Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira

"Love Letters to the Dead" gave me the same wistful feeling of sadness and hope, gravity and flight like "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" did.

 

I have long been looking at the display of the book whenever I pass by a bookstore. There is something in the title that intrigued me to no end. But having little space for books and less time for reading, I decide to skip getting it.

 

Yesterday, while waiting at the airport, I realized I had an ebook version. I finally decided to give it a go.

 

The first phrase was "Dear Kurt Cobain,"

 

That line already got me hooked. I knew it was going to be interesting.

 

It all started as an English assignment in which the lead character, Laurel, had to write letters to the dead. Laurel ends up writing to different famous dead people like Janis Joplin, Amy Winehouse, Judy Garland, etc. as she deals with her personal tragedy and coming of age.



 

I could feel myself getting drawn into the story, into Laurel's loss and pain and hope and anger. I could feel my stomach churn as she started falling in love with Sky or my heart writhe as she held onto her memories of her dead sister, May. I wished for Kirsten and Tristan's ending to be different and yet know it is what it shall be. I wished for Natalie and Hannah to find their truth.

She wrote letters to dead people, mostly musicians. People who seemed brave, yet it ended up they were fragile and vulnerable as we are. Maybe more so. They were famous, yet they were alone and lost. At some point, they were so lost, they decided to totally let go.

I loved the book the way I loved "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" and "Looking for Alaska." I love how it was about a bunch of lost people trying to find their way together. Maybe they'll end up taking the same road, maybe they will be taking different paths. What was important then was they had each other to take the journey with

It was that kind of book that after you closed it, you stare into space and try to gather and fathom as much of the feelings you had from reading it. You may have gone through something similar, you may have not. You are not them, but somehow, once upon a time or maybe right now you felt as they did.

You stare into space and you imagine holding the hearts of the characters and wish them well. You are doubtful they will have their happily ever after. You know better. But you hope that there will always be something for them to get them through the day. You look at them walking wounded (borrowing from EBTG), yet you know it is those very wounds and those very scars that made them beautiful.


I loved the book so much that I actually took the time to write how I feel about it!