Dear by Linnéa Myhre
The original title of this book is "Kjære" and is so far only published in Norway. The title "dear" is my own direct translation of the original title, and I've chosen to use it to make it easier to read the review. The same goes with every quote from the book.
"Dear" is written by the Norwegian ex-blogger and semi-celebrity Linnéa Myhre. It came out October the 14th , and it is the second book that she's written. Linnea Myhre has suffered with eating disorders and depression in many years, and has through her books described how her life is and has been like. In her first book, "Evig søndag" (directly translates to "eternal Sunday"), we get to know some dark sides as we follow Linnéa through a year of her life. This book, is somewhat different.
“A couple of years ago I insisted that I am “designed to be alone”. What a ridiculous thing to say and imagine. Who did I think I was? No one is designed to be alone.”
The book contains a number of letters addressed to different persons where Linnéa opens up about things she wants to say. All from letters to her Psychiatrist about her mental health to her bird about the relationship they had. It’s addressed as a novel, but we know that a lot of it is real.
The thing that makes Linnea's books so good is that she writes in a open and honest, but also funny way. The theme is serious, and yet she manages to make us laugh at certain things as well. She tells things exactly the way they are, and you easily get attached to her story.
“One should always respect each others taco habits. In taco, nothing is wrong. Some like shells, others like tortillas. Some mix everything to a salad, while other use two tubs on top of another. Everything is allowed and I myself have accepted raisins, grapes, mayonnaise and thousand island-dressing on my own taco table in my own home. Even if you despise corn, your friend’s taco is not wrong even though it contains corn. You can’t be mad about taco. Taco is everything, and everyone has different preferences with taco. The line is however drawn with ketchup”
I like this book better than the last, although I liked that one as well. This one has a little lighter tone than the other. Linnéa is at a much brighter point in her life, having a boyfriend and starting to master things she couldn't do before. It's so great reading about this, and I feel really happy for her while reading. I've liked her a while, but I don't think you even have to know her to like this book. She writes in a way that makes it feel so real and accurate that you care for her anyway.
All in all, I really liked this book and I hope she'll consider writing another.
★★★☆☆