I first read the novel Up the Down Staircase by Bel Kaufman when I was in high school. Published in 1965, it’s the story of a first-year teacher in a rough New York City school, told through letters, classroom memos, fragments of dialogue, and other ephemera. I’d never seen anything like it, and to this day, I have tremendous admiration for any writer who can pull of an epistolary novel successfully.

I read another admirable one recently. In Completeness of the Soul: The Life and Opinions of Jay Breeze, Rock Star, author Jim Booth tells the story of a fictional 70s rocker through the stuff left behind after the star’s death, including Breeze’s letters and other written fragments: magazine articles about him, track lists and lyrics from his band’s albums, and the memories of Breeze’s literary executor, Charlie Beagle. Beagle is a one-time Rolling Stone contributing editor who invited…