In The Book of Ruth, the love between a daughter and her mother-in-law is stronger than anything else-sustaining and all consuming. Modeled on this biblical tale, Love Letters explores author Nitza Agam's own close relationship with her mother, Naomi.

Using a mixture of prose and poetry, Agam weaves patches of memories together to create a literary quilt depicting the two intertwined lives. She reflects on the lunches of tuna sandwiches and chocolate pudding her mother lovingly made her when Agam was a child, as well as her helplessness in the face of her mother's incurable...