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A Certain Slant of Light (Light #1)

by Laura Whitcomb (Goodreads Author)

3.83 of 5 stars 3.83 · rating details · 11,203 ratings · 1,391 reviews

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 challen

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Paperback, 282 pages

Published September 21st 2005 by Graphia (first published September 1st 2005)

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Jul 17, 2011 Wendy Darling rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of beautiful writing

Shelves: pn-ghosts, young-adult, gorgeous-prose, favorite-ya, read-2011, adult, mature-ya, questionable-ethics

4.5 stars Wow. Is this really being shelved in young adult fiction? Laura Whitcomb's writing is deliciously wordy, witty, and wonderful, and the story surprisingly complex with many mature themes. The author did a fantastic job of minding the formal speech and thought patterns of Helen's background and contrasting them with the jarring reality of present day, all while ruminating on human existence and forgiveness and the value of a life well-lived. This is an exceptionally intelligent YA book t...more

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Aug 11, 2012 Emily May rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-na, pnr, 2012

This is a book I've had sitting on my shelf for over a year, I'd heard plenty of good things about it but still remained sceptical* about the whole ghosts + romance thing. Eh, really? Ghosts are somewhere down near zombies on the sexiness scale, could I really become invested in such a relationship? Apparently yes, but these ghosts have found a way around the whole touching predicament (and wasted no time getting back into it) by possessing the bodies of people whose souls have abandoned them.

I have read some of the negative reviews on A Certain Slant of Light and the thing most often pointed out is something which usually annoys me: the way Helen and James fall so quickly in love and have sex after only meeting each other a few times. The reason this whiff of insta didn't bother me so much in this case is because I was sold on the idea of their loneliness, the pain Helen felt in watching so many people grow, have fun and die whilst she can never be a part of their lives... it led me to understand why these two lost and lonely souls would latch onto one another straight away and cling together to find what they've been missing for so many years. I could believe in the desperation.

And that's all I really want: to understand. It's why I'm turned off by insta-love and destiny-bound lovers, because that's "tell", not "show" and it's empty. In this novel, Laura Whitcomb gives me what I need to care about the couple, whilst maintaining a beautiful and slightly creepy atmosphere.

However, this story it still far more than just a romance. Helen and James are haunted by a few scattered and incomplete memories of their past and they must put the pieces together to remember who they are, how they died, and what holds them in this strange limbo. But will the truths of their past be too much to handle? Or will they finally get some peace? As well as this, they also begin to discover why the souls of their host bodies have abandoned ship, what it was in their lives that made them give up.

James possesses the body of a drug addict who's been in trouble with the police multiple times and lives alone with his temperamental brother. With both parents gone, the two young men struggle along by themselves. Helen, on the other hand, possesses the body of a teenage girl who's parents are extremely religious - right away we are introduced to the "abortion is murder" bumper stickers - they have prayer time and read the Bible every night before bed. As events unfold, it becomes clear that not everything is as holy as it seems in this family and, though it may not be the main part of the story, this subplot about religious hypocrisy was quite brilliant... and a little scary.

I recommend this for paranormal fans who enjoy something a bit out of the ordinary.
...........................................................................................................

*I wrote "sceptical" in another review and a really nice person told me to learn how to spell. So, just to let you know, this is actually the correct spelling in Britain. I'm British. Just thought I'd save trolls some typing time.(less)

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Apr 30, 2009 Tatiana rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009, ya, ala-ya-2006, urban-fantasy

I don't think I would have read this book if it wasn't recommended to me. I am just not that into ghosts. However this book is so much more than that. It is about love and finding peace and happiness in your (after)life. The motives of forbidden and impossible love and "body snatching" reminded me strongly of certain Stephenie Meyer novels we all know, but SM's books seem to a be pile of mediocrity in comparison to A Certain Slant of Light. The depth of feeling SM failed to achieve in 3000 pages...more

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Dec 26, 2012 Leslie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, ghosts, romance, favorites, historic

What a difficult, beautiful and fascinating book! It wasn't riveting or necessarily suspenseful, although it was filled with incredibly unique descriptions from a ghost's point of view, that if I didn't know any better, I would sincerely believe the author actually spent time as one.

