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Absolute Brightness

James Lecesne

Why we're reading this: It has been a long time since I have read this one, but I really enjoyed it. It was published in 2008. It…more
[close] It has been a long time since I have read this one, but I really enjoyed it. It was published in 2008. It is a bit sad but a really good read.

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Apr 23, 2009 Doug Beatty rated it really liked it

Shelves: teen

Plot: Leonard Pelkey moves in with his cousin Phoebe, Deirdre and their mom when his father is unable to take care of him. Leonard is 14 and obviously gay, he spends his time planning makeovers for the clients at the mom’s beauty parlor, creating platform sneakers and trying out for drama camp. For some reason he forms an attachment to Phoebe who tries her hardest to resist the friendship. When Leonard is bullied by Travis Lembeck, and his money clip is stolen, Phoebe kisses Travis and steals th Plot: Leonard Pelkey moves in with his cousin Phoebe, Deirdre and their mom when his father is unable to take care of him. Leonard is 14 and obviously gay, he spends his time planning makeovers for the clients at the mom’s beauty parlor, creating platform sneakers and trying out for drama camp. For some reason he forms an attachment to Phoebe who tries her hardest to resist the friendship. When Leonard is bullied by Travis Lembeck, and his money clip is stolen, Phoebe kisses Travis and steals the clip back. Then one day on the way back from drama camp, Leonard disappears and everyone in town seems concerned. Apparently, Leonard left quite a mark, especially on those at the beauty parlor. Phoebe helps head the search and distributes fliers to help find him. Soon his shoe washes up on shore and later he is found tied to an anchor and drowned in the lake. Phoebe is getting closer to Travis until one night she goes to his house and discovers he can tie strong fishing knots and he has acquired leonard’s money clip. Travis is arrested and what follows is a long court trial. Many people seem to want the death penalty and the family need to make a statement either calling for the death penalty or calling for mercy. It is Deirdre who finally chooses to speak for the family and choose mercy, leaving Travis with a life sentence without parole. Travis writes to Phoebe and wants her to visit him. We also find out that Deirdre was molested by her father.

Strengths: Phoebe is a strong character who is struggling at being a teen. You get the feeling that she is not terribly popular and struggling with her feelings for Travis and who she thinks Travis is. She is also struggling with her relationship with Leonard, wanting to protect him and at the same time seeming to want him to change. She does seem to have a good relationship with her mother and her sister and they are good characters that seem to be really well rounded. After you find out about Deirdre you can understand why she might agree to have her hair shorn and why she loses interest in school. Leonard, though flighty, is also likeable and you do fear for his safety because he seems to wear his heart on his sleeve. There is suspense in the novel and it holds your attention. There is a mystery as to what really happened to Leonard and that also keeps the pages turning.

Weaknesses: The book is a little long for a teen audience and it would take a good reader to stick with it. Also, the message at the end is a little strong (not subtle at all) and seems to hit the reader over the head with it. By the end you are still not sure why Travis did what he did.
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Feb 16, 2009 J. rated it really liked it

A fairly good novel. About 3/4 of the way through, Lecensne makes the point of what he's trying to do: not all stories of crimes need to have that strong find clues, have trial, bring criminal to justice narrative line--real life isn't as clear cut as an episode of CSI. It's a good point. The problem is that some of the writing lacks energy, and there is an imbalance between exposition and dialogue. That's not necessarily a bad thing to everyone, I just like to have more dialogue in a novel than ...more

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Apr 29, 2008 Jennifer Wardrip rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-by-other-reviewers, trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

Leonard Pelkey doesn't fit in anywhere. His mother has died, leaving him with Phoebe's uncle, now his legal guardian. But Uncle Mike has plans to go to Mexico to invest in cattle. So Phoebe's mom, Ellen, arranges for Leonard to come and live with them in Neptune, New Jersey. But Neptune isn't ready for Leonard. Saying Leonard is a bit outrageous is being optimistic. Phoebe and her sister, Deirdre, treat Leonard as an unwelcome house guest, going so far as c Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

Leonard Pelkey doesn't fit in anywhere. His mother has died, leaving him with Phoebe's uncle, now his legal guardian. But Uncle Mike has plans to go to Mexico to invest in cattle. So Phoebe's mom, Ellen, arranges for Leonard to come and live with them in Neptune, New Jersey. But Neptune isn't ready for Leonard. Saying Leonard is a bit outrageous is being optimistic. Phoebe and her sister, Deirdre, treat Leonard as an unwelcome house guest, going so far as creating a living space for Leonard in the basement surrounded by filled cardboard boxes.

But this doesn't stop Leonard from going full-steam-ahead with his life in Neptune. He infuses himself into Ellen's beauty shop business, and slowly, the old ladies that frequent the shop start to subtly change under his tutelage. Phoebe's mom finally starts taking an interest in her appearance again. He even gets Deirdre to drastically change her style.

But Phoebe feels left out. Leonard is showing an interest in making over everyone but her. Why does he not bother offering her tips? Then again, Phoebe has done nothing but give him a hard time ever since he moved in.

But one night, everything changes. One day he doesn't return from Drama Camp. With the help of Detective Chuck, Phoebe and her family begin a long journey to find out what happened to Leonard. During the days of the investigation, Phoebe begins to acknowledge to herself that she misses Leonard and regrets all that happened between then.

As the story reaches its climax with the revelation of Leonard's disappearance, the main characters reveal secret that have been festering within Phoebe's family for years.

Mr. Lecesne writes a harrowing story of how a community can react to someone who comes off as different. Leonard infuses joy in all he does, and only too late does Phoebe realize the effort that Leonard put into showing the world such a positive face. The story is heavy, but very moving. I did feel that there were a couple of plot lines that were put in that were left dangling. But none of them were vital to the outcome of the story.

Mr. Lecesne leaves the reader guessing as to Leonard's sexual preference throughout the entire book. But the reader doesn't have to know one way or the other, because there is more to the story than the issue of sexual orientation. ABSOLUTE BRIGHTNESS brings to mind the story of WHAT HAPPENED TO LANI GARVER by Carol Plum-Ucci. But Mr. Lecesne brings his story to a definite conclusion, unlike Ms. Plum-Ucci's story, which leaves the reader guessing at the end. ...more

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Jun 07, 2011 Akiva ꙮ rated it it was ok

Shelves: 3-fmt-f-novel, f-c-mg-ya, f-queer

Another book where the queer dies and it's an uplifting lesson for everybody else. Narrator not likeable. Just way too much crammed into this ridiculous thing.

It's pretty readable, which is why I'm giving it more than one star, but the plot is obnoxious. ...more

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