The Light of the World by Ellen Simpson

I’ll start by saying that I really enjoyed this book. To me the characters were heartfelt and charming, the plot was engaging, and many passages were wonderfully lyrical. At its heart Light of the World is a book that explores puzzles. There is of course the overarching mystery of Eva’s grandmother as detailed in the book description. However, beyond that arc the book explores several interpersonal puzzles as well. The varying mysteries of family, friends, love and adulthood are explored and navigated by Eva in her journey to learn more about her grandmother, and I think Light is much richer for it. One particularly interesting aspect was the narrative gave me pieces of the mystery that the characters Eva and her grandmother Mary didn’t have. To me it created a very engaging tension for me as the reader as I tried to pull my pieces of the puzzle together with the pieces that the characters discovered through their exploration. I think most of all I enjoyed Eva’s daily life and exploration of the puzzle of adulthood, family, and love. Simpson very handily captures one’s ability to simultaneously love and be infuriated by one’s family. I have read few things that have encapsulated my own complex feelings toward my loved ones as Light so perfectly does. Beyond the puzzles I very much enjoyed the author’s ability to create turns of phrase that are vivid and lyrical. My favorite passage “She has pulled open my ribs and settled herself right beside my heart, nestled in against my soul and I do not think I could ever carve her out,” is indicative of Simpsons talent and storytelling ability as these passages are written not just for the joy of language but also serve narratively as well. Such lyrical passages often show the similar traits that Eva and her grandmother have in common and as such help to emphasize the parallels that Eva’s own story has to her grandmother’s. Overall, definitely an enjoyable book that I recommend to anyone in the mood for a light mystery. Note: I received a copy of this book from Ylva in exchange for an honest review.