Helen is a ghost and for the first time in 130 years, human eyes are looking at her. Those eyes belong to a boy who has not seemed remarkable until now. Helen is terrified and also unnerved by the fact that he can s...more

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Jul 04, 2011 Buggy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: shelf-09, paranormal-rom, ya, ghosts, not-so-hea

Opening Line:"Someone was looking at me, a disturbing sensation if you're dead."

This is one of the best books that I've read in a long time. And although it's being touted as teen fiction this can absolutely be enjoyed by adults and as one I'll be recommending it to all my friends. It's just a beautiful story of fated romance no matter what your age.

A CERTAIN SLANT OF LIGHT tells the story of a girl named Helen who's been dead for a 130 years. She is now a ghost or "light" as the author calls...more

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May 28, 2012 Giselle rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ebook, paranormal

Well, if I had one word to describe this book it would be Weird. It is definitely weird and maybe a bit disturbing if you really thing about it. (view spoiler) But this is fiction so I'll take the disturbing and roll with it, and I still quite enjoyed the story.

It's hard to explain what the book is about without getting spoiler-y. So just quickly, it's about a ghost with no recollection of her death who clings to humans to...more

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Nov 24, 2011 Maya rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: good-romantasy-paranormal-romance

This is very close to 4 stars.

I'm a bit shocked that all quotes listed on goodreads from this novel only concern the romance side of the story, because it has much more to offer.

This is the story of two ghosts who have been haunting people and places for decades, alone, without knowing why they were stuck on earth. When they finally meet, they fall in love and try to find their way, to find happiness.

The love story is touching and beautifully told, both characters are very likeable. It just make...more This is very close to 4 stars.

I'm a bit shocked that all quotes listed on goodreads from this novel only concern the romance side of the story, because it has much more to offer.

This is the story of two ghosts who have been haunting people and places for decades, alone, without knowing why they were stuck on earth. When they finally meet, they fall in love and try to find their way, to find happiness.

The love story is touching and beautifully told, both characters are very likeable. It just makes you happy to read about them being happy ;)

But to me the romance wasn't even the best thing about this book. I started reading expecting a touching love story, but the author does a great job interwining the quest of the two lovers with the stories of their hosts, especially the two young people whose bodies they end up borrowing. A Certain Slant of Light is about children being strangled indirectly by their parents controlling every aspect of their lives or, on the opposite, by neglecting them. In the story their souls flee from their bodies when the child can't bear it any longer and gives up on his life, leaving behind an empty shell that moves without a will, a consciousness inside. And in reality ... well, these children do exist and I wish for their parents to read this book.

What made me end up with 3 stars rather than 4 was that Helen really did act a tiny tad too stupid at times just so that she would provoke a new conflict and the ending, which somehow wasn't really my thing, but that doesn't mean it was bad. It's a really good book from beginning to end, and very beautifully written.

However, I cannot recommend this book if you're looking for some light reading or simply for a cute romance. A Certain Slant of Light was much darker than I had anticipated. It makes you think and question things about life, and it doesn't necessarily make you happy. I had to watch some episodes of The Big Bang Theory right after finishing to change my mind XD So it really depends on what you are looking for. If you're in the right mood for this, go ahead :)(less)

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Mar 30, 2011 Hannah rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-reads, ya, too-awful-for-words

What a disappointing read this was. After seeing all the high ratings for this (including my own daughter's 4-star rating), I was eagerly anticipating a unique and touching ghost story. Sad to say, nothing in this story touched me in any way, and in fact it's one of the worst books I've read in 2011 so far, filled with ham-fisted stereotypes and unbelievable character actions.

Whitcomb actually had a fairly interesting premise starting out. Helen, a young woman dead for 150 years, makes her way o...more What a disappointing read this was. After seeing all the high ratings for this (including my own daughter's 4-star rating), I was eagerly anticipating a unique and touching ghost story. Sad to say, nothing in this story touched me in any way, and in fact it's one of the worst books I've read in 2011 so far, filled with ham-fisted stereotypes and unbelievable character actions.

Whitcomb actually had a fairly interesting premise starting out. Helen, a young woman dead for 150 years, makes her way out of purgatory/hell(?) and cleaves to a succession of human hosts. Helen haunts them until they die, and then finds another to stay with. They are never aware of her, however, so Helen stays in this static limbo for over a century. Her current host is a senior high English teacher, Mr. Brown, and it is in his class that she realizes that there is, in fact, someone who sees her.

