The Last Letter: A Novel - Softcover

Pogorzelski, Susan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0988875136 ISBN 13: 9780988875135

Publisher: Brown Beagle Books, 2016

Synopsis

Write one last letter. That's what fifteen-year-old Amelia's psychologist says when she tells him about her time capsule--a My Little Pony lunchbox she's buried in the backyard garden after listening to the preacher on the corner shout about the end of times. One last chance to leave her mark when the world's been shaken to its core by a national tragedy not even the preacher sees coming. One last story of humanity's ability to endure, like in all those historical disasters her mother recites like fairytales. One last reminder of her existence, when her illness has turned her into such a ghost of her former self, one more exhale is all it will take before she disappears completely. One last letter to tell the world how she's lived and who she's loved and what she's trying to survive.

About this title

Review:

"Pogorzelski's exceptional debut shares the challenges, dreams, fleeting optimism, and difficulties of 15-year-old Amelia Lenelli at the turn of the millennium. Adolescence is hard enough, but Amelia is facing other troubles: her physical and mental health are deteriorating. As the symptoms of her mysterious illness worsen--and the attempts to identify a diagnosis continue to fail--her friends disappear into their active lives while Amelia wonders if her own life is ending. She describes her struggles in letters addressed to "Whoever you are," an imagined reader who fills the companionship void. She hides nothing, sharing the  depression--and thoughts of suicide--that can accompany sickness, pubescence, and loneliness. Pogorzelski writes this semiautobiographical novel with authenticity, and her young character displays relentless wisdom in an honest, mouths-of-babes style." - Publisher's Weekly (BookLife)

"This book is a MUST read! The story blends the author's personal struggle with Lyme onto the page. It is an inspiring read for Lyme patients but also very relatable and good to share with friends and family." - Minnesota Lyme Association

About the Author:

Susan Pogorzelski is the award-winning author of Gold in the Days of Summer: A Novella. Her first full-length novel, The Last Letter, is a semi-autobiographical account of her experiences living with Chronic Lyme Disease. When she's not writing her own stories of nostalgia and the magic of everyday life, she works as a consultant, editor, and creative coach at Brown Beagle Books. She lives in South-Central Pennsylvania with her family and two dogs.

About this edition

• Publisher: Brown Beagle Books
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0988875136
• ISBN 13: 9780988875135
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 278