"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

I have written so many letters to you in the past couple of years, wheather you recieved them or not, I meant every one of them. It was so strange holding them in my hand, back home after you died, every one with a postage mark and a ripped open seal. I imagined your hands holding them, reading them, reading me. The last time I saw them was at the post box, the beginning of the journey. I really miss writing to you now. Yes, I still write, loads of them all sealed and stacked under the beautiful wooden box from you loft – but you never get them, and never will. You were my little sanctury, Granny, my place were I could just be myself. In my letters I could just pour myself out to you without worry of what you thought. You just got me, and I thank you for that. I miss your phone calls each day, that little bit of strength that you gave me. They were short, most were just even small talk; but it was nice to have someone there for me. The fact that you needed me and daddy ... Read more

My sister is the love of my life. She was in the school choir for this Queen musical that they made at her school. That’s why i decided to write to you, to tell you about my sister, who loves your music. I read ‘Love Letters to the Dead’, and it made me realize how much I love her. I hadn’t seen her for a week until a couple of days ago. She was at the Roskilde Festival, while we were in France. We picked her up at the airport, and I cried before I saw her, because I missed her so much. Reading ‘Love Letters to the Dead’, made me feel a fraction of how it must feel to loose your sister. I suddenly understood that your life could never be whole again after that. The way that Laurel describes her sister reminds me of my own sister. She is the most precious thing in my whole life. We used to have all these games that we played when we were younger, which reminded me of how Laurel and May played, and how they were fairies. My sister is a fairy too. I don’t know if you have ever loved ... Read more

I know this already breaks the rules of the letters since you’re not dead, but what’s the good in writing to the people who can never read your letters? I just wanted to say thank you. Your story meant a lot to me and I’m grateful that it was shared, even though it wasn’t you who wrote it since it’s fiction. Reading your story made me feel grateful for so many things. I am so grateful that my family are all safe and although they’re not all together I know I can reach them whenever I need to. I am also grateful that I am safe and healthy. I also struggle with feeling uncomfortable being myself even though I wish people knew the real me. Weird right? I noticed a trend when reading your letters. The people you wrote to were broken souls. They were people who’d died tragically and suffered greatly although their lives seemed beautiful to everyone else. Amy Winehouse, Heath Ledger, River Phoenix and even May. Being adored by so many may seem like the most wonderful thing in the world but one look at any of the people in your letters shows you how unforgiving fame is. It ... Read more

I know this already breaks the rules of the letters since you’re not dead, but what’s the good in writing to the people who can never read your letters? I just wanted to say thank you. Your story meant a lot to me and I’m grateful that it was shared, even though it wasn’t you who wrote it since it’s fiction. Reading your story made me feel grateful for so many things. I am so grateful that my family are all safe and although they’re not all together I know I can reach them whenever I need to. I am also grateful that I am safe and healthy. I also struggle with feeling uncomfortable being myself even though I wish people knew the real me. Weird right? I noticed a trend when reading your letters. The people you wrote to were broken souls. They were people who’d died tragically and suffered greatly although their lives seemed beautiful to everyone else. Amy Winehouse, Heath Ledger, River Phoenix and even May. Being adored by so many may seem like the most wonderful thing in the world but one look at any of the people in your letters shows you how unforgiving fame is. It ... Read more

I know this already breaks the rules of the letters since you’re not dead, but what’s the good in writing to the people who can never read your letters? I just wanted to say thank you. Your lstory meant a lot to me and I’m grateful that it was shared, even though it wasn’t you who wrote it since it’s fiction. Reading your story made me feel grateful for so many things. I am so grateful that my family are all safe and although they’re not all together I know I can reach them whenever I need to. I am also grateful that I am safe and healthy. I also struggle with feeling uncomfortable being myself even though I wish people knew the real me. Weird right? I noticed a trend when reading your letters. The people you wrote to were broken souls. They were people who’d died tragically and suffered greatly although their lives seemed beautiful to everyone else. Amy Winehouse, Heath Ledger, River Phoenix and even May. Being adored by so many may seem like the most wonderful thing in the world but one look at any of the people in your letters shows you how unforgiving fame is. It ... Read more

