Just Like February

To Rachel, there’s no one in the world like her uncle Jake. Handsome and mysterious, he fills her with stories, sends postcards and gifts from exotic places. And he’s so much more fun to be with than her parents, who are always fighting. When she learns he’s gay, she keeps it under wraps. And when he gets sick, she doesn’t even tell her best friends. Until she realizes that secrecy does more harm than good.

Framed by the passions of the ’60s and the AIDS crisis of the ’80s, Just Like February begins with the wedding of Rachel’s parents when she’s five and ends with her sexual awakening as Jake is dying. As this poignant coming-of-age story unfolds, Rachel is forced to reckon with a home broken by the stormy love between her mother (a social worker) and her father (a Vietnam veteran) and a heart broken by the realities of homophobia and AIDS.


My Review


I thought author, Deborah Batterman did a nice job of writing this book. It is not the author's fault that I just couldn't find that strong, human, emotional connection to the characters. Therefore, my reading experience was slow reading for me. Plus, there were moments when what I was reading was not sinking in. Yet, the story itself was good.

The relationship between Rachel and her Uncle Jake was nice. I liked the fact that he communicates with her through postcards. Sadly, postcards have gone to the wayside with the internet. However, I can remember getting excited when I received a postcard. In that moment, you could imagine that location from the picture on the front.

The story did pick up some speed about the half way mark for me. All and all through, while this book may not have hit me in all the right places, I would try another book out by this author.