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The Letter Opener
When her co-worker Andrei, an enigmatic Romanian refugee who has become the object of her fascination, suddenly vanishes, Naiko, an employee in the Undeliverable Mail Office, searches for clues to explain his disappearance and discovers the elusive nature of truth.
312 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
3 people are currently reading
195 people want to read
About the author
Kyo Maclear
32 books498 followersKyo Maclear is an essayist, novelist and children’s author. She was born in London, England and moved to Toronto at the age of four with her British father (a foreign correspondent and documentary filmmaker) and Japanese mother (a painter and art dealer).
Her books have been translated into eighteen languages, published in over twenty-five countries, and garnered nominations from the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction, the Governor General’s Literary Awards, the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Awards, the Amazon.ca First Novel Award, the National Magazine Awards, among other honours.
Unearthing: a Story of Tangled Love and Family Secrets (2023) was a national bestseller and awarded the Governor General’s Literary Award for Nonfiction. Her hybrid memoir Birds Art Life (2017) was a #1 National Bestseller and winner of the Trillium Book Award and the Nautilus Book Award for Lyrical Prose. It was named one of the best books of 2017 by The Globe and Mail, CBC, Now Magazine, the National Post, Forbes, the Chicago Review of Books, and Book Riot.
Her work has appeared in Orion Magazine, Brick, Border Crossings, The Millions, LitHub, The Volta, Prefix Photo, Resilience, The Guardian, Lion’s Roar, Azure, The Globe and Mail, and elsewhere. She has been a national arts reviewer for Canadian Art and a monthly arts columnist for Toronto Life.
Kyo holds a doctorate in environmental humanities teaches creative writing with The Humber School for Writers and the University of Guelph Creative Writing MFA.
She lives in Tkaronto/Toronto, on the traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the New Credit, the Haudenosaunee, Métis, and the Huron-Wendat.
Her books have been translated into eighteen languages, published in over twenty-five countries, and garnered nominations from the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction, the Governor General’s Literary Awards, the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Awards, the Amazon.ca First Novel Award, the National Magazine Awards, among other honours.
Unearthing: a Story of Tangled Love and Family Secrets (2023) was a national bestseller and awarded the Governor General’s Literary Award for Nonfiction. Her hybrid memoir Birds Art Life (2017) was a #1 National Bestseller and winner of the Trillium Book Award and the Nautilus Book Award for Lyrical Prose. It was named one of the best books of 2017 by The Globe and Mail, CBC, Now Magazine, the National Post, Forbes, the Chicago Review of Books, and Book Riot.
Her work has appeared in Orion Magazine, Brick, Border Crossings, The Millions, LitHub, The Volta, Prefix Photo, Resilience, The Guardian, Lion’s Roar, Azure, The Globe and Mail, and elsewhere. She has been a national arts reviewer for Canadian Art and a monthly arts columnist for Toronto Life.
Kyo holds a doctorate in environmental humanities teaches creative writing with The Humber School for Writers and the University of Guelph Creative Writing MFA.
She lives in Tkaronto/Toronto, on the traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the New Credit, the Haudenosaunee, Métis, and the Huron-Wendat.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 12, 2007
I reviewed the book for Harper Collins Canada. Here's what I wrote:
“The Letter Opener” by Kyo Maclear is an ingenious story about Nakiko who works in the Undeliverable Mail Office and her co-worker Andrei, who has gone missing. It’s from the Second World War through the fall of communism and travels from Canada to Romania to Argentina and back as it fleshes out different characters as the story and it’s many layers unfold.
This is a nourishing, compassionate novel that sings in perfect pitch. I highly recommend this novel. It is one that you’ll want to read again and again.
“The Letter Opener” by Kyo Maclear is an ingenious story about Nakiko who works in the Undeliverable Mail Office and her co-worker Andrei, who has gone missing. It’s from the Second World War through the fall of communism and travels from Canada to Romania to Argentina and back as it fleshes out different characters as the story and it’s many layers unfold.
