Jennifer Lane's Reviews > We Are All Made of Stars

A Sky Full of Stars

What a beautiful read! I heard this book was a collection of letters written by dying people to their loved ones. Each letter is unique, heartfelt, and funny. But what I really treasured were the interspersed stories of three couples falling in love amid the specter of death at a hospice / rehabilitation center in Camden, England:

1) Stella is a hospice nurse whose husband, Vincent, lost not only his leg in Afghanistan but also the will to fight for their marriage. Stella starts writing letters dictated by dying patients who can't hold a pen.

2) Hope is one of Stella's patients whose cystic fibrosis almost ended her young life. Hope's childhood friend, Ben, has never left her side, desperate for her to realize his love for her. Ben wishes that Hope follows the advice she receives from a 14-year-old girl dying from cancer: "Kiss as many boys as you can. Kiss them all until you get butterflies and rainbows. Kiss them all for me."

3) Hugh is a lonely museum curator who's intrigued by his neighbors (a single mother and her son) despite their annoying intrusion into his life. It's not until he receives one of Stella's letters that he realizes he may not be so alone. The way he describes his dying relative shows the author's powerful imagery: Her laugh is like lace, finely spun and delicate. Like a spider's web that might fall apart in your hands. It's barely a breath on my cheek.

Through exploring deepening relationships as we progress toward death, this vibrant story celebrates hope and life. And the sassy black cat who has at least three identities is there to comfort us all. I sobbed, I laughed, and I sighed from the pleasure of a fantastic novel.