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A review by bisexualwentworth
A Scatter of Light by Malinda Lo
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Aria is eighteen years old and just out of high school. A scandal in the former weeks of school leads to her spending her summer with her grandmother in California instead of with her high school friends at Martha’s Vineyard. And over the course of the summer, she learns a lot, about art, music, queerness, her family, and herself.
This is my favorite of the four books I’ve read by Malinda Lo. I think that Last Night at the Telegraph Club was more intricate and more impressive and more important in many ways, but A Scatter of Night was more enjoyable and more relatable for me personally.
Aria is a character dealing with coming out and coming to terms with her identity in ways that will likely feel familiar to a lot of readers.
She finds herself surrounded by lesbians for, as far as she knows, the first time in her life. She is introduced to the concept of polyamory. She has to work on her relationships with her parents. It was sweet and tender and sensitive.
Personally, I related to and enjoyed Steph a lot. I also loved Analemma the dog of course.
And I’m so glad that things ended up the way they did. Refreshingly real for a YA book.
This novel is also written like historical fiction but set in 2013 (Prop 8 is a BIG background thing here), and that was such an interesting and useful approach.
This book will definitely be more impactful if you’ve read Last Night at the Telegraph Club first, but I absolutely recommend it to anyone looking for a good sapphic coming-of-age YA novel.
Some stuff near the end was mildly triggering for me cause it hit so close to home, but it was ultimately a cathartic read in that regard.
This is my favorite of the four books I’ve read by Malinda Lo. I think that Last Night at the Telegraph Club was more intricate and more impressive and more important in many ways, but A Scatter of Night was more enjoyable and more relatable for me personally.
Aria is a character dealing with coming out and coming to terms with her identity in ways that will likely feel familiar to a lot of readers.
She finds herself surrounded by lesbians for, as far as she knows, the first time in her life. She is introduced to the concept of polyamory. She has to work on her relationships with her parents. It was sweet and tender and sensitive.
Personally, I related to and enjoyed Steph a lot. I also loved Analemma the dog of course.
And I’m so glad that things ended up the way they did. Refreshingly real for a YA book.
This novel is also written like historical fiction but set in 2013 (Prop 8 is a BIG background thing here), and that was such an interesting and useful approach.
This book will definitely be more impactful if you’ve read Last Night at the Telegraph Club first, but I absolutely recommend it to anyone looking for a good sapphic coming-of-age YA novel.
Some stuff near the end was mildly triggering for me cause it hit so close to home, but it was ultimately a cathartic read in that regard.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Homophobia
Additional content warnings for stroke and slut-shaming.