Where the Light Shines

By Anne Olle

Sometimes We Find Light in The Most Unlikely Places

It's the late 1970's, in the small coastal town of Spray Point. At fifteen years old, Lily is an outsider and Spray Point Secondary College confirms that. School is an everyday hell, but something worse is about to happen.

Lily suffers a devastating loss. Her grandmother, Nini, moves in permanently. Paulo, a fellow student, shows her great kindness. Eventually, they become a band of four, including Mot and Alexa. With the constancy of Nini's love, Paulo's loyalty, new-found friends and the peace Lily finds in nature, Lily begins to build her confidence.

In her final year, life is looking good, until she suffers another shocking loss. Mot disappears, Alexa retreats, Paulo books his ticket and Lily questions whether she has the confidence to forge ahead with her life.

Where the Light Shines asks deep questions about how we find light in the darkest of times.

"Where the Light Shines is a moving meditation on the power and consolation of friendship between teenage misfits in a small seaside community." -Dr Kate Ryan, Adjunct Research Fellow at La Trobe University

"A riveting kaleidoscope of raging emotions..."-Liza Boston, Wolf Tide Films

"Lily's strength, vulnerability and grit make her a character you come to deeply care about."- Julie Postance, author

Anne Olle is the author of Where the Light Shines, and Two Quid Kid. She completed her Graduate Certificate of Writing and Literature at Deakin University in 2020. She has a deep empathy for young people and the struggles they endure. She lives on the Mornington Peninsula in Melbourne, Australia with her family.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1764366204
• ISBN13: 9781764366205
• Release Date: December 2025
• Publisher: Beachcomber Books
• Length: 408 Pages
• Weight: 1.04 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.5" x 8.5"
• Age Range: 13 to 18 years
• Grade Range: Grade 8 to Postsecondary