Something Terrible Happened

The experience of having a parent die is horrid. Everyone knows that, but in this book you live through it with Gillian. Her mother was the light of her world until she found out that she had AIDS. The first reaction to the shock, trying every traditional medication she can get her hands on, brings the two on a frenzied search. Gillian's grandmother has always held the strength of the family, and she sends Gillian away to her dead father's relatives. The adjustment from a world in the city of West Indian women, to a "ghost white" family in Tennesee is not easy for Gillian, and as her mother becomes weaker each day, they aren't on good terms. The heart-breaking parts of this novel express the pain of watching someone die of AIDS in a way that is rare in children's and young adult literature. The first person telling from a woman outside the family makes it easier to take in the events.