“It begins as an assignment for English class: Write a letter to a dead person. Laurel chooses Kurt Cobain because her sister, May, loved him. And he died young, just like May did. Soon, Laurel has a notebook full of letters to people like Janis Joplin, Amy Winehouse, Amelia Earhart, Heath Ledger, and more; though she never gives a single one of them to her teacher. She writes about starting high school, navigating new friendships, falling in love for the first time, learning to live with her splintering family. And, finally, about the abuse she suffered while May was supposed to be looking out for her. Only then, once Laurel has written down the truth about what happened to herself, can she truly begin to accept what happened to May. And only when Laurel has begun to see her sister as the person she was; lovely and amazing and deeply flawed; can she begin to discover her own path”
This is a strange book. It’s a fantastic read. I couldn’t
put it down but from the off I knew there was more to the story than meets the
eye – especially more to May. I was eager to find out the details, the secrets,
of Laurel’s and May’s childhood and the way it was written as a series of
letters really appealed to me.
It left me with such a book hangover I couldn’t read another
book for almost a week.
The inclusion of dead stars who all died young with
something left behind was well thought out – as was the way they linked into
Laurel’s story. At times I found the stories about the dead celebrities dreary
and slow but I understood why they were there.
I found the story absolutely heart breaking, yet totally
enjoyable (kinda contradicting but oh well!) The way Laurel idolised her sister and aspired to be like
her – as an attempt to gain confidence and pull her family together – was
tragic. It as if the only way she felt she could survive High School was to try
and turn into her sister – where all she really needed to do was be herself and
accept the past.
The mystery surrounding her sister and how she died was a
big pull for me in the book, and I love how it was kept hidden until near the
very end where you kinda expect what is coming…
Lots of people compare this to “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”, and while it has some
similarities it’s an amazing book in its own right.
I can’t put this book into words, so seriously, go read it
for yourself!
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