Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira

Love Letters to the Dead is about Laurel, a girl who is starting high school. Her sister died that summer in a dubious accident, and Laurel's life is in upheaval -- her mother moved away, she spends half her time with her dad and half her time with her uncle. She receives an assignment to write a letter to someone who is dead, and it evolves into a notebook full of her musings to the likes of John Keats, Amy Winehouse, Kurt Cobain, and Amelia Earhart.

Okay, there is a positive blurb by Stephen Chbosky on the cover of the book. If you squint, you can see it right there. But I will say that this entire book felt like a rewrite of Perks of Being a Wallflower. Letters to a silent audience. A friend who is in an LGBT relationship with someone else who wants it to be kept quiet. An important relationship ended by death. A past history of abuse. Becoming good friends as a freshman with a group of seniors. A heavy interest in musicians. A great relationship with an English teacher. And okay, some of that is just high school. But it was pretty clear that there was some strong inspiration in Love Letters for the Dead by Perks, and it bothered me a little. There were just two many checkpoints that were similar. Still, Stephen Chbosky seems to be okay with it, so who am I to judge?

Other than the too-blatant (for me) tributes to Perks, Love Letters to the Dead was well-written, moving, and difficult to put down. Laurel reveals the secrets of the circumstances surrounding her sister's death very slowly, which kept me thoroughly invested until the end of the book. Dellaira's prose is elegant and poignant. There is also a sweet romance that defies some of the common tropes of YA literature. All in all this is a strong book -- it captures (a greater than normal share of) the sadness of growing up and moving through adolescence as well as the buoyant joy of first love, friendship and music. (You know, kind of like Perks of Being a Wallflower).

3.75 stars

Warnings: Scenes of sexual abuse, language, some intense make out scenes, thematic material

YA Friday: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Title: The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Author: Stephen Chbosky
Genre: YA, contemporary
Publisher: MTV, 1999
Source: Personal Copy
Read for: Fun

Charlie begins writing letters to an anonymous person that he has never met as he enters high school. He has always been on the fringes of social life, especially since his best friend committed suicide the year before. However, with a new year and the encouragement of his English teacher and mentor to "participate," Charlie befriends Patrick and Sam, and begins a new experience that teaches him about life and love.

So, possibly the first thing you need to know about The Perks of Being a Wallflower is that it is the issues book to rule all issues books. We start out with a shy, awkward kid whose only real friend just killed himself, and then we enter into the realm of rape, teen pregnancy, drugs, depression, child abuse, homosexuality, and potentially Asperger's as well (it is never mentioned, but Charlie seems to exhibit some of the hallmarks). Basically, what I'm telling you is that The Perks of Being a Wallflower can get really heavy. There's a fair bit of pain and suffering going on.

With that said, despite the fact that my high school experience was relatively issues-free, I really found myself relating to Charlie in unexpected ways. Whether or not the standard "issues" are involved, adolescence is definitely when people start thinking in overdrive. I remember my Psych 111 teacher telling us that it was a time of developing "intense theories about the universe." I also remember being on the phone until three in the morning, discussing emotions and ideas about people that seemed like the most crucial truths to uncover. There was this layer of intensity and immense importance to everything. Reading Charlie's words really brought me back to that time in my life, and I found myself underling sentence after sentence. Everything was so magnified and passionate to him, and he was so confused about so many things, and I really enjoyed his journey.

So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I’m still trying to figure out how that could be.

At times I did find myself a little frustrated with the plot, just because issues seemed to crop up page after page after page. I don't doubt that many people are struggling with multiple issues in their lives, but it seemed slightly overwrought with Charlie's story, especially because he was so hypersensitive. Most of the plot seemed congruent, but the major hurdle in the last few pages of the book seemed like too much to me.

I've also read reviews of Wallflower where the reader complained that Charlie seemed immature and simplistic for a fourteen-year-old. His language was very literal and at times sounded juvenile, but the thoughts it was expressing were poignant. I really think he sounded like he had Asperger's, which would also explain his social difficulties. I personally didn't find Charlie's voice distracting -- getting used to it was just part of getting to know the character.

Overall, I thought The Perks of Being a Wallflower was a powerful book, despite being packed from top to bottom with issues. Charlie's thoughts are often insightful and at times transcendently beautiful. The music and literature incorporated into Charlie's story further enhanced the experience of going back in time and remembering the thoughts and experiences of someone just beginning to find out who they are.

3.75 stars

Warnings: Strong language, drug use, references to sex, sexual abuse