Compelling Coming of Age Story

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A Scatter of Light is at its heart a novel about self discovery and identity formation at a pivotal time. Aria Tang West finds herself being sent to stay with her grandmother in California after nude pictures are leaked by a male peer at the end of her senior year. Over the course of the summer, Aria begins to look at who she is, first through a connection made with her grandma’s gardener, Steph, and also in her friendships, her family relationships, and her connection to art and astronomy. This is a coming out story that considers the many strands of identity, sexuality, gender, race, family connections, and creative pursuits. I particularly loved the scenes between Aria and her grandmother and the role that art and astronomy played out throughout the book. For me, I would have liked to see this story embrace sexual discovery without the added complications. As a companion piece to Last Night at the Telegraph Club, it was interesting to see the very different queer worlds these two couples lived in. The two books are only loosely connected, and readers who have not read the first will be able to enjoy this novel without having read the first.