A beautifully rendered coming-of-age story told through a high schooler’s sketchbook after her dad takes in a coworker with AIDs in the ’80s. This book is full of care and empathy; family strife but also understanding as Lou reflects on her parents’ backgrounds; and pops of humor, primarily from the dancing Pomeranian duo. The Nightingales will break your heart but heal it too.
The Nightingales by Emil Wilson, (List Price: $38, Avid Reader Press, Simon & Schuster, 9781668217771, August 2026)
Reviewed by Julie, Hub City Bookshop in Spartanburg, SC