Review
======

Title: The Wednesday Letters
Author: Jason F. Wright
Publisher: Deseret Book
Genre: Fiction
Year Published: 2007
Number of Pages: 280
Binding: Hardback
ISBN: 978-1-59038-812-9
Price: $19.95

Reviewed by Jonathan Neville

The Wednesday Letters is one of the latest offerings in the inspirational book genre popularized by Richard Paul Evans, Nicholas Sparks, and Mitch Albom. The Wednesday Letters has been a success commercially, having reached number six on the New York Times hardcover bestseller list. There are many other books in this genre that do not succeed commercially. What accounts for the popularity of this book and others in this genre?

For one thing, readers seem to enjoy the vicarious experience of first confronting some type of horrible or deeply challenging personal disaster and second finding peace or enlightenment. These books assert that there is a purpose to life's experiences, a higher meaning that makes it all worthwhile. For another thing, readers enjoy sentimental stories and these books typically include numerous sentimental vignettes about characters who play roles tangential to the main plot. The Wednesday Letters provides both of these expected elements in a pleasing, non-threatening but thought-provoking manner.

The book revolves around a husband's commitment to write a letter to his wife every week, starting on their wedding night. The couple's children discover the letters and as they read them, they find clues to a family secret that, as the book's cover says, "will bring them face-to-face with a life-changing moment of truth."

To say much more than that about the plot would reveal too much. However, readers may be interested to know what the book offers in the sense of writing style and insight.

The first page of The Wednesday Letters introduces seven main characters, two sets of whom have names starting with the same letter. Wright seems to have an affinity for this type of naming system, but I find it confusing. Within the first few pages we're introduced to Angela, Allyson, Anna Belle, and Alan. In addition to these, two sets of main characters have similar names: the brothers Matthew and Malcolm, and their father Jack and uncle Joseph. Next time around, he might do better to use more variety of names. Anna Belle has a nickname of A&P, which is an awkward name throughout the book, both to read and to pronounce. Whether the other characters would call her "A and P" or A'nP" I couldn't tell and this was an ongoing distraction.

Apart from these quibbles, The Wednesday Letters as a whole is an easy and enjoyable read. The book deals with several serious issues in an engaging manner. Most reviews have focused on the habit of writing letters, suggesting that the book will motivate the reader to write more personal letters. There are numerous testimonials to that effect, including one from Glen Beck, whose endorsement surely played a big role in the commercial success of the book. Other readers, such as myself, might question the wisdom of dealing with important issues by writing letters and then hiding them to be discovered only after death. However, I enjoyed The Wednesday Letters and I think most readers will find several useful insights in the book.