This is a nourishing, compassionate novel that sings in perfect pitch. I highly recommend this novel. It is one that you’ll want to read again and again.
March 6, 2014
Do you have this feeling sometimes when you read a less-known or beginner author that something is missing in the novel? That you see what they had wanted to achieve and how they failed? That the book resembles a scaffolding with unexpected holes?
Nothing like that in Maclear's book. It is a complete, finished, polished work. No awkward plot turns or wording that would distract from reading. She's a very good, mature writer, and I can't wait to see her next book.
Maclear is an amazingly keen observer. I was humbled by the way she constructed her characters' depth and significance using as building blocks the little things they did or said. This is, after all, how we get to know people in real life: by observing them and experiencing things together, not through an omniscient narrator in our heads spitting out each person's characteristics as we say hello. Naiko, the protagonist, says by the end of the book, "I am the one who looks," and I though, Yeah, I've noticed.
Maclear's sharp eye doesn't serve only in character building, but also in pointing out some truths of life that we all seem to know, but we're never able to phrase them so gracefully. So many times in my reading I had those little moments of recognition, You're right! True! That's what we do! (E.g., "My mother had lost her sense of courtesy--she no longer insisted that someone else take the most comfortable seat or the largest portion.")
As for the plot, do you sometimes have that bittersweet experience of suspecting what will happen next and finding out you were right? I respect only those stories that outwit me (which is still most of what I've read), and so I respect The Letter Opener. The story moves slowly, which is skilfully signalled at the very beginning by Naiko's regular and quiet life, so you don't get the wrong idea and don't feel disappointed. Though it's almost devoid of mystery-style plot twists, the narrative is engaging on an emotional level: How will Naiko and Paolo end up? What the hell happened between Andrei and his lover? Why does Kana have to be so insensitive?
All in all, the books gives a pleasant feeling of completeness. Every word in it is necessary and every sentence makes sense. I'm looking forward to more.
Nothing like that in Maclear's book. It is a complete, finished, polished work. No awkward plot turns or wording that would distract from reading. She's a very good, mature writer, and I can't wait to see her next book.
Maclear is an amazingly keen observer. I was humbled by the way she constructed her characters' depth and significance using as building blocks the little things they did or said. This is, after all, how we get to know people in real life: by observing them and experiencing things together, not through an omniscient narrator in our heads spitting out each person's characteristics as we say hello. Naiko, the protagonist, says by the end of the book, "I am the one who looks," and I though, Yeah, I've noticed.
Maclear's sharp eye doesn't serve only in character building, but also in pointing out some truths of life that we all seem to know, but we're never able to phrase them so gracefully. So many times in my reading I had those little moments of recognition, You're right! True! That's what we do! (E.g., "My mother had lost her sense of courtesy--she no longer insisted that someone else take the most comfortable seat or the largest portion.")
As for the plot, do you sometimes have that bittersweet experience of suspecting what will happen next and finding out you were right? I respect only those stories that outwit me (which is still most of what I've read), and so I respect The Letter Opener. The story moves slowly, which is skilfully signalled at the very beginning by Naiko's regular and quiet life, so you don't get the wrong idea and don't feel disappointed. Though it's almost devoid of mystery-style plot twists, the narrative is engaging on an emotional level: How will Naiko and Paolo end up? What the hell happened between Andrei and his lover? Why does Kana have to be so insensitive?
All in all, the books gives a pleasant feeling of completeness. Every word in it is necessary and every sentence makes sense. I'm looking forward to more.
April 25, 2014
Kyo Maclear is one of those rare authors who writes equally well for both kids and adults. Her kids' work is clever, luminous, and deceptively simple. Her adult work is lush, evocative, and contemplative. The Letter Opener is about a young, quiet woman who develops a relationship with a mysterious new co-worker, a refugee from Eastern Europe who bit by bit shares his tragic story. Much like Stray Love, what I will take from this book is the delicious language, vivid imagery, and the atmosphere of this book. Maclear is one of Canada's greats!
