Dear Zoe, a Novel by Philip Beard, Viking, 2005Well now, dear Bloggees, it's been a couple of weeks since I first wrote to you about this book (January 24 post, Book Blog.) Remember? I had just begun reading it, and I was so touched by one particular paragraph that I just couldn't wait to tell you about it...
I have since finished Dear Zoe, (my attempts to pace myself being entirely futile), and have even sent messages to a few of you, telling you how much I loved it and encouraging you -- implicitly, if not directly -- to read it yourselves.
I read this incredibly beautiful little book with my heart in my throat the entire time. It hurt. It made me ache, it made me cry. It will probably do the same to you. It is a story of the deepest sadness I imagine one can feel -- the sadness of losing a child. But it's not written from the perspective of the parents, but rather, in the form of a letter to that child from her teenaged sister. Beautifully -- even perfectly -- written, in my opinion.
I'm not kidding -- I had to keep looking at the author's picture on the jacket of the book to make sure it was a man rather than a young girl who was the source of the voice I was hearing. I just couldn't believe he was able to tap into the heart and soul of his character the way he did. He wrote her from the inside out. (And if you're thinking that maybe teenaged girls are not your cup of tea, and that you might not enjoy being in the mind and heart of one, trust me -- I'm pretty sure you'll fall in love with Tess!)
And if you're thinking, "But, Kate, I'm just not that into books that make me cry," it doesn't matter. There's still much to love about this one. I found myself laughing around that lump in my throat many times. We get to know all of the characters who move in Tess's world, and some of them -- and the situations they encounter -- are just plain funny! Like Tess's dad -- He's literally a composite of every lovable, attractive, ADD-riddled guy in my family. Actually, all of Beard's characters are as distinctly alive as the people you'll run into at lunch today!
Let's see...It's been a long time since I've done a book report...I guess I have to have an ending:
Dear Zoe, ended on the perfect note -- Love and hope for the world. I heartily recommend it to my millions of faithful Bloggees who are reading this today!
Now, on to the purpose of this book report:
First, did you get that I absolutely loved this book? (Yes, I did.) As a matter of fact, I loved it so much, that when I noticed that the author had a website (http://www.philipbeard.net/) , I just had to visit it. And when I noticed that he had an e-mail, address, why I just had to write and tell him how much I loved what he had done, and to ask him to please continue doing it. And guess what...
He wrote back to me. (Yes, he did.) And he told me something that has me really worried, Bloggees...He said that he had just heard from his publisher that they are seriously considering taking Dear Zoe, out of print due to lagging sales! Do you know that means? Not just this book, but probably lots of other books, too!
We have a mission -- a purpose: We have to save this book -- We have to save them all! In fact, we must work to save our bookstores, one book at a time! Think -- With the plight of the universe looking so dismal right now, where will we escape to if we have no bookstores full of books? (And on a more selfish note, if all of the bookstores go out of business, what hope do I have of ever finding another job so perfectly suited to me -- January 22 post, More Loose Ends?)
I've tried to do my part -- I am really not kidding when I tell you that I spent more than I made during the few weeks I was a Seasonal Book Seller -- apparently to no avail. I don't know what else to do, other than to honor this wonderful, gifted author's request to spread the word. I know money is tight. (Yes, I do.) But perhaps we can all give up a box of cereal or a bag of chips this week and buy one book -- Dear Zoe, is my recommendation!
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