The Buzz...About Books

Every once in a while I'll come across a novel that is almost impossible to put down.  This happened recently with Jessica Brockmole's debut novel, Letters from Skye. 

Letters from Skye is told through a series of letters, primarily between Scottish poet Elspeth Dunn and  David Graham.   David, an American college student,  starts the correspondence by writing a fan letter to Elspeth, who lives on the Isle of Skye.    The correspondence continues over several years, with the relationship between them developing into a close friendship, and then something more.  All the while, the Great War is brewing and then breaks out, causing upheaval and unexpected consequences to both their lives.

Interwoven with the story of Elspeth and David is the mystery of Elspeth's disappearance in 1940 and her daughter Margaret's attempt to find her.  Margaret does not know much about her mother's past.  Her only lead is that Elspeth's sudden disappearance has something to do with the collection of letters that had been hidden in the wall of their house until a bomb fell nearby.  A lovely story that has humour, romance and mystery.

Letters from Skye is also available in:
• Audiobook
• eBook
• eAudiobook
• Talking Book (restricted to Print Disabled patrons)

An novel told through a series of letters is known as an epistolary novel.  Some other epistolary novels are:

Pamela by Samuel Richardson tells the story of fifteen-year-old servant Pamela Andrews, who is relentlessly
pursued by her dead mistress's son. Although she is attracted to young
Mr B., she holds out against his demands and threats and is determined to defend her virginity.   With its depiction of a servant heroine who dares to assert
herself, Richardson's novel caused a sensation when it was first
published in 1740.  According to Encyclopedia Britannica, Pamela was the first epistolary novel.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer.  Set in England in 1946, writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject.   She finds it in a letter from a man she’s never met, a native of the island of Guernsey.   
As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends and finds out about their experiences during the war on the only part of England that was occupied by Germany. It is also available in:
• Large Print
• Audiobook
• eBook
• eAudiobook
• Talking Book (Restricted to Print Disabled patrons)

The Color Purple by Alice Walker.  This is the story of Celie told through her letters to her sister.  The story covers 20 years of
her life, beginning at age 14 when she is being abused and raped by her
father and continues over the course of her marriage to "Mister".  Celie eventually learns that her abusive husband has
been keeping her sister's letters from her.   Her rage at this betrayal, and the example of love and independence provided by a close
friend, pushes her finally toward becoming her true self. It is also available in:
• eBook
• eAudiobook

We Need to Talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver.  Two years after her fifteen year old son murdered seven of his fellow high school students,
a cafeteria worker, and a much-adored teacher, Eva begins to come terms with  Kevin's horrific rampage in a series of correspondences with her estranged husband, Franklin.   From the start, Eva was uneasy with
the sacrifices of motherhood and now fears that her dislike for her son may have been the reason that he went so far astray. It is also available in:
• Audiobook
• eBook
• eAudiobook

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky tells the story of Charlie through a series of his letters to an unknown recipient.  Charlie is facing high school without a single friend when seniors Patrick and his beautiful stepsister Sam take him under
their wings and introduce him to their eclectic, open-minded,
hard-partying friends.  It is from these older kids that Charlie learns
to live and love, until a repressed secret from his past threatens to
destroy his newfound happiness. It is also available in:
• Audiobook
• eAudiobook

The Color Purple, We Need to Talk About Kevin and The Perks of Being a Wallflower have all been made into films.

These are just a few of the many novels written in this literary style.  Can you recommend any others?