Letters from the Inside

April 1, 1996
A chilling psychological drama plays out in the correspondence between two teenage girls. "The heart-wrenching conclusion will exert its power long after this book is read," said PW in a starred review. Ages 12-up.

Starred review from September 1, 1994
Gr 8 Up-A powerful book, set in Australia. Mandy answers Tracey's ad in a magazine and the girls, both going on 16, become pen pals. The fluff of their early letters depicts two teens who are almost indistinguishable from one another. Soon, before these lively yet innocuous exchanges become tedious, there are hints that Tracey is hiding something. She reveals that in truth, she is in a maximum security unit of a correctional institution for an unspeakable, unnamed crime. She is big, she is tough, and she is scared. The universal, brutal truths of young women living together behind bars is made perfectly clear by her blunt descriptions. Mandy's life, compared to her friend's, is almost idyllic. Her timid complaints about her brother's violent outbursts are easy to ignore. His poor academics, hot temper, and collections of weapons and Rambo posters are rationalized away by Mandy's loving but overworked parents, as are her fears of being in the house alone with him. Then, mysteriously, Mandy's letters stop. The story is over. The tragedy of this novel is that these bright young people are not hopeless. Their lives are salvageable, if only someone with the power to help would listen. Perhaps Marsden intends, through shock, to sensitize his readers to the real-life tragedies hidden behind white-picket fences and masks of toughness; perhaps therein lies the hope. Consisting entirely of the correspondence of the two girls for exactly one year, this book is also an anatomy of a friendship. It will draw its readers in completely and cut them off with a jolt. Purchase it, read it, recommend it to mature teens and to adults.-Margaret Cole, Oceanside Library, NY

October 15, 1994
Gr. 8-12. In this Australian twist to an answer to the personal ads, two teenage girls begin a correspondence that gradually reveals more than either young woman wants known. Both Tracey's and Mandy's initial letter writing focuses on fictitious charmed lives--Mandy, on her best friend Cheryl, her nameless dog, and the brother whom she calls "Idiot"; Tracey, on her even more perfect life of wealthy, loving parents, ideal older siblings, and a horse. Each succeeding letter strips away the girls' facades. Mandy's brother is frighteningly violent; Tracey is in prison. Marsden does a maddening job of providing just enough information; the letter-writing format allows him to induce this suspense with full credibility. The reader never knows what Tracey's crime is nor learns much about Mandy's brother's violence. Be prepared for utter despair as teens finish this book, however. The ending is frustratingly honest and overwhelmingly powerful. ((Reviewed October 15, 1994))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1994, American Library Association.)

Starred review from August 29, 1994
Readers will find themselves quickly absorbed in this chilling epistolary novel. A correspondence between two contemporary Australian girls begins harmlessly enough, when Mandy (``I know what I won't do, and that's tell you my star sign, favourite group, favourite food, all about my sister and brother and the usual junk'') answers a magazine ad for a pen pal, which has been placed by Tracey (``You write so well, much better than me''). As the letters become more intimate, dark truths surface and force both girls to confront personal demons. It soon becomes evident that Mandy's home life is frequently disrupted by violence, and that Tracey is not the pampered, carefree girl she pretends to be. Told entirely through letters, this psychological drama evokes the desperation of two trapped individuals who find a means of escape through their writing. Marsden ( So Much to Tell You ) clearly defines the voices, personalities and immediate conflicts of his characters; even so, the girls' fates remain hauntingly ambiguous. The heart-wrenching conclusion will exert its power long after this book is read. Ages 12-up.