The art of Vincent Van Gogh is front and center in this YA story of Klee (pronounced Clay) Alden , a seventeen year old young man who suddenly finds himself an inpatient in an adolescent mental facility.

Klee’s father, a lover of all things Van Gogh and afflicted with undiagnosed depression, took his own life and Klee was the one to discover the body. His mother, who Klee blames for his father’s death, determines that a change of scene is advisable and moves their little family from the pandemonium of NYC to a house in the “burbs”, and a new school.

The stress of his father’s suicide, the new environment and Klee’s feelings of guilt and isolation cause him to commit an act that results in a two week stint in the adolescent mental facility dubbed THE APE CAN where he meets several individuals, some real and others the result of his hallucinations, that are all instrumental in the success of his recovery.

The topics IN SIGHT OF STARS unflinchingly explores are examined with unsparing candor and thanks to well-sustained dramatic tension and a bit of humor contribute to a fully developed and triumphantly resolved exploration of one young man's acceptance of his parents, as well as himself, as flawed human beings worthy of love and understanding.

Thank you to Gae Polisner and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was kind of beautiful. The journey of coming to terms with the root of your pain. And the how the process is long and hard and sometimes gets much worse before it gets better. I highly recommend.

Klee dreams of being an artist. He worshipped his father, but something inside him lost its spark with his suicide.
When we first meet Klee he is in an institution. We don’t know what he’s done, but we can tell it has had a serious impact.
For a relatively short book this packed quite a lot in. The resolution was great, but the choppy style that led us to that point made it hard to really engage with.
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this.

Seventeen-year-old Klee’s life has changed immensely in the past year. He’s living in the suburbs. He’s in love with the volatile and free-spirited Sarah. And his beloved father, who taught him about art and explored New York City with him, is dead.
When life with his ice queen mother gets to be too much and an unexpected betrayal sends him over the edge, Klee ends up in the “Ape Can,” a psychiatric hospital for teens.

Klee must deal with his past if he’s ever to get back to his real life, but that means exploring the darkness and the secrets he doesn’t even know are there. Pushing people away has always been the easy way out, but Klee will have to learn to trust if he’s ever to heal.

In Sight of Stars alternates between the present, when Klee is hospitalized, and the past, events leading up to his breakdown. Klee is a fascinating character: he’s broken, but he longs for wholeness and belonging, despite the blows the world keeps raining on him. This is a look at mental illness from the inside, gazing at the hurt and confusion that ripped one boy’s life to shreds, and how he learns to knit those shreds back into something whole.

I enjoyed reading this, and loved learning the truth right along with Klee, as he searches for the meaning in his past, his present, and his future. There’s a little bit of Klee’s brokenness in all of us. And, hopefully, his strength as well.

(Galley provided by St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Life in a temporary YA mental health facility is the setting. The protagonist, Klee, has a VanGogh obsession and a difficult set of circumstances in this coming of story.

I loved the novel, loved his acceptance of his lot in life, and loved his ability to forgive and go forward.

Wow.

In Sight of Stars was an unexpectedly good read. I say that because the first handful of pages of the book struck me as so bizarre and somewhat creepy that I really wasn't sure I would even finish it, much less LIKE it.

But instead I found a wonderful, moving and thought provoking story, with several characters that really stood out for me, including Klee (pronounced Clay, you'll see why in the book,) Dr Alvarez, and the nun.

People of a variety of ages can get something from this book, from early high school through adulthood. Love, family relationships, romantic relationships, arts, spirituality, so many things are touched on in this book.

I'm glad I read it!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read a galley edition of this book. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

This is one of those cases where I wish I could have read the first chapter before requesting to read the entire novel. If I had, I wouldn't have requested it. I struggled with the writing, and it was a bit too raw for me. The writing is strong, just not to my taste. I did not finish.

I loved the voice of this novel. The book starts with an incident of self-harm that leads to the hospitalization of the main character. Told from Klee’s point of view, the initial chapters are as chaotic and confused as his mental state. It’s only as Klee begins to heal that the story itself gains clarity.
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The Van Gogh motif is lovely and adds depth and interest. Altogether this is a positive and hopeful story of mental illness and resilience.

4.5 stars, rounded up.

