A master violinist must trade seven musical souls to a demon in order to escape her own damnation. She’s had 49 years to complete her contract, and she’s on her last soul … but she has to find the perfect prodigy to offer Hell.

 

A young trans girl - with a natural gift for the violin - has run away from an abusive home, seeking acceptance and a way to cultivate her music. 

 

The captain of a starship has recently settled down on Earth to escape her home’s undoing … and she has to figure out how to successfully run a family donut shop.

 

Now how exactly do these 3 stories connect? You’ll have to read Light from Uncommon Stars to find out. It’s wildly imaginative, with a wonderful cast that you’ll care about deeply (with maybe the exception of one or two players). There are so many contrasting, quirky tableaus that somehow just WORK when placed side by side. 

 

The novel is filled with exquisite descriptions of home and belongingness through art (whether that is music or baking or craftsmanship or so on). Characters learn how to reclaim their place in their family history, grapple with their own identities, and grow tremendously. 

 

It is a hard read. Katrina (the young trans runaway) has a powerful arc, but for 85% of the book she lives in deep anguish and fear and self-loathing. She is also faced with a lot of external triggers: intense hate speech and transphobia in many forms. If reading about transphobia makes you feel unsafe, this book may not be a good fit for you. While her arc is ultimately precious, it takes a very long time to get there.

 

The final performance (and description of music) was breathtakingly transformative. I felt immersed and held and captivated. The overall ending to the book I wasn’t quite as sold on; it dipped into cheesiness a little too much for my personal taste. But I was grateful for the choice to leave us with tender joy.

 

The only reason this wasn’t a 5 star read for me were a few moments of joltingness - of plot points that felt like a tear to the beautiful structure and added unnecessary pain. But overall this was a gorgeous book, and I’ll be recommending it as often as I can!

 

CW: transphobia (including hate speech & slurs & deadnaming; very intense and a prevalent theme in the book), queerphobia, sexual assault & rape (including a brief mention of incest), death & murder, sex work, domestic abuse (physical & emotional), child abuse (physical & emotional), racism, self harm, blood, religious bigotry, gaslighting, war, sexism, outing (as trans), xenophobia