I’m about halfway through Dear Zoe by Philip Beard. It’s been on my TBR pile for a few years, ever since I read The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold.

Yes, there’s a connection between the two. It’s the blurb on the front cover which prompted me to pick up the title in the first place:

“Like The Lovely Bones, it is a piercing look at how a family recovers from a devastating loss. Everything about this moving, powerful debut rings true.” –Booklist

There was something haunting about The Lovely Bones. It was a powerful and gripping book, and one I’ve not been able to read twice. Each time I see the cover, I get a chill and a memory of what’s within its covers drifts through me and I have to put it back down.

Like The Lovely Bones, Dear Zoe is an emotionally gripping book. It’s told as a series of letters to Zoe written by Tess, Zoe’s older half-sister. Through these letters we can see how Tess is dealing with the loss of Zoe, along with how her shattered family (mother, step father, and other half-sister) are dealing as well.

I’m not ashamed to admit that I’ve shed more than a few tears as I read a few striking passages. For instance:

Even though it’s been almost a year, sometimes I still miss you so much it feels like someone is pushing their finger into the base of my throat and I cry like it just happened yesterday. But now when I cry like that it kind of feels like it cleans me out, and each time it happens it feels like I’m going to have a little longer until it happens again and usually I do. It’s not that I’m missing you less. It’s more like I’m finding a place to keep you.

Anyone who’s experienced loss on a profound level can certainly relate to the emotions painted on these pages.

Unlike The Lovely Bones, however, Dear Zoe doesn’t seem too disturbing. Without giving out any spoilers for TLB, there was an aspect to that novel that just made me want to vomit as it unfolded. I don’t get that same feeling with Dear Zoe, though there is a twist to the day Zoe died and it’s a day that is certain to incite or touch a nerve with many people. Up to this point, the day has been downplayed, which I believe works well for the story; it doesn’t gouge at any old wounds.

I should be finished within the next couple of days so I’ll be able to give the book a proper review.