Letters To The Lost is your next must read book. Pretty soon (I hope) it will be your next must watch movie. Ok so a movie isn’t on the cards yet as far as I’m aware but it totally should be! If you get a chance to read this then hopefully you’ll see what I mean. The characters and the storyline would translate so well onto the big screen.
Lets look at the characters (the memorable ones)
Declan. He’s the troubled high school kid that no one messes with, rumor has it he crashed a car- check this. He’s troubled, he’s smart but hides it well, and he’s mysterious. Declan is by all means the high school bad boy; the perfect character for a teen movie. I can imagine him in some sort of leather jacket, with long swishy hair, giving off Edward Cullen vibes.
Juliet. (I had to check her name.) She’s the girl who lost her mum. She’s the plain jane character who is pretty normal, but she’s obviously going through a hard time. (I had to include her in this list because she is one half of the book.) Character wise she sits somewhere between Juno and Bella Swan. She does has an ounce of personality given that she’s into photography, so story wise she may be the character that teens want to see.
Declan’s best mate. (name check required.) This guy has a good back story. He has some real issues and has dealt with an awful lot. His story only comes up when an unlikely friendship is formed.
The rest of the story has a good set of characters that shape the history and journey of this book. Their combined worth really transforms and carries the storyline.
The Storyline
This isn’t your typical boy meets girl story, although there is the essence of the typical winning formula. The relationship between Declan and Juliet feels familiar yet there’s more to it than your average teenage first love. It’s harder, more complicated and at times really gritty. There will be moments when you laugh and moments when you gasp out loud in shock. These two teens do know how to stop you in your tracks.
The Read
When I started this book I liked the easy language, but I soon became tired of it. I felt a bit old to be reading about a bunch of high school kids. Forgive me; I made a mistake when I thought that. As the story progressed I got sucked in. The characters were actually all going through terrible times, and it wasn’t because of the kind of 90210 issues, where looks and popularity are as everything. No this was far more real, which is what made this a good read. There was one specific moment when I literally had to stop and pause, “May 25th.” Oh my gosh, nothing has carried more weight than that single line. It was the moment where everything came crashing inwards into a wonderful intense grittiness. (Seriously when you’ve read this, please come back and lets talk about that moment.)
In a book, this whole story works so well. On screen I think it will be a million times more impactful. I haven’t touched on so many things in this post because I don’t want to spoil anything for you. Don’t read any more about the book, just get your hands on a copy and get reading. I think you’ll like it.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Demographic: Ideal for teens.
