Ava Dellaira

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 in this stunning debut from Ava Dellaira, Love Letters to the Dead.

A life-changing moment encompasses conflicting truths that echo across time, in this powerful, provocative debut. One night, two people, four sides of a story. In 2004, Juliette Marker, a white college freshman, and Noah King, a Black high school senior, are two lonely souls who enter each other’s orbit, forge a connection, and, after a chance meeting, go home together. Twelve years later, Noah has done the impossible and made it in Hollywood. His first film is about to be released, and he and his beloved wife Jesse, a successful writer herself, have just had a baby. Meanwhile, Juliette’s best friend Annie, in the throes of grief, makes a decision that threatens to blow up the life Noah has struggled to build. Spanning decades, from California to Chicago, and told from Annie, Juliette, Noah, and Jesse’s perspectives, this sharp, timely novel delves into one fateful night and the complex lives and relationships of those affected by it, brilliantly exploring how race, artistic ambition, and grief shape the way they—and we—see their story.

The author of the beloved Love Letters to the Dead returns with a parallel story of a mother and daughter each at age seventeen. Marilyn's tale recounts the summer she fell in love and set out on her own path. Angie's story is about her search for her unknown father. This sweeping multi-generational love story introduces readers to mother-and-daughter pair Marilyn and Angie. To seventeen-year-old Angie, who is mixed-race, Marilyn is her hardworking, devoted white single mother. But Marilyn was once young, too. When Marilyn was seventeen, she fell in love with Angie's father, James, who was African-American. But Angie's never met him, and Marilyn has always told her he died before she was born. When Angie discovers evidence of an uncle she's never met she starts to wonder: What if her dad is still alive, too? So she sets off on a journey to find him, hitching a ride to LA from her home in New Mexico with her ex-boyfriend, Sam. Along the way, she uncovers some hard truths about herself, her mother, and what truly happened to her father.

Het begint allemaal met een opdracht voor Engels: schrijf een brief aan een overleden persoon… Laurel kiest voor Kurt Cobain, omdat haar zus May gek was op zijn muziek. Net als May stierf hij jong. Na die eerste brief schrijft Laurel er nog veel meer aan dode sterren. Ze vertelt over haar leven op school, haar eerste verliefdheid en het verdriet om de dood van haar zus. Maar hoe kun je rouwen om iemand die je nog niet hebt vergeven voor wat zij heeft gedaan?

The author of the beloved Love Letters to the Dead returns with a parallel story of a mother and daughter each at age seventeen. Marilyn's tale recounts the summer she fell in love and set out on her own path. Angie's story is about her search for her unknown father. This sweeping multi-generational love story introduces readers to mother-and-daughter pair Marilyn and Angie. To seventeen-year-old Angie, who is mixed-race, Marilyn is her hardworking, devoted white single mother. But Marilyn was once young, too. When Marilyn was seventeen, she fell in love with Angie's father, James, who was African-American. But Angie's never met him, and Marilyn has always told her he died before she was born. When Angie discovers evidence of an uncle she's never met she starts to wonder: What if her dad is still alive, too? So she sets off on a journey to find him, hitching a ride to LA from her home in New Mexico with her ex-boyfriend, Sam. Along the way, she uncovers some hard truths about herself, her mother, and what truly happened to her father.

Alguns segredos só conseguimos contar aos nossos maiores ídolos. Tudo começa com uma tarefa para a escola: escrever uma carta para alguém que já morreu. Logo o caderno de Laurel está repleto de mensagens para Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin, Amy Winehouse, Heath Ledger, Judy Garland, Elizabeth Bishop… apesar de ela jamais entregá-las à professora. Nessas cartas, ela analisa a história de cada uma dessas personalidades e tenta desvendar os mistérios que envolvem suas mortes. Ao mesmo tempo, conta sobre sua própria vida, como as amizades no novo colégio e seu primeiro amor: um garoto misterioso chamado Sky. Mas Laurel não pode escapar de seu passado. Só quando ela escrever a verdade sobre o que se passou com ela e com a irmã é que poderá aceitar o que aconteceu e perdoar May e a si mesma. E só quando enxergar a irmã como realmente era — encantadora e incrível, mas imperfeita como qualquer um — é que poderá seguir em frente e descobrir seu próprio caminho. “Simplesmente amei este livro. Cartas de amor aos mortos é mais do que um livro de estreia impressionante. É o anúncio do surgimento de uma nova voz literária corajosa.” - Stephen Chbosky, autor de As vantagens de ser invisível “Assim como Kurt, Janis, Amelia e outros que já se foram mas de algum jeito permanecem aqui, Cartas de amor aos mortos deixa uma marca indelével.” - Gayle Forman, autora de Se eu ficar