Picture Us in the Light Review

Picture Us in the Light- Kelly Loy Gilbert
Published: 2018
4 out of 5 stars

Danny has been an artist for as long as he can remember and it seems his path is set, with a scholarship to RISD and his family's blessing to pursue the career he's always dreamed of. Still, contemplating a future without his best friend, Harry Wong, by his side makes Danny feel a panic he can barely put into words. Harry and Danny's lives are deeply intertwined and as they approach the one-year anniversary of a tragedy that shook their friend group to its core, Danny can't stop asking himself if Harry is truly in love with his girlfriend, Regina Chan.

When Danny digs deeper into his parents' past, he uncovers a secret that disturbs the foundations of his family history and the carefully constructed facade his parents have maintained begins to crumble. With everything he loves in danger of being stripped away, Danny must face the ghosts of the past in order to build a future that belongs to him.

I went into this book without knowing anything about it. I read the novel for a class and I was glad I was introduced to it. I didn’t have any expectations since I didn’t know much about it, but it did not go how I thought it was going to go. The writing was very detailed and the themes of the novel dealt with some pretty heavy topics. The main character, Daniel was dealing with senior year struggles, like college, as well as family issues. Immigration, child market and mental health were also a big part of the novel. I thought (author’s name) did a great job incorporating these themes and creating a good story. Her writing style was beautiful with so many details throughout the novel. I really liked how we got into Daniel’s head and were able to see his anxieties and thought process while he goes through life. Mr. X, what Daniel calls his voice of negativity and anxiety was so relatable because I feel we all have a voice like that.

Besides American Born Chinese and To All the Boy’s I’ve Loved Before, I don’t think I’ve read many books with Asian characters. Even though this was very Asian forward, with most of the characters being Asian, the book is still relatable, in some aspects to everyone. This is another book I didn’t hear anything about, but ended really enjoying it. I’m surprised that more people aren’t talking about it.

Overall, the book was really good. It dealt with heavy topics in a beautiful way. I definitely recommend this and believe more people should be raving about it.