Written as a series of letters between 1999 and 2003, The Last Letter: A Novel is a classic coming-of-age tale about Lia Lenelli, a teenage girl struggling to shape her own identity while a chronic illness threatens to tear her world apart.
Write one last letter. That's what fifteen-year-old Amelia's psychologist says when she tells him about her time capsule--a My Little Pony lunchbox she's buried in the backyard garden after listening to the preacher on the corner shout about the end of times.
One last chance to leave her mark when the world's been shaken to its core by a national tragedy not even the preacher sees coming.
One last story of humanity's ability to endure, like in all those historical disasters her mother recites like fairytales.
One last reminder of her existence, when her illness has turned her into such a ghost of her former self, one more exhale is all it will take before she disappears completely.
One last letter to tell the world how she's lived and who she's loved and what she's trying to survive.
"Teens reeling with personal and national crises will find themselves in this teen girl's voice. The story evolves from a letter writing assignment, completed out of duty, to a journal that provides much needed mooring through difficult times. The protagonist's voice is the heart of the novel; she is earnest, honest, and her emotions and thoughts are easy to relate to. The book gives an inside look at what it was like to be a teen during September 11, 2001 and its aftermath--a time today's teens don't recall. The broader historical crises matches the tone of the difficulty in the character's life, creating a resonance that will feel familiar and authentic to teens. The story will relate to a wide variety of teen readers, but particularly those who are dealing with Lyme disease or another chronic illness that it hard to live with, understand, and share about with others. The themes of loneliness and connection, despair and perseverance, and beauty in the midst of ugliness are timeless and vital to teen readers looking for something positive in life and in the world around them." - Judge, 25th Annual Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Awards (Honorable Mention, MG/YA)
