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A review by smokedshelves
A Scatter of Light by Malinda Lo
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
thank you to penguin young readers group for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
last night at the telegraph club was an underlying panic. a worry of being caught for who you are during a time when that was a danger in itself. a scatter of light is a quiet but ever growing hum. a sureness. the increasing acknowledgment that you are something more than you originally thought. and finding a way, someone who you trust, to explore that facet of yourself.
if you asked me to describe this book, i’d have no other way to than by saying it feels quiet. whole. it’s a warming silence that fills my soul with love and hope. while we all know that this book is meant to be a companion to last night at the telegraph club, as i’m sure others have and will continue to mention, it stands incredibly capable as it’s own entity. these two books, in many ways are so opposite of each other, i forget that they essentially accomplish the same goal. it’s a story about a young girl, who learns about her sexuality. it is not a coming out story, but so much more.
it’s aria’s self-discovery that we follow. it’s meeting steph, and mel, and lisa, and experiencing the modern queer arts scene in san fransisco through them. it’s an acknowledgement of decades of queer history and activism in the background, guiding these characters through this 2013 summer. it’s a connection between steph and aria, one that they explore in the serene nature (and pick up trucks) of the northern californian landscape. truly, they have a relationship that, while so much happens, it feels like their time together is so insular. so intense. and i see myself so much in both aria and steph that it hurts a bit and leaves me feeling raw. it all feels so… liminal, in a way.
and, it’s a slow book. it feels like i’m moving as fast as aria did. gradually increasing speed as events and relationships begins to develop. but truly, i will not be able to explain the place in my mind where this book holds strong, adjacent yet opposite to its’ predecessor. i just— i think that’s why it all feels the way it does, a calming force to enrapture my mind. an eternal flame, if you will.
i guess, finally, before i somehow find a way to talk in circles more, i’ll leave with this. this book is so beautifully written that i wrote down so many quotes that resonated with me. but i’ll only share two. two opposite statements, but both ones that set the mature tone we see quite well:
“she might have been kneeling before me, but i was the supplicant”
“i wanted to remain here on the edge between my two selves, double exposed, all hunger and heart”
i hope others resonate with this story and its companion in the way i have. i hope these characters can help other queer teens find the love and acceptance they deserve. to the end of time, you’ll see me shout about these incredible novels.
last night at the telegraph club was an underlying panic. a worry of being caught for who you are during a time when that was a danger in itself. a scatter of light is a quiet but ever growing hum. a sureness. the increasing acknowledgment that you are something more than you originally thought. and finding a way, someone who you trust, to explore that facet of yourself.
if you asked me to describe this book, i’d have no other way to than by saying it feels quiet. whole. it’s a warming silence that fills my soul with love and hope. while we all know that this book is meant to be a companion to last night at the telegraph club, as i’m sure others have and will continue to mention, it stands incredibly capable as it’s own entity. these two books, in many ways are so opposite of each other, i forget that they essentially accomplish the same goal. it’s a story about a young girl, who learns about her sexuality. it is not a coming out story, but so much more.
it’s aria’s self-discovery that we follow. it’s meeting steph, and mel, and lisa, and experiencing the modern queer arts scene in san fransisco through them. it’s an acknowledgement of decades of queer history and activism in the background, guiding these characters through this 2013 summer. it’s a connection between steph and aria, one that they explore in the serene nature (and pick up trucks) of the northern californian landscape. truly, they have a relationship that, while so much happens, it feels like their time together is so insular. so intense. and i see myself so much in both aria and steph that it hurts a bit and leaves me feeling raw. it all feels so… liminal, in a way.
and, it’s a slow book. it feels like i’m moving as fast as aria did. gradually increasing speed as events and relationships begins to develop. but truly, i will not be able to explain the place in my mind where this book holds strong, adjacent yet opposite to its’ predecessor. i just— i think that’s why it all feels the way it does, a calming force to enrapture my mind. an eternal flame, if you will.
i guess, finally, before i somehow find a way to talk in circles more, i’ll leave with this. this book is so beautifully written that i wrote down so many quotes that resonated with me. but i’ll only share two. two opposite statements, but both ones that set the mature tone we see quite well:
“she might have been kneeling before me, but i was the supplicant”
“i wanted to remain here on the edge between my two selves, double exposed, all hunger and heart”
i hope others resonate with this story and its companion in the way i have. i hope these characters can help other queer teens find the love and acceptance they deserve. to the end of time, you’ll see me shout about these incredible novels.