This is where the story disintegrated into a cliched, stereotypical YA teen-angst drama. I am supposed to swallow the idea that Helen, a post civil war young lady, and James, a WWI doughboy who died 85 years ago and now inhabits a 17 year old stoner boy's body, meet and instantly fall "in love" ( love, really? how about lust ) and consumate their physical relationship after only a day or so. Riiiiiiiiight. Guess all those decades in limbo does crazy things for the libido, ( regardless of the time period and social mores that Helen and James lived in ). And we all know that teenagers just can't control their sexual urges and will do the deed with anyone, anytime, anywhere. And it makes it especially *cool* that Helen now inhabits the 15 year old body of a virgin whose parents fulfil every cliche of religious nut cases, ( 'cause of course that gives this book that "push the envelope" kind of edginess that it needs to attract teens ). I found this entire section of the story trite and melodramatic, and it didn't do anything to further what might have been an interesting story about death, the afterlife and the premise of haunting. In essence, it became just another bad piece of YA fiction, filled with foul language, inappropriate sex scenes and cliched stereotypes of teenagers and religious people.

Promising beginning. Interesting final pages. Utter dreckage in between. (less)

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Jun 16, 2010 rachel rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, own, 2010, sci-fi-fantasy, read-for-one-of-four-book-clubs

For some reason, I feel as though to be able to review this book, I need to qualify whatever I'm going to say with the fact that I'm not really a romantic person. I believe in the possibility of establishing a human connection with someone after first meeting, and I believe in the possibility of lust at first sight. But I also believe that there is a giant difference between infatuation and lust, and actual love. And yes, to me infatuation and lust are more common but much lesser entities than t...more

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Nov 14, 2010 Morgan F rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2000s, young-adult, fantasy, romance, death-and-dying, the-afterlife, its-a-girl, own, favorites, debut, read-2010, medium-sized, favorite-covers, awesome-titles, forgiveness

I started this book the day the world ended. No, not in a literal 2012-tsunami-earthquake kinda way, but in a my-cell-phone-and-laptop-just-so-happened-to-break-on-the-same-day kinda way. And when you are a 17 year old girl, that is really, really bad. So while I was rolling around on the ground suffering from texting withdrawl, a thought occurred to me: Go read a book, you idjit! So I did. And in no time at all, I forgot the outside world existed.

To say I loved this book would be a severe unde...more

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Oct 02, 2007 Heidi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: teen, supernatural-fantasy

Oh my, this book was good. I only meant to read it during my lunch hour, but I found myself engrossed. Needless to say, I didn't get much work done yesterday.

It's a ghost story, but not a scary one. Helen has been dead for 130 years and remembers only that she was a woman who had been married. She finds herself stuck between earth and hell, knowing that something about how she died is keeping her from heaven. She attaches to "hosts" who don't know she's there but still feel her influence somehow...more

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Sep 11, 2007 Bonnie Gayle rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of unique, well-writen stories

Shelves: fantasy-sf, reviewed, library-books

This was a fantastic book. (I'm tired of saying 'really good'.)
Helen is a ghost who has been dead for 130 years, and has haunted a series of people. She is in the high school classroom of the teacher she is currently haunting, when a boy in the class sees her. She is amazed and freaked out because no one has ever seen her. Ends up that he is a ghost too, and he has taken over the boy's body. The boy's spirit left his body an empty shell, so he took it over. They fall in love, and she takes over...more

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May 14, 2007 Jan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: teenbooks, horror-fiction

An interesting ghost story told from the point of view of--you guessed it--the ghost. Helen has not been able to cross over into the light and is condemned to darkenss, unless she can attach herself to a human "host." She clings to her various hosts, who are all writers, until it is time to move on to the next one. Some of her hosts are famous literary figures, including Emily Dickinson (the title is taken from a Dickinson poem). After she falls in love with a kindred spirit (literally) named Ja...more

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Mar 20, 2013 Alex rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Sono i libri a sceglierci e non viceversa...
Nonostante abbia una marea di libri che aspettano di essere letti,mi permetto sempre di sbirciare le letture altrui qui su goodreads!
Così mi sono imbattuta in "Riflessi di un pomeriggio d'inverno" .
Una trama semplice ,due protagonisti apparentemente comuni e una storia che scorre dentro la mente e il cuore fluida e delicata come una melodia.
Helen vaga da oltre un secolo sulla terra sottoforma di Luce/spirito,legandosi a diversi 'ospiti',cioè umani con...more

