"More than a stunning debut. It is the announcement of a bold new literary voice"
—Stephen Chbosky, author of The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Life is hard. You’re gonna mess up, make some mistakes, and you’re gonna be shamed for them. But most of all, it’s gonna feel horrible. I know this letter won’t reach you, ’cause you’re a ghost from the past, and I long to embrace you once more. Discrimination was your enemy, and you gave in when you shouldn’t have. The darkness that grew in you had swallowed you whole. I know ’cause I watched it happen.

I hope that at some point, this letter goes back in time for you. Or maybe that other you in an alternate universe. You need to save yourself before it’s too late, before you ended up like this girl who isn’t you anymore, this one who’s writing this letter. This girl is lost, and has forgotten how to tell the difference between what’s real and what she made up. She is healing; people are helping her. Still, I want you to try harder than I did.

Stop holding it in. There’s a darkness growing in you and you have to release it. I chose to hold it in and now I can’t let it go. But you still can, and if you fail, don’t give up.