Letters in Cardboard Boxes: A review

Definitely a must read! Check the synopsis here Letters in Cardboard Boxes

I'm glad to say I have finally, finally finished this book. The author was kind enough to email me a copy a few months ago, and I have just finished it now. I blame it on moving, but there are also other factors like I'm one of those people who needs complete silence to read, (hard to do when my two year old niece constantly wants to play with me) and reading on the computer is just not my favorite.


How I got this book: Sent to me by the author
My Rating: I did debate a little about this, but in the end I gave it five stars
Read from February 4-18th

The story begins with Parker leading a somewhat mundane life, with a boyfriend who isn't treating her all that well. She then receives quite the shock when she discovers a letter in her mailbox from a friend of her grandmother who says she is ill and will likely not survive the night. That she should donate her clothing and start mentoring a girl named Tanya, on Wednesdays.

It's this letter that starts things off, and ultimately, really turns things around for Parker. Parker, even at 29 has a lot of growing up to do. She still harbors a lot of anger at her parents for abandoning her to go on their world adventures, and she's basically stuck in a rut. She's in a relationship with a guy who doesn't treat her well, but is comfortable. Stuck in a job that she doesn't get much recognition for. Stuck in a bland apartment because she doesn't know what else to do.

Her grandmother getting sick changes all of that. It forces Parker to reevaluate her entire life. Throughout the book, we witness Parker grow into herself. Though she has ups and downs, she becomes a stronger person. She starts to live, to be young, and enjoy her life.

The character development in this is amazing. As Parker went through her transformation, I found myself running the gamut of feelings. From being angry at her parents for abandoning her, being pissed off that Jimmy treats her so badly, to sad (in tears even!) when she realizes that she has to accept what is happening to her grandma, whether she likes it or not, to being happy when she starts to grow into the person that was inside her all along and finally take some of those adventures she's read so much about about.

The concept of the letters in this book is probably what drew me to it the most. I'm a  sentimental packrat in that way.  I keep old letters, cards, ticket stubs, (and I'm keeping them, at least for right now, in cardboard boxes. That is until I can organize them into some sort of scrapbook). People might think that letters are just words, but they are so much more than that. They're memories of time gone by, thoughts, and feelings, and dreams. The author sums this up perfectly.

                                    "They created another world for us to live in, one that didn’t have the same rules. ..We led two lives, one at the fence, and one in our dreams with the letters."

There are also more heartwrenching points in the  novel, one of them summed up perfectly with this one line:

                         "I'm not really a fan of pie"

 It may seem ordinary, or strange even, but once you've been with the characters for a while and you read that line, you really start to understand what's happening.

In addition to the plot, the structure of the book is really well thought out, and I appreciated that a lot. It's set up in five sections, akin to the progression through the five stages of grief. And, you'll notice, or at least I did, that certain characters certainly play and fulfill their roles in those stages as well. There were some minor errors that caught my eye, but overall the structure  was excellent.

I  see a lot of myself in Parker, which makes me identify strongly with her. I hope someday that I can become as strong a  person as she did throughout the course of this book. Plus, just as  a fun little fact, my best friend's name is Tanya, and the relationship that develops between Tanya and Parker in this story really made me think of my friendship with the Tanya in my life. It also made me realize that I should appreciate life as much as I can, and make new memories as much as I can because I don't want to miss out later on.

 This novel has so many wonderful qualities to it I can't even begin to do this book justice. It makes you appreciate the time you have with your loved ones, and reminds you to ask questions  and learn as much as you can about them. It also makes you nostalgic, and hopeful, that we can all have that cardboard box full of memories to look back on someday.

Do you have a cardboard box full of letters?