Klee (pronounced "Clay") worshiped his father. They shared a love for art and artists, especially van Gogh, and they spent countless hours together painting and visiting museums and galleries, and Klee loved listening to his father's stories, even the ones which were so clearly made up. He knew his father gave up his dreams of becoming an artist to have a stable job as a lawyer, but his father wants him to have the chances he never had.

His father's sudden death turns Klee's life utterly upside down. He's forced to leave New York City, leave his best friends behind, and move to a house in the suburbs with his mother, whom he thinks of as "The Ice Queen." He doesn't think she's sad enough about his father dying, and he blames her for everything that has gone wrong. But he just needs to bide his time a little bit longer before he can go to art school in Boston, fulfilling his father's wishes.

Klee feels angry and abandoned, and isn't dealing well with his grief. But then he meets Sarah, a free-spirited girl in his art class at his new school, and he is drawn to her immediately. She simultaneously draws him in and keeps him at arm's length, but she recognizes Klee's talent and his generous heart (as well as his abs). He starts to think that perhaps Sarah can save him from his crushing grief, but she has her own troubles, and doesn't like it when he broods.

"I follow silently, wondering what it is about her that breaks my heart and fills it at the same time, that scares me but comforts me, that makes me want to tell her things I can't begin to find words for."

One night, feeling that Sarah is pulling away from him and suddenly being confronted with what he believes is the truth about his parents' marriage, things go utterly, utterly wrong. In a moment of abject despair, Klee's actions land him in what is known as the "Ape Can," a psychiatric hospital for teenagers.

As Klee begins to deal with the feelings that sent him spiraling downward, he must begin to confront the truth—about his father, his mother, his parents' relationship, and his relationship with Sarah, and he needs to figure out what is real and what he has imagined, or dreamed into existence. With the help of an understanding therapist, a unique hospital volunteer, and a few of his fellow patients, he starts to realize that he can pick up the pieces and live his life doing what he loves—art.

In Sight of Stars (taken from the van Gogh quote, "For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream") is told in two perspectives—present time and Klee's life after his father's death—in order to get a full picture of the challenges he has faced, and you get to uncover the truth at the same time he does. It is gorgeously told, and you feel the emotions, the struggles, the epiphanies that Klee does.

Gae Polisner, whose last book, The Memory of Things, made my list of the best books I read in 2016, writes with such beauty, such empathy, such heart. I loved these characters, and wouldn't have minded if the book were twice as long.

I struggled a bit with the start of the book, because in an effort to help you see things from Klee's traumatized and drugged perspective, the narration was a little jumbled and I wasn't sure what was real and what were his hallucinations. But that ended quickly, and I found myself utterly hooked on this story, needing to figure out what had happened. Polisner made me cry, she made me laugh, and she made me think. There were so many times I just marveled at her turn of phrase, or a piece of imagery.

In Sight of Stars might not necessarily break new ground, but it touched my heart and my mind. This is a book that says you can't go it alone, that we need to come to terms with the flaws of those around us as well as our own flaws, admit what is hurting or bothering us, and that is how we can find the strength to move on. I hope those who need to hear that message get their hands on this book.

NetGalley and St. Martin's Press provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!

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.

‘There was a time when I felt happy and normal.’

Klee Alden is seventeen years old when the world he was comfortable in changes forever. His father, the centre of his universe, dies. He has committed suicide, and it is Klee who finds him. Klee (pronounced Clay) has explored New York City’s museums and art galleries with his father, learned about the lives and loves of great artists, experienced the magic his father could generate.

We meet Klee in a psychiatric hospital for teenagers. And, as we find out why Klee is in hospital, we learn about how his life changed after his father’s death and why Sarah, a girl he met in art class, has become so important to him.

I was deeply moved by this story. There are two main reasons for this. First, I had some experience myself as a teenager in a psychiatric institution and although that experience is over forty years ago, I remember trying (and failing for a long time) to make sense of what was happening. The world had shifted, and my place in it ceased to exist. Secondly, and more importantly, Ms Polisner takes Klee through the journey he needs to make in a way which felt so real (at least to me). Relearning how (and who) to trust, adjusting to medication, realizing that there is usually more than one reality (and certainly more than one view of it). Klee’s struggles are never trivialised, his views are not discounted. But he learns (as we all do if we survive the journey into adulthood) that our knowledge is often incomplete, our interpretations sometimes flawed.

