This Terrible True Thing is a story set in 1991 about Danielle Silver, a rising senior at a private boarding school and youngest child of divorce. As Danielle is preparing to return to school, she is also grieving the death of their dear family friend Arthur. When she discovers Arthur had AIDS, Danielle is launched into learning more about the political blinders of her time and how she can contribute to the cause. 

Deep in her grief, Danielle asks her gay father to make a promise. He must tell her if he has HIV. You see where this train wreck is heading, don't you? I loved that this book got into the real meat of how awful the AIDS epidemic was, how hateful much of society was, and that silence truly does equal death. Laden doesn't shy away by making the story only about a gay uncle which is a frequent trope especially in YA and MG literature; she draws attention to the reality that many children lost parents because of the government's inaction. 

I loved the character development as Danielle made it through a terrible year. Her friend Marco is an absolute gem and her roommate Abby is a great counter and friend to Danielle's personality. This books ends as you expect it will, and does so with beauty, reverence, and grace. 

My only complaint is that the subtitle "a visual novel" doesn't really reflect what this delivered. I think you'd be fine to listen to this on audio. There are a handful of nice illustrations, and Danielle is an aspiring artist. However, it was not nearly as visual as I expected or wanted.