March 1, 2012
I loved it. I was so hoping to love it too, and it lived up to my expectations for sure. A really captivating story of several different people, all of them vastly different and strangely likeable. Loved the local references of a Toronto native writer also. A+
April 11, 2008
A simple yet complex novel. Beautiful writing style.
November 18, 2010
While this book was about the inner delving into a person's story, it took a laboring method to get to the point. (if there was one..)
January 22, 2015
Enjoyed the first half of this book, but found that I was ready for it to end after that point.
September 12, 2019
I enjoyed this book. It has a lyric quality and a depth of characters and descriptions that I really appreciated. The characters drive the book (rather than the plot) but those who people it are rich in detail, and likeable, and real feeling. I also enjoyed diving into all of the layers - the permanence and transience, of people, relationships, things, events, memories, life. The relationships between the characters, the different settings and times.
Overall, a solid read. I will look up other work by this author.
Overall, a solid read. I will look up other work by this author.
March 10, 2021
Beautifully crafted, beautifully written. Unlike so many books, it has a proper ending, which is particularly lovely given that the story and the ending itself are about loss, interruption of the predictable, and shifting memories - a lack of neat endings. Set in the late 80s, it references events that happened around me as a young adult to which I didn’t pay that much attention, particularly the Romanian revolution, which I learned more about through this story. I am surprised this novel did not win awards; it was deserving of them.
June 13, 2024
What is there to say? Besides read this book.
It is profound and close to home, and the bigger picture. It is the story of multiple people who live similar lives.
It is the interconnected-ness of human lives and those we interact with.
It is profound and close to home, and the bigger picture. It is the story of multiple people who live similar lives.
It is the interconnected-ness of human lives and those we interact with.
January 1, 2019
I well written story of losing somebody and finding something
August 20, 2019
Excellent. A perfect summer read.
October 30, 2023
Loved the writing, too many unanswered questions for me.
August 16, 2022
Having read Birds Art Life by Kyo Maclear, which was a memoir of one year of her life, I wanted to read more of her work. She is a children’s author, novelist and essayist who I found while visiting the bookshelves of my illustrator daughter. Although an artist herself, Kyo’s picture books are illustrated by many talented artists and I thought very intriguing.
This adult novel is written from the point of view of Naiko, who works in the Undeliverable Mail Office in Toronto. Her family think that the job is less than what she is capable of, and want more for her. Naiko's boyfriend, Paolo, is from Argentina and provides Naiko with support because he loves her and she loves her work and feels a sense of accomplishment when she can bring an item together with its intended recipient.
Naiko becomes friends with a new co-worker, Andrei, a refugee from Romania. Set in the late 80s, it references events which I didn’t pay that much attention to, particularly the Romanian revolution, which I learned more about through this story. Also the author gave the reader the life of the immigrant as they make a new life in North Ameerica.
“Andrei first entered a N. American grocery store three weeks after he arrived in Toronto. He was still staying in the settlement house, wearing mismatched clothes and his baseball cap, dreaming of a job and an apartment of his own. Before long, he knew how to ride the streetcar, how to operate the coin laundry, just from observing and copying others ….But entering a grocery store as large as a sports stadium was an entirely different matter. Andrei walked in on a whim, and found himself happily lost in a maze of aisles offering a variety of products beyond anything he could have imagined. Shrink-wrapped hams crowned with pineapple rings. Frozen meat pies with puffy gravy packets. Thigh-sized tubs of coffee-flavored yogurt. Sausage rolls the size of a man’s fist. He stopped in a section devoted to pet food. There were small tins with special pull tabs, unidentifiable cow and sheep parts gussied up to sound like a gourmet French feast. His stomach tightened at the sight. A swell of nausea overcame him as he saw orange-coloured frozen pizza samples, pepperoni sticks dotted with fat. In sight of the exit, his mind numb, he hurried past mounds of oversize produce….He stumbled through the automatic doors, feeling the cold from inside mixing with the heat outside.”
