Scan barcode
A review by carriekellenberger
The Light of the Fireflies by Paul Pen
4.0
The Light of the Fireflies is a really dark novel set in the dank, darkness of a basement. Grandmother, father, mother, daughter, son, youngest son and a young baby having been hiding in the basement for 11 years.
The first thing that struck me about the first two chapters is that no one has a name. We know they are a family and they have all been disfigured by fire except for the youngest son. Everyone but the youngest son is delusional and it doesn't take long for the reader to figure out that some serious child abuse is happening in this basement.
How this abuse starts and evolves for so long is something for the reader to discover.
The tale is told from the perspective of the youngest son, a boy who yearns for light and has only known darkness his entire life. His entire world is the basement, his cruel father, his crazy older brother, and his sister, who wears a white mask because her face has been so disfigured by the fire that the rest of his family was in before he was born.
The boy has a cactus for a friend, he loves his books about insects, and he is fascinated by the ray of sunlight that filters into the basement from the top part of the room they live in. The whole family has been acting especially crazy since his sister gave birth to a baby boy in the basement.
This leads the boy to question what his family is doing in the basement, why his father is so cruel, who the Cricket Man is, and why they can't go outside to see the world of blisters.
The boy finds solace in some fireflies that arrive in the basement. He's able to capture them and their light brings him great comfort. His grandmother tells him that, "There's no creature more amazing than one that can make it's own light."
The fireflies make the boy feel a little braver and he starts to question whether or not he can escape from the basement and get to know the outside world a little more.
The only problem is, escaping means that he can never get back to his family, and how will he get past all the locked doors?
This book is translated from its original language and the translator does an amazing job. This book reminds me strongly of Emma Donaghue's Room.
Best Takeaway Quotes
“Maybe the day has come when his desire to know is stronger than his fear of the unknown.”
― Paul Pen, The Light of the Fireflies
“A door loses its meaning if you don’t ever go through it.”
― Paul Pen, The Light of the Fireflies
“And those unwilling to look beyond their own little world will be left in the dark.”
― Paul Pen, The Light of the Fireflies
The first thing that struck me about the first two chapters is that no one has a name. We know they are a family and they have all been disfigured by fire except for the youngest son. Everyone but the youngest son is delusional and it doesn't take long for the reader to figure out that some serious child abuse is happening in this basement.
How this abuse starts and evolves for so long is something for the reader to discover.
The tale is told from the perspective of the youngest son, a boy who yearns for light and has only known darkness his entire life. His entire world is the basement, his cruel father, his crazy older brother, and his sister, who wears a white mask because her face has been so disfigured by the fire that the rest of his family was in before he was born.
The boy has a cactus for a friend, he loves his books about insects, and he is fascinated by the ray of sunlight that filters into the basement from the top part of the room they live in. The whole family has been acting especially crazy since his sister gave birth to a baby boy in the basement.
This leads the boy to question what his family is doing in the basement, why his father is so cruel, who the Cricket Man is, and why they can't go outside to see the world of blisters.
The boy finds solace in some fireflies that arrive in the basement. He's able to capture them and their light brings him great comfort. His grandmother tells him that, "There's no creature more amazing than one that can make it's own light."
The fireflies make the boy feel a little braver and he starts to question whether or not he can escape from the basement and get to know the outside world a little more.
The only problem is, escaping means that he can never get back to his family, and how will he get past all the locked doors?
This book is translated from its original language and the translator does an amazing job. This book reminds me strongly of Emma Donaghue's Room.
Best Takeaway Quotes
“Maybe the day has come when his desire to know is stronger than his fear of the unknown.”
― Paul Pen, The Light of the Fireflies
“A door loses its meaning if you don’t ever go through it.”
― Paul Pen, The Light of the Fireflies
“And those unwilling to look beyond their own little world will be left in the dark.”
― Paul Pen, The Light of the Fireflies