Synopsis According to Goodreads:
1987. There’s only one person who has ever truly understood fourteen-year-old June Elbus, and that’s her uncle, the renowned painter Finn Weiss. Shy at school and distant from her older sister, June can only be herself in Finn’s company; he is her godfather, confidant, and best friend. So when he dies, far too young, of a mysterious illness her mother can barely speak about, June’s world is turned upside down. But Finn’s death brings a surprise acquaintance into June’s life—someone who will help her to heal, and to question what she thinks she knows about Finn, her family, and even her own heart.
At Finn’s funeral, June notices a strange man lingering just beyond the crowd. A few days later, she receives a package in the mail. Inside is a beautiful teapot she recognizes from Finn’s apartment, and a note from Toby, the stranger, asking for an opportunity to meet. As the two begin to spend time together, June realizes she’s not the only one who misses Finn, and if she can bring herself to trust this unexpected friend, he just might be the one she needs the most.
★★★★★ What I Thought/My Review:
This is a coming of age story with an interesting twist-it's set in a time when the aids epidemic is new and scary, and it's based around a young girl who's whole world is entirely altered by it.
Having lived in a time when this sad disease has been around for a long time, it was interesting to hear how it would have been for someone back then when it was new and had yet to have any kind of treatment for, and it was very sad to hear about how it altered her relationships and shook up her entire family. The heartbreak from the death and secrecy really makes this a not-so-typical coming of age story, however there are quite a few things thrown in that brings it back down to that category. Things such as learning to deal with their parents and being a "latchkey kid", fighting and growing distance between siblings, and learning more about boys and growing up than you expect to at fourteen.
Don't let that fool you, the main character has anything but normal relationships and feelings-some of which are a little worrisome and some of which account for those awkward teenage years.
Don't expect a very happy ending...
Still, it's a good read and I would recommend it.
I really enjoyed this book! As a history nerd, I enjoyed that it was set in a different time period (even if it was just 20/30 years back) and focused on something that was a huge issue then. I certainly cried a couple times while reading this book, but that's how I usually gauge that a book is well worth the read.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree. It was so interesting to see how it was back then when aids was just becoming something to worry about and people didn't know what to think.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review - I'm putting this on my wishlist. I was in junior high and high school back when the AIDS epidemic was just beginning, and one of my best friends later died of AIDS. I've never read any fiction about people dealing with AIDS back at the beginning. The character of June would have been around my age at that time, so I think it will be a really interesting read.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear about your loss. The book is definitely an interesting (and sad one) and it was a very informative read.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to like this book so badly. Everything about it screams "Britt's favorite book" but yet... I just didn't like it.
ReplyDeleteWhat didn't you like about it? (no judgements, just curiosity)
ReplyDeleteI honestly don't know!?! The writing, maybe? I also didn't love any of the characters. But I LOVED the plot for the most part, I loved the quirks, I loved the awareness (or lack of) of AIDS. I loved all that, but it just fell short for me for some reason :(
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