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A Review of Kelly Loy Gilbert’s Picture us in The Light (Disney Hyperion, 2018).
By Stephen Hong Sohn

I have been a big fan of Kelly Loy Gilbert since reading Conviction, which was definitely one of the YA reads that had more weight and heft to it. Gilbert continues the tradition of writing socially conscious YA with her next publication, Picture us in The Light (Disney Hyperion, 2018). We’ll let B&N take it from here to give us context:
“Danny Cheng has always known his parents have secrets. But when he discovers a taped-up box in his father's closet filled with old letters and a file on a powerful Silicon Valley family, he realizes there's much more to his family's past than he ever imagined. Danny has been an artist for as long as he can remember and it seems his path is set, with a scholarship to RISD and his family's blessing to pursue the career he's always dreamed of. Still, contemplating a future without his best friend, Harry Wong, by his side makes Danny feel a panic he can barely put into words. Harry and Danny's lives are deeply intertwined and as they approach the one-year anniversary of a tragedy that shook their friend group to its core, Danny can't stop asking himself if Harry is truly in love with his girlfriend, Regina Chan. When Danny digs deeper into his parents' past, he uncovers a secret that disturbs the foundations of his family history and the carefully constructed facade his parents have maintained begins to crumble. With everything he loves in danger of being stripped away, Danny must face the ghosts of the past in order to build a future that belongs to him.”
So, let’s preface my review of the book first with a spoiler alert, because this novel is, in some sense, a coming to conscious realization. A pause here to remind you: do not read forward unless you want critical details of the plot to be revealed. Much like Benjamin Alire Saenz’s Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, this novel chooses to make the protagonist one who (at least) partially withholds his own sense of affection for his best friend. It becomes apparent (with subtle cues offered by Gilbert) that Danny harbors romantic feelings for Harry, even if he won’t admit it, either in his internal monologue or direct speech. Eventually, and patiently, Gilbert leads us to see how Danny faces this fact. It would have been amazing to have read a book like this one in high school, and I truly hope that it gets adopted at that level, as it will provide young queers of color the opportunity to see themselves reflected (in all of their complicated ways) in the fictional world. The other major plotting issue involves the secret of Danny’s parents, who, as we discover, may be on the lam. Danny had always assumed that his sister was dead, but, in fact, she ends up getting accidentally routed into an adoption agency. She eventually ends up in the United States. Though Danny’s parents track her down, their biological daughter has made a new life with a new family, all of whom are not necessarily keen on any sort of reunion. In any case, this intricate backstory continually causes interruptions to Danny’s aspirations of becoming an artist, and this novel is as much about familial dynamics as it is a coming-of-age for Danny in relation to his sexuality. The ending is especially understated but fully appropriate for this thoughtful and mature outing by Gilbert.
Buy the Book Here!
Review Editor: Xiomara Forbez
If you have any questions or want us to consider your book for review, please don't hesitate to contact us via email!
Prof. Stephen Hong Sohn at ssohnucr@gmail.com
Xiomara Forbez, PhD Candidate in Critical Dance Studies, at xforb001@ucr.edu