Given the tagline here at AnchoredScraps.com is “Balancing new technology communication with old-style corresponding”, to read in The Guardian there was a book that came out over the summer made up of all correspondence, letters, between two pen pals it caught my eye.
In her first book, “Because You’ll Never Meet Me”, Author Leah Thomas centers the story around Oliver (age 14) and Moritz (age 16) who have never met. One of them lives in America, and one in Germany.
In The Guardian earlier this week, on Tuesday, September 22, there is an article by the Author entitled: “Why writing a book through letters is beautiful and wild” and starts out: “Author Leah Thomas is in love with letters, that spill their messy, chaotic, over-sharing, unreliably narrated content out into the world – and that’s why she wrote her epistolary novel “Because You’ll Never Meet Me”.
The book, Because You’ll Never Meet Me, is available in Hardcover, Paperback, Kindle, Audible, and MP3 on Amazon – I’ve already ordered the hardcover to read. The Publisher is Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books(June 2, 2015).
From the book description: “Ollie and Moritz are best friends, but they can never meet. Ollie has a life-threatening allergy to electricity, and Moritz’s weak heart requires a pacemaker. If they ever did meet, they could both die. Living as recluses from society, the boys develop a fierce bond through letters that become a lifeline during dark times-as Ollie loses his only friend, Liz, to the normalcy of high school and Moritz deals with a bully set on destroying him. But when Moritz reveals the key to their shared, sinister past that began years ago in a mysterious German laboratory, their friendship faces a test neither one of them expected.
Narrated in letter form by Ollie and Moritz-two extraordinary new voices-this story of impossible friendship and hope under strange circumstances blends elements of science fiction with coming of age themes, in a humorous, dark, and ultimately inspiring tale is completely unforgettable.”
In the above referenced article in The Guardian, she closes with:
“When you receive a letter, you are receiving a part of a person. Not just their handwriting, but something they’ve handled. A licked envelope, smeared ink. A trace of perfume. Something touched. Proof of another person’s existence, tactile evidence of thoughts, friendship. And maybe, sometimes, evidence of love.
That’s probably worth the mess and papercuts.”
On Amazon there are 23 customer reviews with 52% giving it a 5 star rating, 35% a 4 star rating, and 13% a 3 star rating, and there was nothing lower. And on goodreads it has a 3.98 star rating out of five stars from 682 ratings, and 239 reviews, and mentions “A sequel is due out in early 2017”.
In a future blog post I will have a follow-up on the book once I receive it and have read. It will probably be time to write another Potpourri Update type of ‘rest of the story’ of multiple topics and perfect to include this with it.
So when was the last time you read a book that was all about letters between penpals? Perhaps you will consider checking out this book too.
Join me tomorrow, on Friday, as we head into the weekend from what has already been a very fast week.
Anchors Aweigh,
Helen
Attribution & Thank you to the following who are referenced today —
Image of book cover: Because You’ll Never Meet Me, by Leah Thomas. Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens (June 2, 2015); and book description.
The Guardian, September 22, article by Leah Thomas: “Why writing a book through letters is beautiful and wild” @guardian
Amazon listing of “Because You’ll Never Meet Me” with ratings detail @amazon
Link to goodreads listing of “Because You’ll Never Meet Me” with ratings detail @goodreads
AnchoredScraps.com article from March 13, 2015: Potpourri Update
