The Letter by Roxanna Russell Search Amazon for other books by or about Roxanna Russell. Rating: Reviewed by: Lillian Brummet

As a writer, I think The Letter must have been a very interesting challenge for author Roxanna Russell. This work of fiction is actually a collection of 14 short stories - each revolving around some kind of letter; the Suicide Note, the Closure Letter, Love Letter, Fan Letter, and so on. Yet the book is also a novel, in that each chapter is centered on a particular family and each chapter ties into the next.

The three main characters are Mark, his wife, Carol and his son Jack. Mark and Carol meet in dire circumstances, fall in love and raise children who grow into adults with lives of their own. Each major life altering moment is accentuated with an accompanying letter written by someone in the family. The author's humor, love and appreciation of people in her live are apparent within the first few pages of The Letter. She brings up issues so subtly that you hardly know they are there. For instance, is it wrong for Jan to sell herself to save her father? I think not. The Letter reinforces that intent is what weighing the rights and wrongs of life decisions really boils down to.

It was both a pleasure and an honor to read The Letter.