Klee’s journey involves a number of different characters. We see each of them through Klee’s eyes, so our images are sometimes incomplete. I finished the novel hopeful that Klee would find a new ‘happy and normal’. I finished the novel knowing that I would be rereading it again at some stage. Why? Because there are several layers to Klee’s story, and I know that I’ve not yet absorbed them all.

This is Ms Polisner’s fourth published novel. I’ve enjoyed each of the three novels I’ve read (‘The Summer of Letting Go’ is still on my reading list). Ms Polisner has a gift for creating believable characters in challenging situations, the kind of fiction many young adults can relate to.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

I find I both admire and am frustrated by this book. On the one hand, its a different presentation of mental illness. We have not depression or bipolar disorder (both of which are becoming more normalized) nor even scizophreniform disorder. More of what would have been called a psychotic break. And its not easily resolved. He's medicated, has therapy, builds tenuous relationships with people, some of which are damaged beyond repair. He doesn't go back to his life, virtually unchanged. Yet, some of the plot points were a bit overly tidy.

I have read and loved all of Polisner’s novels and this one is no exception. Klee Alden has lost his father, moved to a new town, left all his friends, and has isolated himself from his mother due to her “ice queen” actions. When he is horribly betrayed at a party, he ends up in treatment at an in-patient facility. As we go forward and back in time, we learn a great deal about Klee and his parents, and Klee learns about himself, and a strong and resolute Klee emerges. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to be an advanced reader in exchange for my fair and honest review.

In Sight of Stars is the first book by Gae Polisner that I’ve read, but I wish I’d discovered her sooner, because this is an excellent read.

The story is initially a bit difficult to understand, because Polisner is writing from the point of view of her main character, Klee, who is having a psychotic break. The reader experiences his mental confusion with him, both during the break itself and then as he wakes up in an in-patient treatment facility, disoriented and experiencing hallucinations. It was a bit off putting, but that part of the story doesn’t last too long, thankfully.

As Klee becomes more mentally stable, Polisner slowly draws back the curtain on what drove him to the breaking point. Moving back and forth between Klee’s present in treatment and the past experiences that brought him there, she builds a picture of a teenager driven to the edge by the tragic death of his father as well as by his own inability to ask for the support he needs to process what has happened. Rather than dealing with his loss, he tries to substitute other feelings, falling in love for the first time. However, Klee’s not really in a place to build a healthy relationship, and the more tightly he clings to his girlfriend, Sarah, the more troubled their connection becomes. It’s a confrontation with Sarah that finally precipitates his breakdown and puts him on the path to recovery.

This is a very brief novel, not much longer than a novella, but the story really packs a punch. Polisner does an excellent job exploring how vulnerable anyone can be to mental problems. There’s such a stigma around mental illness, and most people want to believe that it could never happen to them, but as Klee’s therapist points out, anyone can be buffeted by events to the point that they are sent spiraling. No one should be ashamed to reach out for help, even if that involves seeking out a professional therapist. Polisner does a good job showing how recovery is possible and how a mental breakdown like Klee’s doesn’t mean that a person is forever broken.

The other important focus of the book is art. Both Klee and his father are artists, and his father’s favorite painter is Vincent Van Gogh, who quite famously went mad himself. There’s a lot of discussion of Van Gogh’s works and his illness, and how the two were—and were not—linked. I’ve never been a fan of Van Gogh’s, but this book has definitely increased my appreciation of the artist.

Highly recommended for anyone looking for a quick but powerful read on the topic of mental illness.

A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.

A heartbreaking and triumphant story of Klee and mental illness and how we can all use a helping had even if we don't know how to attain it.

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 are revealed via remembrances of Klee's or by him recounting the events during therapy sessions as he starts 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 about each other in the end.

•Pro: Dr. Alvarez, Klee's therapist, and Sister Agnes Teresa, a volunteer at Ape Can, were such stand out characters. 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 it 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.

Over the past year, I've read many works of fiction that shine a light on mental illness, but never one quite like In Sight of Stars by Gae Polisner. This story tackled suicide, depression, and healing in a raw way that will give hope to so many readers, both young and old.

It was heartbreaking to read of the main character's struggles because it felt so authentic. Polisner beautifully captured the inner workings of a teenager who has lost a parent, been betrayed, and feels worthless. The portrayal of being heavily medicated and experiencing hallucinations was frighteningly accurate. Yet, the main character improves with every page, which is exactly the type of representation we need.

