Educating Myself Through Fiction
Book review of The Prettiest Star by Carter Sickels
A friend of mine recommended The Prettiest Star by Carter Sickels to me, and I knew I had to read it immediately. The book is set during the heartbreaking AIDS epidemic in the 80s.
Triggers: mention of suicide, poor family relationships, and homophobia, descriptions of AIDS symptoms.
Synopsis
Brian Jackson is from small-town Appalachia, specifically Chester, Ohio. Brian Jackson is also gay, and that’s frowned upon back home, so he makes his journey to NYC. Within six short years, Brian loses his lover and his friends to AIDS, and it also takes over his body. With nothing left in NYC, he moves back home to die with very little support.
Review
We live our lives not realizing when moments are special or which are ordinary — what will we remember, what memories will we try to grab onto, to hold close? All of these moments that make up a life.
I’ve never read a book set during the AIDS epidemic. The Prettiest Star seems like such an important glimpse into how lonely it must have been for everyone who suffered from the virus. If it wasn’t the panic over how the virus was transmitted, it was the mass homophobia. The story was difficult to read at times because of that.
Characters
Each chapter in the book alternates between Brian and his immediate family. There is Sharon (mother), Travis (dad), and Jess (sister). All of them upset me in one way or another. The ignorance that they all choose to hold on to makes me want to cry.
First and foremost, Travis is insufferable. I wouldn’t have finished the book if there was more than one section from his POV. I cannot imagine seeing my child sick and dying and saying they’re undeserving of love.
Sharon is a different ball game. She is as two-faced as they come. I hate how she’d be sweet to Brian’s face then played the victim whenever Brian was in a predicament the whole town knew about it. There’s a scene where Sharon goes by a different name so they don’t know her as Brian’s mother. That alone made me want to shut the book and never open it again.
Brian’s little sister Jess is the cherry on top. She’s in her world for most of the book. I understand why they had her perspective, but I’d replace her with her and Brian’s grandma, Lettie. Lettie is the only light in Brian’s life, and I wish we could have gotten her side of the story. I really didn’t care for Jess’s side of the story. It only caused excess drama. I don’t have much to say about her except that she was a brat the whole book.
Last but certainly not least is Brian Jackson. His sections were him filming himself, and I thought that was such a clever way to write his part; A very raw, in-the-moment point of view. It breaks my heart that he didn’t get the love he deserved. The ending of this book didn’t make me cry, but I can see how someone would. The craving to be loved by his own family slid under the radar until the last few pages, and my heart broke into a million pieces.
Discussion
The discussion that needs to happen after reading this book is very apparent. I understand that the knowledge about the virus is much stronger now than in the 80s, but it still deserves discussion and funding. This book is worthy of reading in 2022 regardless of the different mindsets.
It broke my heart that those times were chock full of homophobia. I wish I could take what I know now and educate the people of the 80s. Certain members of my family are stuck in that period. They’re close-minded and ignorant. Unfortunately, with how things are going right now, fighting for the simple freedom of loving who you want to love is just as important as it was then.
Overall
If you take anything from this review, let it be that you should be kind to people. You never know what’s going on in their lives. Continue to educate yourself on topics like the ones discussed in this book.
I have nothing bad to say about the book, and I think you all should read it if you’re interested!
