Book Review: We Are the Light by Matthew Quick

“Even if she forgives—or miraculously already has forgiven—me, I still don’t think I’m going to be able to forgive myself.”

Matthew Quick, We Are the Light

Review:

I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this. I loved the notion of a book that included the presence of guardian angels, so I took the chance.

After a tragic incident in town, Lucas is grieving the death of his wife and battling the survivor’s guilt that goes along with it. The way he copes is by writing a series of letters to his former analyst. These letters go unreplied, but he persists. In the meantime, he befriends Eli, a young man Lucas finds camping in his yard. They forge a friendship and begin a project together that further helps the healing process.

I enjoyed the structure of the book as well as the psychology involved. It was also an interesting interpretation of angels and how so often when we lose someone close to us there’s a part of them that we hang on to. It manifests itself in different ways for each of us. As for the story itself, something was lacking for me. I didn’t remain invested all the way through. Still, I enjoyed it perhaps more than I thought I would. 

Likes & Dislikes:

What I liked:

• The Jungian psychology.
• The involvement of guardian angels and the correlation of people we’ve loved and lost.
• The way the book was told through Lucas’ letters.

What I didn’t like:

• Though I appreciate the mental health disorders being recognized, I didn’t care much for Lucas.
• The romance was kind of strange?
• The plot dragged in the middle, especially with such a strong beginning and end.

Afterthoughts:

Book of the Month marked this as experimental and I can see why. It was a good change of pace. I like books that keep me on my toes and break traditional format. I don’t typically hang onto my physical copies of books I’ve rated in the three-star range, but I’m feeling compelled to keep this one.

Where to buy the book: