Let the Light In

In Let the Light In, Leah's in love and woefully naïve; Charlie's an innocent who has got in way over his head, and only Abby is young enough to be relatively unaffected by the turmoil that has followed their father's untimely death. With their mother housebound suffering unspecified mental illness, the children of the Taylor household have to manage largely by themselves; and that means eldest Leah running the household and just about keeping things on track.

Distracted by an ill-advised affair with an older man, Leah barley notices as Charlie is drawn into debt and his fragile confidence teeters dangerously close to the edge. As the family spirals into a chaos of secrets, lies and misguided good intentions, things come to a head and the Taylors seek a way out of the gloom.

There are lovely characters in the book but they are exasperating in equal measure! There's a naivety to many of their actions and it's hard not to berate the mother for such a woeful neglect of her parenting duties, as her children also deal (or not deal) with their grief. However, there is a strong core of love and loyalty and you certainly find yourself hoping that they find a way out of the chaos.

Let the Light In carries strong points about those children who, for whatever reason, fall by the wayside, too unnoticed; ultimately decent young people who don't see a way out and feel there is no-one to help them. Many of the adult characters are flawed, unwilling or unable to guide the vulnerable youngsters in their lives.

Covering regular teenage angst (dating, looks, confidence) and more nuanced, multi-generational themes of grief, mental illness, poverty and control, this empathetic book is an always welcome reminder of the value of families and communities.

378 pages / Reviewed by Clare Wilkins, school librarian

Suggested Reading Age 14+