Two years ago, Ava Antipova, fled the coop, and the family vineyard, running away to Paris to start a new graduate program, a new relationship, a new life. But now she must come back to her small hometown - her twin sister, Zelda, is dead, engulfed in the flames that destroyed the family barn. Or is that just what she wants everyone to think? Then Ava starts receiving emails from Zelda from beyond the grave - or...wherever... - directing her on a depressing scavenger hunt around their somewhat hickish town, unearthing a few - but not all - of their equally-depressing family secrets, though it's more a tour of their personal foibles as told through unfortunate bystanders.
Dead Letters is slightly difficult to get into due to what the author, herself, refers to as "excessive prose," though only saddling Zelda with this particularly astute accusation; someone wants us all to know how many words she knows! But then the plot begins to take over and accelerates this plot-driven story towards a pretty non-explosive ending. The premise is interesting and very intriguing, with near-meticulous plotting, but there are some unanswered questions, at least one that is alluded to throughout the book, but never actually explained, and considering the build-up, the ending just sort of fizzles out. The characters are rather unfortunate, and their bland personalities leave you not really caring what happens to them, but the story and writing is intense, fiercely intelligent, whip smart, and very clever. Just make sure to have a dictionary handy as you read Dolan-Leach's Dead Letters. ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE $5.00 LIKE NEW
