When Light Left Us

Starred review from December 1, 2017

Gr 8 Up-A compelling, character-driven, and imaginative novel. The Vasquez children have a gaping hole in their hearts; but the summer after their father leaves them, they are visited by Luz (an alien), and the hole is filled. Now the school year is here, Luz is gone, and they are much worse than before. In the aftermath of this devastation, the eldest son has broken up with his boyfriend, the daughter can't stop self-harming, and the youngest son is having difficulty hearing. This is a story about a family's encounter with an alien being, but, it's not your usual science fiction romp; it's a slow-paced, emotional drama. The story starts in mystery; who was this alien and where did he go? As the novel unfolds, the questions build and the tone grows dark. As readers discover more about each Vasquez family member, they learn troubling secrets and impossible truths. Overall, this is a novel about coping with loss and family dysfunction. What makes it stand out is Thomas's talent of bringing intimacy, thoughtfulness, and a sense of wonder to her writing. VERDICT For fans of Patrick Ness and Lauren Oliver, this is a must buy.-Melanie Leivers, Palm Beach Country Library System, FL

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2017
When important people leave, emotional holes inevitably remain, voids that can be filled by either new symbiotic or parasitic relationships. Both are explored in this new philosophical contemporary sci-fi from Thomas (Nowhere Near You, 2017).The Mexican-American Vasquez family of Eustace, New Mexico--mom Maggie, elder brother Hank, middle child Ana, and younger brother Milo--are still reeling from the sudden loss of their father when a mysterious being takes up residence within the three Vasquez siblings. Having originally considered the clan to be one complex organism, Luz (as the children dub their interloper) appropriates Hank's hands, Ana's eyes, and Milo's ears to both observe the surrounding world and to communicate with and among its sibling hosts. But then Luz leaves as well. Chapters of densely metaphorical third-person prose shift focus among the members of the Vasquez clan and eventually to Luz himself, highlighting each character's unique relationship with the strange being that once occupied their home and their attendant emotional turmoil at his sudden and violent separation. Thomas explores themes of forgiveness, family, friendship, and identity along the way as the Vasquez clan slowly heals from the major rifts in their lives, rifts whose beginnings were set in motion long before the arrival of Luz.This pensive sci-fi novel straddles many worlds without quite fitting in any, not unlike the endearing square-peg characters at its heart. (Science fiction. 14-18)

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