Could Never Really Talk About It

Question:

I just graduated from high school a couple of weeks ago.  I also just finished reading Intensely Alice about 5 minutes ago.  I knew after reading it I had to email you and let you know how much this book really helped me.  About a year and a half ago my mother passed away and it left me with many questions about God.  At first when Shelley and the rest of them were having their discussion it kinda of reminded me of the conflict I had within myself after she died.  Then after Mark passed away and Alice decided she didn’t believe then decided that she was just unsure, I realized that was exactly how I felt for about a year after everything with Mama.  Only in the last year have I really been able to really find peace with everything that happened.  I began going to church more often and that helped answer a lot of the questions I had.  I’ve always felt like I could relate to Alice in some way or another, but never like I could in this book. Everything froom her feelings toward God to her senior year and wondering what would happen afterward was very similar to what I felt when it all happened to me.  I’ve been reading Alice books since I was in the sixth grade, but the way I felt after this book I knew I had to email you to thank you.  It was nice to see that other people have experienced the same feelings I have, especially about the death of someone close to you and God’s roll in it.  Its such a sensitive subject for everyone, I never felt like I could really talk about it with anybody.  Thank you so much.  OH! and I hope you continue to write Alice books for years to come. You should have seen me when I saw Intensely Alice in our public library! I almost had a heart attack! Anyway, thanks again for helping girls like me know that there is someone who can relate to the problems in our lives. It really means a lot.
 
Phyllis replied:

I very much appreciated your letter.  When authors write, we know what our material means to us but we don’t always know how it will resonate with the readers.  It’s wonderful to know that this particular book meant so much to you, and I wish you the very best in all that comes next.