I know this already breaks the rules of the letters since you’re not dead, but what’s the good in writing to the people who can never read your letters? I just wanted to say thank you. Your lstory meant a lot to me and I’m grateful that it was shared, even though it wasn’t you who wrote it since it’s fiction. Reading your story made me feel grateful for so many things. I am so grateful that my family are all safe and although they’re not all together I know I can reach them whenever I need to. I am also grateful that I am safe and healthy. I also struggle with feeling uncomfortable being myself even though I wish people knew the real me. Weird right? I noticed a trend when reading your letters. The people you wrote to were broken souls. They were people who’d died tragically and suffered greatly although their lives seemed beautiful to everyone else. Amy Winehouse, Heath Ledger, River Phoenix and even May. Being adored by so many may seem like the most wonderful thing in the world but one look at any of the people in your letters shows you how unforgiving fame is. It ... Read more

I know this already breaks the rules of the letters since you’re not dead, but what’s the good in writing to the people who can never read your letters? I just wanted to say thank you. You’re story meant a lot to me and I’m grateful that it was shared, even though it wasn’t you who wrote it since it’s fiction. Reading your story made me feel grateful for so many things. I am so grateful that my family are all safe and although they’re not all together I know I can reach them whenever I need to. I am also grateful that I am safe and healthy. I also struggle with feeling uncomfortable being myself even though I wish people knew the real me. Weird right? I noticed a trend when reading your letters. The people you wrote to were broken souls. They were people who’d died tragically and suffered greatly although their lives seemed beautiful to everyone else. Amy Winehouse, Heath Ledger, River Phoenix and even May. Being adored by so many may seem like the most wonderful thing in the world but one look at any of the people in your letters shows you how unforgiving fame is. It ... Read more

Dear Ava Dellaira   I just read your book and decided to write this letter, I know you are not dead but didin’t want to write only for those who have died. I’ve never been able to keep a journal and I think maybe the letters are a good way to keep one.   I read your book in two days, and I can not stop thinking that you are the person who came closest to know the real me. Of course I know you even know that I exist, but the way you wrote love letters to the Dead, it seem like you had written to me or as if I myself had written. I never thought there would be someone able to understand what I feel or think, or who I am. But I identified deeply with Laurel and somehow with May , nothing horrible happened to me as happened to Laurel, but also my parents split up, he abandoned her, actually almost killed her. I hate him deeply.  I’m not good at expressing my feelings, never was. Writing is the only way I found to express myself, to be who I really am. I never said that to anyone. ... Read more

Senin yanında olmayı isterdim. Sonsuza dek. Senin kadar kusursuz ve güzel olmak isterdim. Bunu dilediğimde senden daha güzel olduğumu söylerdin. Bu konu da sana katılmıyorum. Bana gerçek bir sanatçı olduğumu ve asla umudumu kaybetmememi söylediğinde sana daha çok minnet duyuyordum. Ve şimdi seni çok özlüyorum. Seni daima seveceğim.

I remember when I gave you that nickname/codename back when we were 14. You used to wear this blue sweatshirt that made your eyes pop so much so that’s why I called you blu. Damn it’s been a really long time. I still have trouble listening to the song Use Somebody because it reminds me of you. A lots changed since then. But no matter what my feelings for you never changed. Even through all the bad shit that you did I still loved you. I wish I would have told you that when you were here. I wish I told you that you were the first person I had ever been in love with and that no one will ever compare to you. It has been 2 years since I last talked to you and I was planning on messaging you the day after you died but that never happened. I also thought that maybe one day we’d find our way back to each other and we could’ve been something or at least we could have been in each others lives. But you had other plans and that’s okay no ones mad. We’re all just happy that ... Read more