'll understand a bit of what Laurel is going through. Soon Laurel is writing letters to lots of dead people - Janis Joplin, Heath Ledger, River Phoenix, Amelia Earhart... it's like she can't stop. And she'd certainly never dream of handing them in to her teacher. She writes about what it's like going to a new high school, meeting new friends, falling in love for the first time - and how her family has shattered since May died. But much as Laurel might find writing the letters cathartic, she can't keep real life out forever. The ghosts of her past won't be contained between the lines of a page, and she will have to come to terms with growing up, the agony of losing a beloved sister, and the realisation that only you can shape your destiny. A lyrical, haunting and stunning debut from the protégé of Stephen Chbosky (THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER).

ABOUT THE AUTHORAva Dellaira is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, where she was a Truman Capote Fellow, and trained as a poet. She grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and got her undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago. In addition to being a producer of the film version of THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER, Ava Dellaira is also Stephen Chbosky's protégé. She currently lives in Santa Monica, where she is at work on her second book. Follow Ava on Twitter: @avadellaira

REVIEWS'LOVE LETTERS TO THE DEAD is more than a stunning debut. It is the announcement of a bold new literary voice. ', Stephen Chbosky, author of THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER

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    • Publisher's Weekly

      February 10, 2014
      Everything Laurel knows about high school, she learned from her older sister, but after May’s death, Laurel has to start freshman year on her own. After getting an assignment to write to someone who’s died, Laurel keeps going, and the book is structured as a journal in letters to Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse, River Phoenix, Judy Garland, and others. Laurel uses the letters to talk about both the past and the unfolding present, especially the friends she makes, who are also struggling with the problems that played a role in May’s life and death. Debut author Dellaira gives Laurel a poet’s eye: when she first makes eye contact with the boy she has a crush on, it feels like “fireflies lighting under my skin.” Although Dellaria writes beautifully, the pervading melancholy feels one-note at times, and the letter format can get wearying, especially when Laurel tells the recipients about their own careers, the epistolary equivalent of expository dialogue. That said, Laurel and her friends’ struggles and hard-won successes are poignant, and seeing Laurel begin to forgive herself and May is extremely moving. Ages 12–up. Agent: Richard Florest, Rob Weisbach Creative Management.

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  • English

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