‘Letters to the Lost’ grips readers

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2004

By Maddie Baker

Readers obsess over “Letters to the Lost” by Brigid Kemmerer, which came out on April 4. Photo by Maddie Baker
Readers obsess over “Letters to the Lost” by Brigid Kemmerer, which came out on April 4. Photo by Maddie Baker

A letter at a grave, community service at a cemetery, an anonymous correspondence, and two intersecting paths, all come together in “Letters to the Lost” for a touching high school story.

“Letters to the Lost” by Brigid Kemmerer follows the lives of Juliet Young, a talented girl who lost her mother in a tragic accident, and Declan Murphy, a boy with a criminal record and reputation. When the two exchange letters and emails, they begin to overcome the grief of personal loss and high school judgements.

The ending seemed to be predictable in the synopsis, but Kemmerer included plot twists to shock even the most astute readers. The ending, however, was too short with several loose ends -as is characteristic of most contemporary books- and informal writing that switches between points of view. Although some parts could have been fleshed out more to add depth, the storyline was addictive, and it left readers anxious to find out what would happen next between Juliet and Declan. Readers will root for them to get together the whole time, and squeal in happiness when they finally do.

Declan and Juliet were interesting and lovable. Humorous banter between the characters lightened up heavy conversations. It could have been creepy with the anonymous letters except that the audience knows from the beginning who is writing the letters. Sadly, many side characters seemed one dimensional, and most of their actions were unexplained or felt like fillers, but Rev Fletcher, Declan’s best friend, was an intriguing character with fun-to-read scenes, acting as one of those loose ends in the conclusion. He just started to come out of his shell, and readers started to understand more of Rev’s actions then, suddenly, the book was over with his character arc is barely beginning. Hopefully the author will write more about Rev in the future.

Overall, “Letters to the Lost” was extremely entertaining and a quick read. It is the type of book that someone would take to read at the beach since it is a little frivolous. Readers will not regret picking up Kemmerer’s story.