Dying+to+Know+You

//Dying to Know You// by Aidan Chambers

This is sort of an odd one. Somewhat based on the story of Cyrano de Bergerac, it's about a young man named Karl who asks the favorite author of the girl he's in love with to help him write letters to her so she will fall in love with him. The story is narrated by the elderly author, which is odd, and I suspect would be a turnoff for a lot of teens (especially when he's describing the pains and problems of old age). Also, that is basically the description from the book jacket, yet that is only part of the story and most of that is resolved halfway through. Fiorella, the object of Karl's affection, does return his feelings, and though she is angry when she finds out the author was writing the letters it's not what causes problems between her and Karl. The book went off on a few tangents and felt disconnected at times. It was okay but I wouldn't recommend it for the final list. Caitlin, Bedford Public Library