From Ireland, where her American mother and Irish father met in a pub, and later to Coral Springs, Florida, and the streets of New York City, Rhea's life is detailed through her letters to her dead mother. Life is harsh for the 17-year-old. She lost her arm in an accident as a young girl, endured the loss of her mother under questionable circumstances, survived her father's drinking, and questions her own sexuality. Irish author Cassidy does not sugarcoat the journey that takes Rhea to Florida to live with her aunt Ruth and cousin Laurie and then back up to New York to search for her mother's identity. Meeting up with Sergei, another searching soul on the streets, gives her something of a safe harbor for a while. Readers will root for Rhea to move forward as she grapples with the realities of her mother's hidden and abusive past. Through the letters, Cassidy develops Rhea's resolve and resiliency as she learns to accept both her family and her lineage. An effective story delivered via a unique structure.

Seventeen-year-old Rhea Farrell, has run away from home and is living in a variety of locations in New York City. As a young girl, Rhea was no stranger to trauma, having lost her arm in a freak accident in her father's butcher shop a year after her mother died. For the past eleven years, on Friday nights, she and her father have had a ritual that involved writing letters to Rhea's mother; sadly, Rhea ends up having to live with her aunt because of her father's alcoholism. Rhea is also dealing with her sexuality and is questioning herself as a person since she has been unable to keep a job after ending up in New York City, deeming it because of her missing arm; she feels employers are not willing to look past her appearance.Each "chapter" of How Many Letters Are in Goodbye? is a letter from Rhea to her mother, in which she describes all of the issues and problems that she has endured since losing her. She asks questions that were never answered and talks of all the wishes that she has had unfulfilled. Readers who enjoy sad or emotional stories will enjoy meeting Rhea, and while it is emotionally charged, this title will have a lasting impact, especially if readers can place themselves into Rhea's life.Beth H. Green.