 From
Booklist
E-mail may seem like a trendy fictional hook, but there's
nothing facile about this tale.
Becker's epistolary novel tracks the developing e-mail
relationship between Midwestern Susan, who's a freelance
copywriter and breast cancer survivor, and computer
programmer Lara from the Northeast, who logs on to the
breast cancer board in a panic after discovering a lump.
Their correspondence charts a seemingly interminable
number of tests and indeterminate findings, until at
last Lara learns that there are signs of malignancy.
She chooses to have both breasts removed, and as her
and Susan's e-mails trace her recovery, they also portray
their families and present a satisfying gamut of emotions.
Library Journal
"A helpful book for any woman who has ever faced
this diagnosis; recommended. . ."
Luanne Rice, the New York
Times bestselling author of Follow the Stars Home
and Blue Moon
"Dear Stranger, Dearest Friend is a book of husbands
and wives, mothers and children, best friends who've
never met. It promises that when you are having the
most terrifying moment of your life, someone will reach
out of the dark to take your hand. It proves that love
matters more than anything, that together is better
than alone, that somewhere out there--or right next
door--we can all hope to find a friend like Susan. Someone
to listen, make us laugh until we cry, help us understand
that hope, friendship and love are three things that
go on forever. I loved this novel and I couldn't put
it down."
William Kowalski, author
of Eddie's Bastard
"Dear Stranger, Dearest Friend is two parts honest,
engaging epistolary dialogue and one part humor, black
humor, to be sure, but very funny at just the right
moments. Becker writes with a fine dramatic flourish
about the tragedies and comedies in the lives of two
courageous women. It is impossible not to empathize
with these characters, and with their children and spouses,
from the first page. This intelligent and informative
story is a must-read for women whose lives have been
altered by breast cancer, and also for the men in their
lives who wish to be supportive of them. It provides
a number of insights into the hearts and minds of breast
cancer survivors which would be of great benefit to
those who want to know more about what they went through
but don't know how to ask."
Abby Frucht, Life After Death, Polly's Ghost
"Hooray for Laney Katz Becker, whose own battle
with cancer has found voice in this wise, moving and
vastly entertaining book... . .a treasure. . .moving
and vastly entertaining book."
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