When You Read This

Iris Massey may be dead, but her story isn’t over in Adkins’s endearing epistolary novel for the modern age. Before the events of the novel, Iris has died of cancer; prior to her death, she had maintained a secret blog about her health during treatment. After Iris’s former boss and close friend, Smith Simonyi, learns of the blog, he approaches Iris’s sister, Jade, about having the blog made into a book. Jade is not only opposed, but furious with Smith for wanting to reveal such private writing. After a rocky start, Smith and Jade eventually start corresponding about Iris, whom Smith misses so much he continues to “talk” to her over email. Jade, meanwhile, dedicates herself to researching a potential malpractice lawsuit against Iris’s doctors and an email-based therapist. Told entirely in email exchanges and blog excerpts, the novel follows Jade and Smith as they help each other move on after Iris’s death. Smith’s emails to Iris are realistically personal, like diary entries, and Jade’s initial defensiveness is an understandable coping mechanism. Although the format doesn’t allow the characters to come fully to life, Adkins’s debut is a touching, funny, and life-affirming tale. (Feb.)