The book Letters From The Inside is a book of grim and disturbing realism. John Marsden has written the book with many underlying themes that relay messages that the author wants to send to his readers leaving them with something to think about. The basic outline of the book is that there are 2 teenage girls Mandy and Tracey who correspond with each other via letters. Tracey tells Mandy that she comes from a rich family; she has 2 other siblings and is a very good basketballer. Mandy comes from a middle-class background with an older brother and sister. However as they continue to write to each other it becomes apparent that there is something deeply disturbing about both of their lives. Finally Tracey admits that she is an inmate at a maximum-security juvenile detention centre and that she just wanted to discover what it was like to live in a normal family. Mandy also reveals that her brother is a violent weapons freak and that she is very afraid of him. Their friendship then develops into a really deep one where the girls both feel comfortable telling their deepest and darkest secrets even though their friendship is impeded by social and physical boundaries. .
Friendship is probably the most important theme in Letters From The Inside. Marsden has redefined our interpretation of the meaning of the word friend or friendship. He shows that we do no need to necessarily see our friends every day or indeed every week, they can be people that we have never met before. He demonstrates that people only need to be trusting, loyal and of course truthful to be considered friends. The strength of their relationship and their love for each other is displayed when out of the blue Tracey just says in one of her letter "You know Manna, I fucking love you". He demonstrates in the book that two seemingly opposite people can find an emotional link or bond where they feel comfortable in telling their deepest darkest secrets even though they are hindered by social and physical boundaries.