Love Letters to the Dead is told entirely in the letters that Laurel writes to dead people (it’s a pretty self-explanatory title) and those letters tell Laurel’s story, and help her come to terms with what has happened to her and to her family. This is a moving and emotional coming-of-age story.

The blurb says:

Sometimes the best letters go unanswered.

It begins as an assignment for English class: write a letter to a dead person. Laurel chooses Kurt Cobain – he died young, and so did Laurel’s sister May – so maybe he’ll understand what Laurel is going through.

Soon Laurel is writing letters to lots of dead people – Janis Joplin, Heath Ledger, River Phoenix, Amelia Earhart, Amy Winehouse… It’s like she can’t stop. She writes about her new high school, her new friends, her first love – and her shattered life.

But the ghosts of Laurel’s past can’t be contained between the lines of a page forever. She must face up to them – before they consume her.

Love Letters to the Dead is on the Library’s “Books to read after you’ve cried over TFIOS” list – ask at the desk if you want the full list.