See You At Harry's by Jo Knowles

See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles
Published October 2013 Candlewick Press

Blurb:

Starting middle school brings all the usual challenges -- until the unthinkable happens, and Fern and her family must find a way to heal. Twelve-year-old Fern feels invisible. It seems as though everyone in her family has better things to do than pay attention to her: Mom (when she's not meditating) helps Dad run the family restaurant; Sarah is taking a gap year after high school; and Holden pretends that Mom and Dad and everyone else doesn't know he's gay, even as he fends off bullies at school. Then there's Charlie: three years old, a "surprise" baby, the center of everyone's world. He's devoted to Fern, but he's annoying, too, always getting his way, always dirty, always commanding attention. If it wasn't for Ran, Fern's calm and positive best friend, there'd be nowhere to turn. Ran's mantra, "All will be well," is soothing in a way that nothing else seems to be. And when Ran says it, Fern can almost believe it's true. But then tragedy strikes- and Fern feels not only more alone than ever, but also responsible for the accident that has wrenched her family apart. All will not be well. Or at least all will never be the same.

I picked up this book for a talk I was doing on LGBTQIA, and it came up in a list, the main character, Fern, has a gay older brother.  I knew it wasn't the whole story...but I had no idea that the book would be the story that it was.

Here's the thing though...the really big thing that happens in this book...the real story of this book...is not mentioned in the blurb at all.  What happens in this book hit me like a tonne of bricks...I am not kidding, I literally had to put the book down and stop reading it for a while...

This is what I have been telling students at schools about this book...I can't tell them what it's about...I get that the whole point of the book is exactly what I experienced...something completely unexpected...so all I can say that it's a book about family, forgiveness, acceptance...and that it's sad...really sad...be warned.