Book Review #13

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 In Perfect Light

By Benjamin Alire Sáenz   


For the longest time, I didn't want to read this book. I got it as a gift from the author in college during a time where money was hard for me and I felt ashamed about it. I also wasn't sure I was comfortable enough to read a book that -according to the blurb on the back cover- was about two people that were dealing with darkness and trying to get out of it. 

  Looking back to that one, I'm glad she didn't. Only because I got to read it now. At the time of writing this (June 2025), I am dealing with a lot of weird shifts in my life when it comes to people. People I thought were going to be around for a while are leaving the places where I thought they would stay, things are shifting mentally for me, and I'm coming to grips with a reality I was not entirely ready for due to my own personal failings. Reading this book reminds me how fragile and shifting life is, and how I truly will never be prepared for things. All I can do is go along for the ride and make sure my seat is as comfortable as I can make it. 

  This novel is an interconnected web of characters. All of who bury themselves with things in life that seem either totally normal or totally out of place for me. Without really going into the novel for the sake of spoilers, the two main characters - Andrés and Grace- seem to pull other characters that not only have a full world of their own, but somehow tie so neatly/distressingly into their worlds. It really is a story that can open a reader's eyes into something uncomfortable but necessary to think about as they read. I would recommend this book as one of those "read for spiritual activation/shadow work/ a general wake-up call" kind of books. Worth it, but definitely something you are going to want either a notebook to write in or a wall to stare at as the events of this book unfold.

  Total sidenote: If you are like me, you may want to also brush up on some Spanish, or have your Spanish-English translator of choice nearby. This author brilliantly uses Mexican Spanish and English interchangeably during random intervals, but not so much that it feels like your reading a novel written in Spanish. Definitely worth the random tidbits in my opinion, but I can imagine it will be hard to keep up with for others. 

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