Letters In Cardboard Boxes by Abby Slovin

Experience what advanced reviews are proclaiming, "An absolute must read...this is a novel you will want to keep with you for the rest of your life" and "A poignant and moving story...a true work of art."

Letters In Cardboard Boxes tells the story of an eccentric grandmother and her granddaughter alongside a series of fantastical letters they once exchanged. Their letters once traversed the East River to help Parker escape the loneliness of a childhood without her globe-trekking parents and communicate during her turbulent teenage years. Now, nearly a decade later, Parker begins to rediscover the evidence of this letter writing tradition, as well as the family’s untold stories and, unexpectedly, letters from her grandmother’s own youth that paint a very different portrait of the woman who raised her.

Letters carries us through the universally-shared experience of loss and the process of coping with life’s unexpected twists and turns. Through unusual and bold characters, the story moves through some of its heavier themes with honesty and humor.

'Letters In Cardboard Boxes' is a bittersweet tale about family, loss and taking the ones that mean the most to us for granted.

Parker's life is nowhere near ideal. She is looked over at her job, has a mediocre boyfriend and a self centered best friend. The only real thing she has in her life is her grandma, Dotty. But when Dotty gets sick Parker doesn't know how to cope. How will she go on without the one person who has always been there?

I liked this book. It was a bit slow moving, especially in the beginning, but it was a sweet and emotional story. Though I did not fully come to love Parker, she wasn't as developed as I had hoped, she is surrounded by some really strong characters. Dotty being one of them. She was fun and lively. Actually, while reading, I kept picturing Parker as much older and Dotty as much younger, that just shows the kind of people they are. I enjoyed Tanya, a troubled teen who is mentored by Dotty. She reminded me so much of me when I was 17. Tanya and Parker's relationship was sweet. I liked seeing them grow together. Jerry was another character that I loved. I think I loved him the most, actually. He was sweet, funny and endearing.

My biggest complaint isn't about the story or the writing, it is with the structure of the e-book. Or lack of structure, I should say. There were random breaks in paragraphs and times where it was really hard to determine who was speaking. The lack of chapters irked me a little too. I don't think I would have minded it so much if it was put together differently. I did really like the fact that Slovin broke it up in 5 parts. It was a creative way to break it up given the subject matter. 5 parts of the book. 5 stages of grief. Get it? I loved it.

Overall it is a good book. With the exception of Parker's character development and some editing issues it was a well written, bittersweet novel with beautiful prose and bits of humor.

4 out of 5 stars.

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