This is one of those books I’ve been meaning to read for way too long. It originally published in 2020 and I’m really glad I finally picked it up.
The Prettiest Star tells the story of a young gay man, Brian, who escaped oppressive, rural, small town Ohio for NYC now returning to his conservative family home in the foothills of Appalachia in 1986, dying of AIDS and having watched many of his friends and loved ones succumb to the disease including his own partner. The story is told from three viewpoints: Brian, his mother, and his young teenaged sister.
The novel, at fewer than 300 pages, is just brimming with heartbreak and humanity and hope. Author Carter Sickels is a gay trans man from small town Ohio and he absolutely nails both the characters and setting of this story.
If you haven’t yet read The Prettiest Star take this as your sign that it’s time to do so!
That Bookish Life 