Drowning in Stars

Find yourself drown in poignant emotions and haunting angst.

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1. DROWNING IN STARS by Debra Anastasia

SYNOPSIS

…he walked a tightrope five stories up just to hold my hand.

Gaze: I moved into the building next to Pixie when I was eleven. She blew bubbles through my window. I shot my Nerf gun through hers. We both had secrets, but one of us was fated to get hurt. I wanted it to be me.

Pixie: When I was afraid of the dark, he would shine a light in my window. We shared our popsicles and I taught him how to get a good swing on the playground. I never imagined I’d have to decide who got to live and who didn’t. I chose him—and he could never know.

She walked a tightrope five stories up just to save my life…

BOOK REVIEW

Debra Anastasia didn’t create a feel-good kind of novel. Drowning in Stars was an extremely heavy read, at least for me. The book covered a period of six years, throughout which the main characters experienced resilience and sacrifice, ultimate survival, and innocent love.

The book opened with a scene of the start of a brave friendship between Pixie Rae and Gaze on the day of the former’s birthday. They were just two 12-year-olds who found solace in each other a bubble gun away. Their life in New York was rough, to say the least, and the illustration of the circumstances they had to live under seemed realistic and quite appropriate for nowadays. Pixie’s mother worked three jobs and was barely home, while Gaze’s father was an extremely vicious man. The money was always an issue, and the future was never clear. But despite all the hardships, Pixie and Gaze had each other, and that turned out to be more than enough. He comforted her in her loneliness and she offered the protection and warmth he had never had. Things didn’t always go as one would hope, and eventually, they had to fight battle too big for their tiny shoulders…

“I had to choose between you or me. I chose you.”

Pixie Rae Stone was a force of nature, tough with a heart of gold. She was a girl who knew how to take care of herself, as well as how to be that person who would be strong for others when they needed it the most. Pixie was also a true warrior full of compassion and feist. It hurt me greatly to witness all the shit she absolutely didn’t deserve that happened to her and the way she was forced to change under the unfortunate circumstances she had to live under.

“She’d always be my hero. I just wanted to do everything I could to be hers as well.”

Gaze Patrick Jones was an average kid who kept to himself (partly, because of a poor excuse of a father who was a drunk and an abuser). But when he met Pixie Rae he just knew that his life would never be the same. He was such a beautiful soul, very protective and caring. His love for Pixie was honest, and dedication to her was swoon-worthy.

“You’re my heart. They know that. They all know that. There’s no me without you.”

Pixie and Gaze were good for each other. You will not read some steamy romance but find a heartbreakingly beautiful love story between a boy and a girl who never had an opportunity to be just kids.

As far as the overall content went, the covered subject matters may be too dark for young readers. There were some joyous moments here and there, but most of the time, the words and feelings they evoked were too much… Creepy, disgusting, unforgivable…

I couldn’t finish the book in one sitting. About thirty percent into Drowning in Stars I put it down and came back only the next day. Because things were about to get nasty in the story. Because child sexual abuse is never something to be addressed lightly (at least for me, the topic is just overwhelming and disturbing, so trigger warning for that and many other types of abuse prevalent throughout the book). Because even fictional characters possess feelings, which are transferred to a reader if a book is good…

I think Drowning in Stars was a good book indeed. But nothing outstanding really. The book had a lot of potential but ultimately missed something significant to make it pop up among the rest of the same kind in the genre... However, I do recommend it for those who enjoy stories with a childhood-friends-to-lovers trope.