I’m struggling to write this review, as unfortunately, I didn’t care about Picture Us in the Light.

For me, this was an instance of intriguing premise full of interesting, relevant themes, but poor execution. The story is one of parents sacrificing for their children, secrets, friendship, uncertainty toward the future. It could’ve been humorous, poignant, or any combination of the two. Instead, I felt nothing. I had no attachment to Danny or other characters, and actually preferred his friends Harry and Regina.

My biggest issue is with the queer rep. It’s practically invisible. No labels are ever used, and while that’s fine, there isn’t even an indication. It isn’t made clear until the final pages, when an m/m relationship is subtly hinted at. I definitely think it could’ve been done better.

Another aspect I didn’t enjoy was the ending. I’ve seen other reviews call it bittersweet, a few saying it brought tears to their eyes. I respect that, but personally, it felt dry and incomplete. Even the epilogue didn’t satisfy me, though it’s possible I’m simply being difficult.

All in all, Picture Us in the Light was a sadly mediocre novel. I didn’t hate it, but I can’t think of any elements I truly enjoyed. If this is a novel up your alley, I recommend it and I hope your experience is better than mine. However, I won’t be picking up any past or future novels by Gilbert.

Representation:
• Danny is Chinese and queer.
• Harry is Taiwanese and queer.
• Regina is Taiwanese.
• Danny’s mom has anxiety and panic attacks.

CW: depression, death, grief, suicide, car accident