Review: Emotionally honest and gorgeously written
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 2, 2013
I loved this book because of how honest it was about grief. `Letters to Nowhere' really empathized that there are different ways to grieve, and that it's not always outwardly dramatic. The main character here, Karen, is very driven to be the best. She's lost her parents and she feels very guilty that she might want a different path from the one her and her parents decided on before they passed away. Karen's in a very difficult situation, and she's also becoming aware for the first time of her true potential in gymnastics.One of my favourite things about `Letters to Nowhere' was the relationship between Jordan and Karen. These two have a very special connection, as they're both mature beyond their years because of the things they've been through. Their bond right from the beginning lies with them being able to talk and actually be honest about their feelings. However these characters are realistic teens in that they're not mature and perfectly communicative all the time. Jordan is a bit of a daredevil and does dumb teenage boy things, while Karen has been sheltered her whole life and is unschooled when it comes to boys and relationships.I liked how this book was about Karen's grief and trying to heal from losing her parents, but it was also about her potential as an international elite gymnast. Beyond Karen the book also focused on Jordan and his Dad working through their own issues. There were a lot of layers there, but they all worked so well together.What's awesome about this book is that it doesn't offer any easy answers about grief. There isn't a perfect concrete answer or epiphany that happens. `Letters to Nowhere' features an open ending, but a perfect one. What I took away from the book is that just moving forward and trying to do your best is really all any of us can do.`Letters to Nowhere' is a fantastically written book. It's emotional, but not to the extent it will drain all your energy. It features gymnastics in a way that is technical enough to believe that Karen is a real gymnast, but also describes things well enough for people who have no clue about gymnastics (aka: me!). I absolutely loved reading this one, and I can see myself re-reading it again soon.