Absolute Brightness
by James Lecesne
by James Lecesne
ABSOLUTE BRIGHTNESS by James Lecesne
Category: Contemporary
Age Recommendation: Grades 9+
Release Date: 2/5/08
Publisher: HarperTeen
Reviewed by: Jaglvr
Rating: 5 Stars
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.
Category: Contemporary
Age Recommendation: Grades 9+
Release Date: 2/5/08
Publisher: HarperTeen
Reviewed by: Jaglvr
Rating: 5 Stars
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.