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janahanna's review
reflective
sad
medium-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, and Self harm
emma_reards's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This book had a really slow start and I had to force myself to continue picking it up. I did enjoy last 100 pages significantly more than the rest of the book and was happy with how everything wrapped up.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Violence, and Murder
kelly_e's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Title: We Are the Light
Author: Matthew Quick
Genre: Magical Realism
Rating: 4.00
Pub Date: November 1, 2022
T H R E E • W O R D S
Powerful • Challenging • Haunting
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Lucas Goodgame lives in Majestic, Pennsylvania, a quaint suburb that has been torn apart by a recent tragedy. Everyone in Majestic sees Lucas as a hero—everyone, that is, except Lucas himself. Insisting that his deceased wife, Darcy, visits him every night in the form of an angel, Lucas spends his time writing letters to his former Jungian analyst, Karl. It is only when Eli, an eighteen-year-old young man whom the community has ostracized, begins camping out in Lucas’s backyard that an unlikely alliance takes shape and the two embark on a journey to heal their neighbors and, most importantly, themselves.
💭 T H O U G H T S
The premise, including themes of grief and the magical realism aspects, were what drew me to pick up We Are the Light. I also never realized it was written by the same author as The Silver Linings Playbook until I was finished.
Told through a series of letters from the main character to his therapist, Matthew Quick employs a clever writing style to explore grief, mental health, tragedy and the trauma that follows, community and hope. The letters are at times endearing, other times comical, and often sad. Lucas' character is easy to connect and relate to - some of his inner thoughts and dialogue were all too real, especially the idea of survivour's guilt.
What I appreciated most is the open dialogue on therapy and struggle in the face of the unthinkable. The narrative took me on an emotional roller coaster. While there was room for more depth and the epistolary style could be confusing to come readers, it is the ending alone that made this a 4-star read. It is an ending for the age, the type that makes you believe in humanity and tears were shed.
We Are the Light certainly treads into heavy content, but more specifically the aftermath of an unthinkable tragedy and coming out the other side as best you can. It does a fantastic job presenting human fragility, yet I was left feeling hopeful when I turned the final page. I will definitely be reading more from Matthew Quick.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• unlikely friendships
• mental illness representation
• epistolary novels
⚠️ CW: death, partner death, gun violence, murder, mass/school shooting, suicide, suicidal thoughts, grief, mental illness, depression, panic attacks/disorders, self harm, child abuse
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"And there is perhaps no greater pain than the suffering that comes from speaking plainly but failing to make any sort of meaningful connection with the people who care about you."
Author: Matthew Quick
Genre: Magical Realism
Rating: 4.00
Pub Date: November 1, 2022
T H R E E • W O R D S
Powerful • Challenging • Haunting
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Lucas Goodgame lives in Majestic, Pennsylvania, a quaint suburb that has been torn apart by a recent tragedy. Everyone in Majestic sees Lucas as a hero—everyone, that is, except Lucas himself. Insisting that his deceased wife, Darcy, visits him every night in the form of an angel, Lucas spends his time writing letters to his former Jungian analyst, Karl. It is only when Eli, an eighteen-year-old young man whom the community has ostracized, begins camping out in Lucas’s backyard that an unlikely alliance takes shape and the two embark on a journey to heal their neighbors and, most importantly, themselves.
💭 T H O U G H T S
The premise, including themes of grief and the magical realism aspects, were what drew me to pick up We Are the Light. I also never realized it was written by the same author as The Silver Linings Playbook until I was finished.
Told through a series of letters from the main character to his therapist, Matthew Quick employs a clever writing style to explore grief, mental health, tragedy and the trauma that follows, community and hope. The letters are at times endearing, other times comical, and often sad. Lucas' character is easy to connect and relate to - some of his inner thoughts and dialogue were all too real, especially the idea of survivour's guilt.
What I appreciated most is the open dialogue on therapy and struggle in the face of the unthinkable. The narrative took me on an emotional roller coaster. While there was room for more depth and the epistolary style could be confusing to come readers, it is the ending alone that made this a 4-star read. It is an ending for the age, the type that makes you believe in humanity and tears were shed.
We Are the Light certainly treads into heavy content, but more specifically the aftermath of an unthinkable tragedy and coming out the other side as best you can. It does a fantastic job presenting human fragility, yet I was left feeling hopeful when I turned the final page. I will definitely be reading more from Matthew Quick.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• unlikely friendships
• mental illness representation
• epistolary novels
⚠️ CW: death, partner death, gun violence, murder, mass/school shooting, suicide, suicidal thoughts, grief, mental illness, depression, panic attacks/disorders, self harm, child abuse
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"And there is perhaps no greater pain than the suffering that comes from speaking plainly but failing to make any sort of meaningful connection with the people who care about you."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Suicide, Violence, Grief, and Mass/school shootings
Moderate: Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts
partner death, depressionlisettemarie's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
2.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Grief, Mass/school shootings, and Murder
kimnerdybird's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Grief
Moderate: Death and Mass/school shootings
olheckerd's review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Self harm, and Suicide
czoltak's review
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
“Whenever Darce and I would hear about a tragedy on the news or in conversations with others—back when she was still alive—she would grab my hand and say, "Don't die before me, Lucas, because I don't want to live without you, okay?" It was meant to be half-joke and half-declaration-of-undying-love. So I've been asking her winged grave marker why we never discussed what would happen if she died first.”
💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙
Matthew Quick is a master of taking heartbreaking topics and dark emotions and transcending them into beautiful stories. Every Exquisite Thing is one of my all time favorite novels so it shouldn’t have been a surprise that this would take up a special place in my heart as well. This is a deeply emotional and challenging read, but it's also one of healing and hope. Quick's lyrical prose captures raw emotion in a way that's both devastating and uplifting. The letter format adds such an intimate touch and lets us truly delve into Lucas, our main characters’, psyche. Quick weaves so many important and heartbreaking topics into such a beautiful tapestry: the exploration of guardian angels and spiritual handholding, the complexity of traumatic events, the psychology of the mind and how it protects itself from trauma, the healing powers of art and community, and the different ways we grieve. There's also a beautiful juxtaposition between the feeling of not being able to relate well to others yet finding healing through their support. And, of course, I can’t not mention the final chapter and plot twist which always leaves me in tears. Somehow Matthew Quick's books always seem to find me at the exact perfect moment. In my late teens, when I was struggling with bad anxiety, Every Exquisite Thing was like a kind friend showing me the light. Now, in my early adulthood, We Are The Light is a warm hug that helps combat depression and self-doubt. This book is a reminder that even in our darkest moments, there is a path toward healing, and sometimes, the light we need comes from the people and connections we least expect. This is definitely a difficult read but the lyrical prose and heartwarming conclusion are well worth the heart shattering storylines.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Suicide, and Mass/school shootings
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
cmklaft's review
dark
emotional
sad
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? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Mass/school shootings, and Murder
ulviyyask's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Blood, Grief, Mass/school shootings, and Murder
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Suicide
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, and Stalking
brynpemery's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This started off SO WEIRD and I almost quit after a chapter or two. I ended up sticking with it and liked it more as the story picked up and we met some other characters. I will say that the beginning weirdness does have some context that helps explain things—elements that seem like fantasy or magical realism do have an explanation later on. Realizing that the narrator is traumatized and extremely unreliable made me a lot more open to the way the story was told. I will say that the Jungian analysis never got less weird. Glad it helped the narrator (and I believe the author) out but I could have done with a bit less.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Forced institutionalization