My favorite part of this book was the dialogue between Klee and Dr. Alvarez. For some reason there is a stigma in today's society with talking to a therapist, but this really showed that it's okay to open up and let them help you work through your battles.

My only issue was the structure of this book; the lack of chapters made this very difficult for me to get through. Although that's just my preference and I completely understand why it was formatted this way. The book's presentation helps the reader to understand how days were blurring together for the main character and aids in visualizing the healing process.

All together, I loved how honest this story was and think it can really help bring up the conversation of mental illness in a positive way.

Thanks to NetGalley for this arc.
Teens have a tough time being who they are or who they want to be. Gae Polisner knows that, has written a poignant story of one struggling high school senior, Klee, whose father is so important to him, an artist who gave it up to make a better living as a lawyer. But as an artist at home, he spent special time telling Klee stories, teaching him about artists and art. He did that until he died.
Now Klee had not only to give up his life with his father, but his mother forced him to move to the suburbs from NYC with its city life full of his friends and museums. In his new school, he’s isolated, not much caring about making new friends. After all, he’ll be out of there soon and off to college. But, in his art class is a girl named Sarah, wild and free, the only thing in Klee’s new life that brings some happiness. He’s hurting, but with her, he’s finding solace. Polisner handles the scenes with complexity. The plot moves from the bigger crisis, back to the story’s beginning, then to another place in time, back and forth in Klee’s life that keeps your heart in your throat, wondering, as teens will, “OMG, that is what’s going to happen”. It felt sad to read of Klee’s sinking emotions, soaring up when he exuded happiness, only to sink again.
All this time Klee has been hiding all the hard emotions of loss and anger, and when still another betrayal occurs, he lands in the “Ape Can”, a psychiatric hospital for teens. Piece by piece he learns to look closely at the real and the fiction with his therapist, a wise woman who helps him navigate the hard truths and learn to celebrate the good. It’s a great story, one that I recognized connecting to a few of my own students in various times of my teaching life. What will it do for students? It may show them that they are not the only one who has feelings like Klee, that if they don’t feel those feelings, they might know someone who does, someone who needs help. You might yourself know a child or adult who’s struggling. Reading Klee’s story will aid understanding. Thanks to Gae Polisner for the beautiful story. Thanks to NetGalley.

Although this is one of my favorite authors, the content was too mature for my middle school students. If I were a high school librarian, I would definitely consider this book for the collection.

Klee Alden has been very badly messed up since his father’s death. In trying to repress his despair and grief, naturally he makes things worse, and the first chapter sees Klee reacting to a situation in a dangerous and harmful way. When he wakes up to find himself in the ‘Ape Can’, a mental health facility for young people, we can see it’s going to be a long journey for him.

The story cleverly uses flashbacks and hallucinations to reflect Klee’s troubled state of mind. As the story progresses, and Klee starts to stabilise the narrative becomes less dream-like, and more direct. Secrets are revealed slowly, and we are led through the past eight months of Klee’s life, slowly and deliberately. Some of it is very hard to read, but Klee himself is a likeable character, one that readers want to see improve. We also want to know what’s the centre of his incredible melt down.

We also see the difficult relationship he shares with his mother, and there’s a girl Sarah who is impossible to decipher. We only have Klee’s very biased view of her, and in this sense, he is somewhat unreliable and misled. The other secondary characters have very small, but significant roles—best friend from his previous life, Cleto and current therapist Dr Alvarez who both only want the best for this terribly traumatised boy. I very much enjoyed meeting Sister Teresa Agnes, who may or may not be a figment of Klee’s impressionable mind. Her wise words and quirky ways challenge Klee to look at himself and others in new and enlightening ways.

I love the role Art plays here, and it’s been a recurrent theme in several YA books I have read recently. Art as therapy, as a way to connect with parents, and as an avenue to discovering identity—these are all valid and positive representations of the way can be utilised to great effect. Klee’s art work is very much an integral part of who he is, and that developed from his close bond with his father. The connections are well developed and make for a well crafted novel.

This novel is intense and recommended to those readers who are prepared to go to the depths of despair with characters before pulling themselves out, who like male narrators falling for girls, who show them how to be better, and who appreciate that mental illness is not always something to be cured.

Copy was provide by publisher, via Netgalley and read with thanks. In Sight of Stars will be out (in the US) on March 13.