Hi readers!
A little different post day: You know those books that just hit you? The ones that you can’t always articulate how much they mean to you in a comprehensive review? The ones that crack you open as a person and seem to say, “I understand your experiences”? Well, The Weight of the Stars is one of those books for me in 2021 (along with Himawari House).
All I wanted to do after finishing this book was hug it and mull over what just happened. The Weight of the Stars hits you in the feels, yes, because of its tragedy, but it also digs deeper because of how relatable it is. These are everyday teens just trying to live in the best way that they know. So, here is my love letter to The Weight of the Stars:
A LOVE LETTER TO THE WEIGHT OF THE STARS
I have never read a book quite like The Weight of the Stars. You know I love found-family; I will melt every time I find a book with it. But this…this one is found-family to its absolute core.
These teens, as K. Ancrum writes in her author’s note, “throttle their trauma,” and they do so with the others surrounding them. They were pulled together by Ryann Bird, who leaves no one behind. She is a character so filled with love and understanding.
There are not enough words in the English language to describe what this book means to me. It is an emotional journey to read The Weight of the Stars, and it is a raw illumination on humanity. What we love, what we lose, what we forge despite the trauma we experience. These teens grow beyond what life pounded into them, and they do so with one another.
I believe this story is vital for teens to read, especially those grieving or living in the wake of generational trauma and the mistakes of others (which, to be honest, is most of us, if not all). If you’ve been around, you might’ve seen that I mention the graphic novel Himawari House a lot. I love that book because of its friendship and its musings on identity and being “enough.” On a similar thread, I love The Weight of the Stars because of its assertion that there is more to build even after constantly looking back on your past. There are stark depictions of grief, and there are equally as straightforward moments of healing, although that process may be slow and difficult.
We all have something to lose, but, as The Weight of the Stars shows us, we also have so much to give.
So thank you, Kayla Ancrum and The Weight of the Stars.
❣️ Sara
If you could write a letter to a book, which one would you choose?
Until next time,
Banner image courtesy of InstaWalli from Pexels.
LYRICAL READS 