Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer is about Juliet, whose mother passed away, and Declan, who works at a cemetery for required community service. Juliet writes letters to her mother as a way to feel connected to her, and Juliet leaves these letters at her mother’s grave. Though she never received any response, she returns to her mother’s grave one day to find a response to one of the letters. The response was written by Declan, although neither knows who the other is. They continue writing anonymous letters to each other, discovering that they are more similar than they expected.
I absolutely loved this novel. I feel that the book was more on the faster paced side. I think the author does a great job of paralleling Juliet and Declan’s letter writing with their interactions in real life. I loved seeing their story unfold as they slowly started to figure that the other was the same person from the letter as they spent more time together. I also liked how the author wrote from each person’s perspective; it helped me understand what each character was feeling and thinking about the other’s letter response. It was really nice how Juliet and Declan were able to help each other get through their problems and struggles. This was a very emotional read, and has themes of friendship, sadness, and perseverance. I would recommend this book to everyone, and give this book a 5 out of 5 stars.