Picture Us in the Light

By Kelly Loy Gilbert

Book Overview

"Picture me madly in love with this moving, tender, unapologetically honest book."-- Becky Albertalli, #1 best-selling author of Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

Danny Cheng has always known his parents have secrets. But when he discovers a taped-up box in his father's closet filled with old letters and a file on a powerful Bay Area family, he realizes there's much more to his family's past than he ever imagined.

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's 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 in this complex, lyrical novel.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1484726022
• ISBN13: 9781484726020
• Release Date: April 2018
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.24 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 5.6" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 14 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 9 to 12

Customer Reviews

A Beautiful Story

I wasn't exactly sure what I would be getting myself into when I picked up this book, but it ended up being a very beautiful story. The leading character, Danny, is where the focus of the story lies but there are a multitude of stories within his own. Even if the story is technically about him, I feel like its meaning extended beyond more than just the one individual. The narrative was beautifully written and I was definitely intrigued. However, I do have to admit that it didn't feel like anything was happening until I was more than half-way through the book. The first 200 or so pages essentially functioned as backstory. While this payed off in the long-run, it did initially make me feel like I had to push my way through the first half of the book to get to the good stuff. Overall, I would rate this book around 3.5 stars!