Published: 14th January 2016
Publisher: Orchard Books
Pages: 312
Format: Paperback
Genre: Young Adult
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ – 5 Stars
How is it that one day Digby was my best friend’s cute twin brother, and then the next he stole air, gave jitters, twisted my insides up?
And with Mom gone, bills to pay and Wren to look after… Why does the best thing happen at the worst time?
This book was such an emotional roller coaster for me. I made so many different noises reading this story. I could barely contain myself as I read. I had to put it down to gather myself but then I immediately had to pick it back up again because I Had To Know. Looking at the notes I took when I read it there is one that is simply “This book. Oh gosh this book is incredible!!!” which is a great endorsement based on emotional response alone.
There are so many brilliant characters in this, so many to admire and have emotional moments about. Laure has done a brilliant job making the reader become invested in these girls and their lives and obviously there are so many heart wrenching and suspenseful moments as they try and cope on their own.
There is uncertainty and fear and all kinds of worries we’re made too experience alongside Lucille. You see her fears of being separated and her worry how to cope, not to mention the mystery of where her mother is and when she’s coming back. We feel her anger and her desperation and determination is compelling.
Wren is character you can’t help but adore and seeing her and Lucille together is magical; the sisterly bond the two girls have is amazing. Wren’s journey and her thoughts alone will break your heart, not to mention that her own fears and her worries WILL CRUSH YOUR SOUL. It really reminds you that she is only a kid and that she is as scared and as worried as Lucille is. As a reader you get to hate a few people in this – the mum, the dad, but for a lot of the time as well you get to be proud of the girls for surviving.
It isn’t just the big things, there’s a lot of little things that will break your heart and make you swell with pride. It’s an incredible story and one that leaves you with so much more than when you started. I basically shoved this book into the hands of anyone nearby and it was wonderful to watch them have the same emotional reactions as I did.
Before I claim this as completely perfect, there were a few things that didn’t sit right with me but I think it adds to the story in a way – a lot can be excused regarding young love and new feelings. Some parts I will also admit made me angry, like proper frustrated because it was so stupid and wrong, but this is what I mean when I say Laure makes you feel a range of emotions with this story. Anger, fear, pain, love. It’s all in there and you will feel all of it.
The additional dramas around their missing mother is also nail biting and filled with tension. It never feels like two separate stories, they blend together brilliantly and they link together seamlessly. A great example of capturing life: everything happens at once and things are not easy, perfect or solved by the end of the book.
There is a sense of hope that shines through though, that even in the toughest moments when there are bills to pay and food to buy you have faith that Lucille and Wren will be ok. Lucille is someone you know will make it all ok, even when she can’t they will get through it, she will always be there for Wren, no matter what happens.
Honestly I don’t know how many more ways I can say that I adored this story. It has so much in it and so many complexities that Laure has blended brilliantly. It’s a love story, a family story, a story of pain and hope and survival, and one that will make you feel everything.
You can purchase This Raging Light via the following
Lost in a Good Book 