A few things you might not know about me: I was not an english major. I cannot make blog posts about rhetoric and composition books sound appealing. I am used to books written in the 3rd person. "Upstate" is about two love struck teenagers who correspond through letters. At first, I found this format annoying. I felt that I wasn't getting enough background information about the characters and that I was missing out on some important details. But I grew to like the fact that the entire book was composed of letters written by Antonio and Natasha (even after phone calls and face-to-face correspondence was available to them). The book began after Antonio was arrested for killing his father. He was only 17 and Natasha was 16. I am somewhat familiar with this type of juvenile letter writing (no felonies were involved!) and I was brought back to a point in my childhood that I try not to think about often. To be in prison at that age...to be in love with someone in prison at that age...can you imagine?! It was a heartbreaking story that left me with burning eyes.
The first letter was written by Antonio on January 25th, 1990 (my birthday) and they continue for almost 10 years. Through the years you see how they have both changed and grown...both of them educate themselves, Antonio by getting his GED in prison and Natasha by finishing high school and moving on to college, and it is visible in the text.
When someone goes to prison at the beginning of a story you wonder what can happen that will keep you involved and interested. Although I was not bored, I kept wondering what could happen next. I got my answers in the last 20 pages. It was long awaited but I was not disappointed by the ending.
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