It took a while to get to know the characters but a depth of characters was described that I really appreciated. The characters drive the book (rather than the plot) but those who people it are rich in detail, and likeable, and real feeling. I also enjoyed diving into all of the layers - the permanence and transience, of people, relationships, things, events, memories, life. The relationships between the characters, the different settings and times. An altogether engrossing story of families, connections, memory and loss.
Maclear's sharp eye doesn't serve only in character building, but also in pointing out some truths of life that we all seem to know, but we're never able to phrase them so gracefully. So many times in my reading I had those little moments of recognition, "You're right!" " True! That's what we do!"
I respect The Letter Opener. The story moves slowly, which is skilfully signalled at the very beginning by Naiko's regular and quiet life, so you don't get the wrong idea and don't feel disappointed. Though it's almost devoid of mystery-style plot twists, the narrative is engaging and in the end the book gives a pleasant feeling of completeness. I want to read more by Kyo Maclear.
This adult novel is written from the point of view of Naiko, who works in the Undeliverable Mail Office in Toronto. Her family think that the job is less than what she is capable of, and want more for her. Naiko's boyfriend, Paolo, is from Argentina and provides Naiko with support because he loves her and she loves her work and feels a sense of accomplishment when she can bring an item together with its intended recipient.
Naiko becomes friends with a new co-worker, Andrei, a refugee from Romania. Set in the late 80s, it references events which I didn’t pay that much attention to, particularly the Romanian revolution, which I learned more about through this story. Also the author gave the reader the life of the immigrant as they make a new life in North Ameerica.
“Andrei first entered a N. American grocery store three weeks after he arrived in Toronto. He was still staying in the settlement house, wearing mismatched clothes and his baseball cap, dreaming of a job and an apartment of his own. Before long, he knew how to ride the streetcar, how to operate the coin laundry, just from observing and copying others ….But entering a grocery store as large as a sports stadium was an entirely different matter. Andrei walked in on a whim, and found himself happily lost in a maze of aisles offering a variety of products beyond anything he could have imagined. Shrink-wrapped hams crowned with pineapple rings. Frozen meat pies with puffy gravy packets. Thigh-sized tubs of coffee-flavored yogurt. Sausage rolls the size of a man’s fist. He stopped in a section devoted to pet food. There were small tins with special pull tabs, unidentifiable cow and sheep parts gussied up to sound like a gourmet French feast. His stomach tightened at the sight. A swell of nausea overcame him as he saw orange-coloured frozen pizza samples, pepperoni sticks dotted with fat. In sight of the exit, his mind numb, he hurried past mounds of oversize produce….He stumbled through the automatic doors, feeling the cold from inside mixing with the heat outside.”
It took a while to get to know the characters but a depth of characters was described that I really appreciated. The characters drive the book (rather than the plot) but those who people it are rich in detail, and likeable, and real feeling. I also enjoyed diving into all of the layers - the permanence and transience, of people, relationships, things, events, memories, life. The relationships between the characters, the different settings and times. An altogether engrossing story of families, connections, memory and loss.
Maclear's sharp eye doesn't serve only in character building, but also in pointing out some truths of life that we all seem to know, but we're never able to phrase them so gracefully. So many times in my reading I had those little moments of recognition, "You're right!" " True! That's what we do!"
I respect The Letter Opener. The story moves slowly, which is skilfully signalled at the very beginning by Naiko's regular and quiet life, so you don't get the wrong idea and don't feel disappointed. Though it's almost devoid of mystery-style plot twists, the narrative is engaging and in the end the book gives a pleasant feeling of completeness. I want to read more by Kyo Maclear.
September 6, 2013
Very unsatifying resolution.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews