A review by jonid
A Letter in the Wall by Eileen Brill

3.0

3.5 stars Young Joan loses her mother in the influenza pandemic of 1918. She and her distant and work obsessed father go to live with an Aunt, Uncle and cousins. At summer camp she writes a letter to a boy she thinks she has a connection to, but she never mails it, and when she realizes that her feeling are not reciprocated, she hides the letter in her bedroom wall. (The letter the author finds which inspired her to write the novel) I found Joan to be unlikable, making self-destructive choices throughout her life. The book starts out with her fearing for her life and pointing a finger at her business partner. She remains convinced of the rightness of every decision she makes. She finds motherhood unfulfilling, true friendships elusive, and men disappointing. While the story is well told, without a sympathetic main character, it’s hard to root for Joan. Ultimately you know where her choices will lead her, and while interesting, I didn’t really care