In Sight of Stars: A Novel

by Gae Polisner

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 Northollow.

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.

• ISBN10: 1250143837
• ISBN13: 9781250143839
• Publish Date: 1 April 2018
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 21 October 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: St Martin's Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 256
• Language: English

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

Shocker. I read another book about grief and loss, and I liked it, a lot. My penchant for this type of book is well known, but there were so many other things I loved about this beautifully written story of love, loss, and healing.

•Pro: The writing was exquisite. Besides it being so painfully beautiful at times, it also masterfully helped me slip into Klee's mental state. In the beginning of the story, where Klee was in crisis, the writing was a little choppy, but as Klee started working through his issues, it became more lucid and orderly. I thought that was brilliant.

•Pro: I was also a fan of the story structure. Polisner slowly reveals how Klee ended up at Ape Can, and these pieces were revealed via remembrances of Klee's or by him recounting the events during therapy sessions as he started to come to terms with what brought him to this point. Once again, these memories are tinged by his mental state, and some were even revisited as he gained more clarity.

•Con: I was not a super-fan of Sarah's. It was easy to see the girl was slightly damaged and not good for Klee, but I did think Polisner gave both Klee and Sarah some insight into each other at the end.

•Pro: Dr. Alvarez, Klee's therapist, and Sister Agnes Teresa, a volunteer at Ape Can, were such stand out characters, and I loved how they each helped Klee on his road to recovery. Their approach was quite different, but both were so supportive and gave him exactly what he needed, when he needed it. They dropped a serious amount of wisdom nuggets too.

•Pro: Speaking of wisdom nuggets. I found myself furiously highlighting throughout this book. So much food for thought.

•Pro: All the van Gogh stuff was really interesting, and I liked the way Polisner wove those bits into the story.

"And the sight of stars," she says, reaching up to point through the trees, "is always right there. Right in your line of vision. Even on the cloudiest day. They don't disappear, you know, just because the clouds are obscuring them. They're always still there. Waiting."

Overall: This was an achingly beautiful book about something painful, which I found to be honest, touching, and encouraging.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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