Review: Beautiful and Real
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 2, 2013
When seventeen-year-old Karen's parents die, she doesn't know what to do. Life is a confusing mess, especially when her gymnastics coach, Bentley, asks her to move in with him and his son, Jordan. Determined to stay strong in practice so she can compete, Karen agrees, though her grief is often overwhelming. Can see cope with the grief while going after her dream? Can she get close to the guy who knows what she is going through and manage foreign feelings she may have for him?Letters to Nowhere was an extremely gripping novel. From the first letter, I felt like I was wrapped in this world of Karen's, a world of heartache and grief and a struggle to hope and accept reality. Her emotions are often raw, but she doesn't always let those close to her know. She writes letters that they will never see, but shows the reader how she really feels. They were frequently short and simple, and in that, very powerful. This isn't a story where tragedy happens and the characters are suddenly okay again. This is a very real and clear display of the impact grief has and how it can carry over into the things we used to enjoy most.I think what I liked most about this is the powerful hope expressed throughout. None of it is a fake or an oversimplified "everything with be ok eventually" kind. It was the kind of hope that starts with something small, like the ability to say a single sentence with the single most real truth out loud, and it continuously builds over time. It isn't an easy road for Karen, but sometimes just the visual of something to hope for, a new goal, can ease the pain.As far as categorizing into young or new adult, I think it's a crossover. Jordan and Karen are technically in high school (though high school is not a major part of this story), they face mature issues. They deal with death, or try to, Karen learns what it's like to live without parents, and they both learn a lot about love. I won't give any spoilers away, but the relationship between Jordan and Karen is something very unique and something I haven't seen in a lot of books. They both have faced terrible tragedy, and it shows in their relationship. Jordan, who has his share of "just being a guy" moments, knows he can't take try to be only superficial with Karen. And though Karen hasn't had much experience with guys, she knows Jordan already understands a part of her that most people around her can't relate to. They have a serious emotional depth that only comes through experiencing the ups and downs of life. Yet even in their adult situation, they still have moments of just being two young people trying to find their way in life. They worry about grades, they think about college, and they try to figure out what sex means to them or doesn't mean. They are real and heartfelt.Letters to Nowhere is a beautiful piece of literature. It has tragedy, it has depth, it has love, but I think the best thing it leaves you with is hope, no matter what hope may mean to you. 5/5 stars.