Picture Us in the Light by Kelly Loy Gilbert
I know you can see things as you decide, shift the objects in your world so the light falls on them the way you want it to...
 | Have you ever read a book that you desperately wanted to talk about? A book brimming with suspense and mystery. A story of friendship, family, and misunderstandings. A novel filled with the daily emotional bruises of high school life. A study in keen observation and searing self-introspection. However, no matter how strong your desire is to rave about the book, you must be oh-so-careful about what you say and how you say it. You want to have an in-depth discussion about the book, but you don’t want to give anything away. This is my current dilemma. I want to talk about this exquisite YA novel. But in fairness, I should only talk about Picture Us in the Light with others who have read it. |
Background: Danny Cheng lives with his parents in Cupertino, California. It’s senior year and his group of Asian American friends are in the throes of post high school planning. Danny is thrilled. He been accepted to RISD and dreams of pursuing his passion for art. Then he discovers a box, hidden in a closet at home, which contains a sheaf of documents relating to a mysterious individual. The narrative explores Danny’s search to uncover the identity of this person and to learn why his parents are so secretive about the box and its contents.
This is a book of secrets, of secrets wrapped inside secrets. Important plots points are revealed as Danny learns more about the box of papers. Most of these discoveries took me by surprise. But the story also reveals secrets of the heart. I was able to identify some of those secrets early on. Gilbert offers enough clues to help readers understand what is buried deep inside the hearts of her main characters. I found myself rooting for them, hoping that these young people would recognize and respond to their innermost longings.
Most of the narrative is Danny’s first-person account. Woven throughout his story are brief chapters written by another individual who describes a series of personal life events. Eventually the two stories come together, leading to an emotion-filled conclusion.
You’ll get no spoilers from me. I will say that as I reached the final pages, I found it hard to read as my vision became blurred due to a copious quantity of tears. Read it for the mystery. Read it for the portraits of young Asian Americans. Read it to view the complications brought on by a family in crisis and the extent of a family’s love. Read it for the vivid portrayal of coming-of-age. But most of all, read it so that you and I can talk about it!
 | Carefully examine the book jacket. The front features a black and white sketch of an artist creating what appears as a colorful graffiti design on a brick wall. Unfold the jacket and a new image comes into view. It's a bold and colorful dragon. There's more symbolism to be found in this cover. After you read the book, let's talk about all of it. Art doesn’t change the ending. It doesn’t let you lose yourself that way - the opposite really; it calls you from the darkness into the glaring, unforgiving light |
| Kelly Loy Gilbert is the author of Conviction, a 2015 Morris Award Finalist. I had the opportunity to meet her and to listen as she and her editor chatted about the development of this novel, her writing process, and their working relationship as author and editor. FYI: their relationship is definitely one of mutual admiration. Afterward, she graciously signed my copy of Picture Us in the Light. It's a keeper! All my life, I’ve waited for signs. Like with art, like with everything, I’ve waited for things to fall into place and to feel right, to feel like the universe had given me its permission and its blessing. |  |
Review based on uncorrected text copy.
Pub date: April 10 2018 Publisher: Disney-Hyperion ISBN: 978-1484726020
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