This Raging Light Review
Rating: ✭✭✭✭
Title: This Raging Light
Author: Estelle Laure
Publication: Dec 22 2015
Format: Arc E-galley, 288 pages
Source: Thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group for sending me a copy of this book.
"I don't know. What kind of person leaves in the first place?
Eden pulls at the end of my hair. "There are so many ways to leave."
Leaving is easy, I think. Easier than staying.
- Lucille Bennett, page 42
Lucille and Wren are all alone. Their mother has left on a vacation for some 'time' and their father, he's in a mental institution. Whilst struggling with money, food and just staying alive Lucille finds herself falling in love - head-over-heals love - with her best friend's brother Digby. Lucille's world begins to churn into a whirlpool of longing, anxiety, conflict and struggle and she is finding it harder to support her sister and deal with the messy relationship that has blossomed between her and Digby. Then Lucille comes to realise that even in the absolute worst of times, the best things can happen.
This Raging Light is heart breaking and heart warming at the same time. Estelle's writing style is so artistic and authentic it's just beautiful to read. As good as it was, a couple of times it became over bearing and a little too tacky, but all the good elements over power the bad so it doesn't taint the brilliance of this book. Estelle also incorporates many 'inner morals' in her writing that is one of the many components that makes This Raging Light such an amazing book. It allows people to see the flaws and cracks in life but also the angels and helpers waiting to mend them.
I loved the whole premise and plot of this book. I also just couldn't wrap my head around the fact that someone, especially a mother, could just leave their children like that (it makes me incredibly mad). The plot also stayed on it's track and extremely well paced and thought out. There is romance in this book and I had such a ball reading it - it made me feel all gooey and warm inside - and perfect thing was the romance didn't overpower the whole plot. I really enjoyed this whole book until the very end. I felt it didn't really explained anything and just cut off at a loose end, but that was only one of the very few problems I found with this book.
To top off the perfectness of this novel - the characters! I really liked Lucille's character and I very often dislike the MC, so this was a wonderful change. Reading through Lucille's inner monologue made it easier to relate to her and understand what she was going through. I also liked most of the other characters; especially Wren. Each of the characters outlooks were portrayed realistically and accurately that added to the greatness of This Raging Light. The diversity of character personalities also ticked a box on my amazing-book-checklist.
Overall, This Raging Light is a lovely book that explores the concept of love through the relationships that one person can have with siblings, friends and neighbours. I definitely recommend this.
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