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A review by knitter22
The Prettiest Star by Carter Sickels
4.0
When you begin reading The Prettiest Star you pretty much know what will happen in the end, but what you don't know is how you will get to that ending, nor how Brian's family will make that journey. Set in 1986, it's the story of Brian, a 24-year-old young man diagnosed with AIDS who returns home to Chester, Ohio. He returns home from New York City after his partner Shawn's death, because he doesn't want to die in a hospital in NYC. Chester is a small rural town in the Appalachian foothills where people think homosexuality is a sin and HIV/AIDS is divine retribution. Brian's parents Sharon and Travis are ashamed of their son and this doesn't change when they are subjected to months of cruelty and hatred from their neighbors.
Books almost never make me cry, but even my hard-heartedness could not withstand the immense sadness in The Prettiest Star. From Sharon trying her best to be a caring mother to Brian but finding that her best comes up short, to Travis pretending his son is not gay and sick, to the church congregation who just want to have a gathering at the local pool without their fear and ignorance surfacing, every character in this story is flawed and human. The Prettiest Star is heart-breaking, beautiful, and a worthwhile read.
Books almost never make me cry, but even my hard-heartedness could not withstand the immense sadness in The Prettiest Star. From Sharon trying her best to be a caring mother to Brian but finding that her best comes up short, to Travis pretending his son is not gay and sick, to the church congregation who just want to have a gathering at the local pool without their fear and ignorance surfacing, every character in this story is flawed and human. The Prettiest Star is heart-breaking, beautiful, and a worthwhile read.