Love Letters to the Dead
By Sandie Angulo Chen,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Heartbreaking but beautiful novel about a sister's grief.
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this book.
Where to Read
Community Reviews
There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.
What's the Story?
LOVE LETTERS TO THE DEAD is quite literally what the title connotes: a series of letters (each one is a chapter) written by high-schooler Laurel to dead famous figures. The first letter (to Kurt Cobain) starts off as a class assignment, but it quickly becomes a way for the teen to process her grief over her older sister May's death. Laurel, who has moved in with an aunt in order to attend a high school where no one knew her sister, tells people like Cobain, Janis Joplin, Amelia Earhart, Amy Winehouse, Heath Ledger, River Phoenix everything she doesn't feel comfortable saying in real life: about her new school, friends, and even Sky, the mysterious guy to whom she feels overwhelmingly drawn. As she writes down these truths, Laurel is finally able to confront what happened to Laurel, and to herself.
Is It Any Good?
Ava Dellaira's first novel is not an easy read, but it's worth the effort and the heartache. At first it seems as if Laurel is revealing more about the subjects of her letters (readers will learn a good bit about the dead figures) instead of her own pain. But that's by design, because everyone she addresses a letter to is a reflection of what she's going through -- the unending grief of losing her sister, the tingling excitement of falling for Sky, and the confusion of dealing with the guilt of her broken family. Laurel's turmoil is believably rendered; she's all over the place, like anyone her age would be with so much emotional baggage.
Love Letters to the Dead is a book that a parent and teen could read together, particularly if the family has experienced a loss or the parent remembers feeling a connection to iconic performers whose lives were cut short. It may take a while for some readers to get immersed in the prose if the framing device of the letters doesn't immediately grab you, but stick with it. Laurel's story is painful but powerful, and it will remind readers to find their voice, tell the truth, carry on, and -- to quote Nirvana -- "Come as you are, as you were, as I want you to be, as a friend."
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about epistolary novels. What are the benefits and strengths of this style of narrative? Compare and contrast Love Letters to the Dead with other books, like The Perks of Being a Wallflower, that use letters to tell the story.
Do you need to be familiar with "the dead" to whom Laurel addresses her letters to enjoy the book? Did the novel make you interested in learning more about or acquainting yourself with the works of Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin, Heath Ledger, River Phoenix, etc.?
Talk about how grief and death are discussed/treated in the book. Why do you think Laurel harbors so much guilt about May's death? Do you think her grief seemed realistic? Why is it important for books about such tough subjects to exist?
Book Details
- Author: Ava Dellaira
- Genre: Contemporary Fiction
- Topics: Brothers and Sisters, History
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Publication date: April 1, 2014
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 14 - 18
- Number of pages: 323
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: July 12, 2017
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
Where to Read
Our Editors Recommend
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate