A Certain Slant of Light ~ Laura Whitcomb

In the class of the high school English teacher she has been haunting, Helen feels them: for the first time in 130 years, human eyes are looking at her. They belong to a boy, a boy who has not seemed remarkable until now. And Helen—terrified, but intrigued—is drawn to him. The fact that he is in a body and she is not presents this unlikely couple with their first challenge. But as the lovers struggle to find a way to be together, they begin to discover the secrets of their former lives and of the young people they come to possess. [Summary from B&N]

“If anyone were to somehow manage to see me with his eyes,
it would not be this sort of lad – this mere ashes-on-the-inside kind.”

Angie called this novel addicting; at some point while I read, I mentally likened the prose to a drug. Caffeine, chocolate, anything that you just can’t stay away from, that’s what the prose felt like. At times it was seductive and sexy, and on occasion it was painful;  a pulse of emotion beat behind almost every word. What amazes me is that I can recall with perfect clarity how my breath caught over certain passages, specific moments. It’s as though I read the book yesterday rather than five or six days ago.

This novel is about so many things: a spectrum of relationships, trust lost and trust given, language as sustenance, forgiveness, acceptance…And that barely scrapes the surface. Because I covet words, I responded to Helen’s mastery with them, her need to surround herself with them. As a romantic, I was shaken by the intensity of passion present here, and the chemistry. And as someone who enjoys writing, I loved the tone of the novel, the way the prose unapologetically spilled across the page. And to that particular end, I would say this isn’t for a reader who enjoys spare writing; Whitcomb’s writing is lush, articulate, and often, strangely, subdued. Hushed. That latter, I think, adds to the tension.

And tension was plentiful. I never quite knew what turn the story was going to take. Or how it was all going to play out. I often felt like I was in a dark room with a sheet of light sliding beneath the only door; I could see, but not really. Whatever my expectations were going into this one, none of that made the cut. It was truly a unique reading experience.

As much as I loved it, I’m not sure everyone would. It really depends on what you would ask of the story and how you perceived what it delivered. Would I suggest trying it? Yes. In fact, I already have.

I have to thank Angie and Rachel for their role in prompting me to pick up A Certain Slant of Light. I am so very glad I did.

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