Into the Light

INTO THE LIGHT is a consuming and moving YA read that pulls the reader into a story of abuse and humanity. Manny has been on his own for over a year, never staying too long in one place and with his rigid rules to guide him. He has been breaking those rules staying with a family, the Varelas, for several weeks as they drive around in their van. He keeps himself small and as unimposing as possible so as not to be a burden. He knows he will probably need to leave soon, and that moment comes to a head when he sees a news story about Reconciliation, the last place he saw his sister.

Manny's sister Elena pulled him into this intense religious world where they sought to "redeem" young children of color from the foster system, with the conversion camp of Reconciliation at the center. He watches the advertisements and youtube videos of the camp when he can to catch a glimpse of his sister, but when he hears about the body found outside of Reconciliation, he fears that it might be too late to rescue his sister. Manny may not be as alone as he feels, with the Varela family to care for him.

What I loved: This was a really powerful and intense read that pulls the reader in from the start. The book tackles some tough and potent themes around religion, abuse, conversion therapy, family and the ways this can be twisted, the foster care system, homelessness, mental illness, predation, prejudice, and the ways teens can emotionally cope with heavy situations. The abuse of religion and power given to those in positions of religious authority was a critical theme throughout, leading to the conversion camps but also the expulsion of children from their communities and the emotional damage that this inflicts. Beyond Manny's story, others come to light in differing contexts but with similar situations, where those in power ignore or dismiss what "troubled" teens are saying and allowing such abuse to happen through their dismissal.

The themes around the foster care system and the way that this makes children vulnerable were also really thought-provoking. The system has failed Manny, and his rejection from certain homes is frequently blamed on him by an overworked and overlooked system, leading to his emotional harm and ultimately, rejection and homelessness. Similarly, family and relationships are challenging owing to this rotating life, and while he had his sister, her desire for something more secure led to her susceptibility and ultimately loss to Manny. The adoption of children of color by white individuals was also a topic that raised some important questions around the ways that they expect these children to act and feel with a bit of a savior complex in some situations. This is juxtaposed with the Varelas and potentially other families presented later, who approach children with more understanding and humanity.

Interspersed with Manny's story is that of Eli, inside Reconciliation. Eli is the "miracle" they feel that they have achieved. As such, he participates in the conversion therapy activities. However, even as he does, his emotions and concerns are bubbling up inside. While this was a smaller part of the story, it was a powerful perspective of the inner workings of these camps, their techniques to manipulate emotions and thoughts, and the ways it twists the truth and children for their purposes. These were also apparent through Manny's flashbacks, but having someone who was "in" on it (although also a victim) provided another perspective.

Manny is a compelling character. The reader is immersed in his thoughts and perspective with the writing flowing accordingly. The text reflected his emotions and concerns with shorter sentences and paragraphs in times of anxiety and upset and more flowing writing in places where he is more pensive or calm. This style was really unique and imparted his emotions onto the reader, making it quite consuming. Manny has been through a lot, and his mental and emotional state has been protected by the rules he has imposed upon himself and speak to the harm that has been done by the systems in which he involuntarily became embroiled. Other characters definitely felt more secondary with the focus remaining on Manny, but it was impossible not to love the Varelas and Carlos and experience heartbreak over Elena and the villains in the camp (who see themselves as heroes).

The book has a magical realism twist later in the story, and this seemed to symbolize the separation of the likely reality from possibility and hope. While I do not want to give too much away, it ended up feeling like one departure was more likely the reality, while the other was the scenario to bring hope and possibility if escape were possible. These two scenarios were juxtaposed with great impact to impose the reality of teens who are similar situations but also grant a light in the midst of the horror. Neither is a perfect or fully happy ending, but there is definitely a different note to the finality of each divergence with the story. I found this quite thought-provoking and something worth unpacking long after the last page is turned.

Final verdict: A potent and consuming story, INTO THE LIGHT is a thought-provoking YA read that will keep readers turning pages until the powerful end. Recommend for fans of THE PROJECT and THE DEAD AND THE DARK.