Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Book review - When Light Left Us

Title: When Light Left Us
Author: Leah Thomas
Genre: Sci-fi (but only slightly)
Similar books:Noggin by John Corey Whaley
                     Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley
Rating:
Best. Book. Ever.

Summary (provided by publisher): When the Vasquez siblings' father left, it seemed nothing could remedy the absence in their lives . . . until a shimmering figure named Luz appeared in the canyon behind their house.
Luz filled the void. He shot hoops with seventeen-year-old Hank's hands. He showed fourteen-year-old Ana cinematic beauty behind her eyelids. He spoke kindly to eight-year-old Milo. But then Luz left, too, and he took something from each of them. As a new school year begins, Hank, Ana, and Milo must carry on as if an alien presence never altered them. But how can they ever feel close to other people again when Luz changed everything about how they see the world and themselves?
In an imaginative and heartfelt exploration of human--and non-human--nature, Leah Thomas champions the unyielding bonds between family and true friends.


My opinion:Thomas continues to blow me away. I knew within 20 pages that I NEEDED to talk about this book. It can be a little hard to describe. At face value, it's about the aftermath of being possessed by an unknown being. At heart, though, it's about grief. loss, who we thing we are, the people we try to become, familial and romantic relationships, and the ways that other people perceive us. It's a deeply emotional book and Thomas succeeds in connecting us with the central core of characters. Each perspective is distinct and well developed. Some may find it a bit slow to start, but seriously folks hang in there. It's more than worth the effort. My recommendation: read it; love it; pass it along.

More information: When Light Left Us releases February 13
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

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