It's 1987, and June Elbus is like every other fourteen-year-old girl. Her parents don't understand her, and her older sister has become distant, angry, and unapproachable. The only person who accepts and knows June is her best friend, Uncle Finn, a world renowned painter. Until he is no longer there, taken by a disease June's mother can't bear to mention. Watching her uncle fade before her eyes, June struggles to deal with the loss while also trying to cope with remote parents and a rapidly maturing older sister. Then a stranger comes into June's life, a man who knew her uncle and misses him too. This stranger helps June accept what happened and challenges her and her family to come together once again.
A heartrending account of a family torn apart by grief, the stigma of AIDS in the 1980's, and the slow healing process every person must go through to recover from bereavement. An important story conveying genuine emotion and realistically flawed but forgivable characters. Although a great read for adults, June's coming-of-age story will also resonate with teens.
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