Klee finds himself in a pysch ward after one final emotional stressor too many. He deals with his spectacular meltdown through therapy told to us in flashbacks. The whole thing progresses rather quickly with a rather big reveal for him towards the end, but ends on a hopeful note. ( )

Klee (pronounced Clay) is the son of a frustrated artist working as a lawyer. After he finds he father dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Klee's mother moves him to a small community in upstate New York. Klee knows nobody there, doesn't fit in, and misses his friends. He begins a relationship with a girl named Sarah, but when she betrays him, he has a breakdown and is placed in the local mental hospital. ( )

After his father commits suicide, Klee’s mother buys a house in the suburbs so Klee has to start his senior year in a new school. Away from his friends and his familiar city environment, Klee struggles to adapt. Unable to deal with his grief and unhinged by a careless act, he ends up in a psychiatric hospital. With medication and therapy Klee gradually learns to cope with his father’s death and accept the truth about his father’s life and his family. In Sight of Stars is a sensitive exploration of how we can feel broken, alone, and helpless, but “the thing we learn if we make it through is that we’re not.” Teens need this novel which shows that no matter what has happened there is help, there are people who will care if you open up, there is hope, and there is a way to move forward. ( )

In this poignant and powerful novel, Polisner tells the story of Klee Alden, a high school senior and aspiring artist who experiences profound grief after his father’s suicide. Save for flashbacks and dream sequences, the novel is set almost entirely within the confines of a psychiatric hospital where Klee is undergoing therapy.
The claustrophobic setting effectively echoes the increasing suffocation of the truth that Klee slowly uncovers during his stay.

In similar fashion, the narrative itself—a woven tapestry of the present, Klee’s memories of his father, his friends, and his girlfriend Sarah, along with Klee’s dreams and fanciful perceptions of Van Gogh and his paintings—expertly reflects the seemingly disjointed but nonetheless connected stream of thoughts and feelings that cascade through Klee’s mind as he struggles to come to terms with both the causes and consequences of his father’s death.

Polisner’s novel is remarkable not only for the honest emotion that permeates Klee’s story (when he finally understands just how little he knew about the father he loved, the revelation is bracing) but also because it grapples with the increasingly common phenomenon of adolescent depression. Featuring a broad range of captivating supporting characters that Polisner develops with skill (I’m still not convinced that Sister Agnes Teresa is real), this novel will grip you with its candor and hug you with its hope. Highly recommended—add bonus points if you’re an art lover. ( )