New Release+Review: In Sight Of Stars by Gae Polisner

Seventeen-year-old Klee’s father was the center of his life. He introduced Klee to the great museums of New York City and the important artists on their walls, he told him stories made of myths and magic. Until his death.

Now, forced to live in the suburbs with his mom, Klee can’t help but feel he’s lost all the identifying parts of himself—his beloved father, weekly trips to the MoMA, and the thrumming energy of New York City. That is until he meets wild and free Sarah in art class, with her quick smiles and jokes about his “brooding.” Suddenly it seems as if she’s the only thing that makes him happy. But when an act of betrayal sends him reeling, Klee lands in what is bitingly referred to as the “Ape Can,” a psychiatric hospital for teens in Northhollow.

While there, he undergoes intensive therapy and goes back over the pieces of his life to find out what was real, what wasn’t, and whether he can stand on his own feet again. Told in alternating timelines, leading up to the event that gets him committed and working towards getting back out, Gae Polisner’s In Sight of Stars is a gorgeous novel told in minimalist strokes to maximal effect, about what makes us fall apart and how we can put ourselves back together again.

Shelly’s Review: 

In this story we meet Klee who cuts his neck with a knife at a party. Afterwards we are transported to past plus we see what leads up to the event. Klee was going through a difficult time with a parent passing and I honestly felt he would have done well with some counseling. I really liked that we got to see what was going on with Klee and how he’s been feeling the last year. Throughout this story there are some twists that I didn’t see coming and now certain things make sense. We also have a romance between Klee and Sarah and that plays a part as well.

This story serves as a strong reminder that if you’re going through something please reach out and talk to someone. Klee kept everything bottled in and once he reached his limit he broke. It was so sad to him break but watching him find himself was worth ounce of heartbreak.

I’ve never read anything by this author and I enjoyed her writing style. I would have liked a follow up with the main character. I felt like the ending was a little abrupt but overall I loved the story. The subject matter is about mental illness and I applaud the author for writing a book about this topic. Mental illness is a real thing and it’s nice to see more books being written. Okay, I’ll stop with the PSA.

4 Book Corner Stars

*Received copy from NetGalley and I voluntarily left a review*

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