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Oct 24, 2011 PJ Swanwick rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: spiritual, favorites

Lyrical prose elevates ghost story from prosaic to poetic

Laura Whitcomb's poetic, lyrical style perfectly suits this ghost story of self-imposed exile and redemption. Her stunning descriptions of the spirit world versus the physical world outweigh the lack of spiritual depth. While perhaps not the most enlightening example of new age fiction, reading her book is a delightful experience nonetheless.

Story: Helen died 130 years ago as a young woman. Unable to enter heaven because of a sense of guil...more Lyrical prose elevates ghost story from prosaic to poetic

Laura Whitcomb's poetic, lyrical style perfectly suits this ghost story of self-imposed exile and redemption. Her stunning descriptions of the spirit world versus the physical world outweigh the lack of spiritual depth. While perhaps not the most enlightening example of new age fiction, reading her book is a delightful experience nonetheless.

Story: Helen died 130 years ago as a young woman. Unable to enter heaven because of a sense of guilt she carried at death, she has been silent and invisible but conscious and sociable across the generations. Her spirit has been sustained by its attachment to one living human host after another, including a poet and, most recently, a high-school English teacher. While she sits through his class one day, she becomes aware of James and he-unlike the mortals all around them-is aware of her as well. James, who also died years earlier, inhabits the body of a contemporary teen, Billy. James and Helen fall in love, he shows her how to inhabit the body of a person whose spirit has died but who still lives and breathes, and the two begin to unfold the mysteries of their own pasts and those of their adolescent hosts. . . . In the subgenre of dead-narrator tales, this book shows the engaging possibilities of immortality-complete with a twist at the end that wholly satisfies. (From amazon.com)

Spiritual/metaphysical content: Low. Whitcomb deliberately avoids addressing the deeper spiritual aspects of the plot. She speaks of "God" and "heaven" as general terms that fit well within Christian teachings but are open to broader interpretation. She focuses narrowly on the disembodied spirit's existence on the earthly plane, side-stepping why she cannot see other ghosts or what may lie beyond her heroine's own experience. However, her portrayal of a fundamentalist Christian family is quite specific and judgmental, compared to the even tone of the rest of her writing.

My take: Laura Whitcomb writes in a lovely, lyrical style perfectly suited to a book from a disembodied spirit's point of view. The novel is categorized as young adult because of the protagonists' age, but the writing is sophisticated enough to satisfy a more general audience. Her sensuous descriptions of experiencing the delights of human sensation again after 130 years reawakens the readers' own senses and engenders a new appreciation of our own corporeal experience. Whitcomb's characters are finely drawn, with enough back story to make their experiences realistic and believable. The tight plot quickly builds to an emotionally satisfying resolution.

While "A Certain Slant of Light" barely qualifies for the category of metaphysical fiction, the book is a deeply satisfying exploration of personal redemption and forgiveness from a spirit's perspective. What the story lacks in depth is counter-balanced by enough general spirituality and lyrical, sensuous prose to make the novel a satisfying, enjoyable read.

For more reviews of new age novels, see Fiction For A New Age.(less)

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Oct 26, 2011 Angela rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-children-s, read-2011

I've been wanting to read this book for a while now and after waiting so long for the public library to obtain a copy and ignoring my requests, I bought a copy instead. I wasn't disappointed.

I have a soft spot for gothic style literature, regardless of the age group the book is aimed for. This was a lovely twist on the general paranormal romanace genre (no sparkling vampires, thank Christ!) and was a pleasure to read.

The story itself was original and captivating and the novel as a whole was very...more

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May 31, 2012 Amy (Turn the Page) rated it 4 of 5 stars

I kept seeing this novel described as ‘compelling’, and that’s exactly what it is. Compelling. With so many supernatural romances filling the shelves lately, it’s hard to find one that stands out from the crowd and actually delivers a unique story. A Certain Slant of Light does just that. It's far more sophisticated and more adult in terms of depth and plot line compared to many of the other paranormal books around.

Firstly, isn’t that just a divine title? It sends a shiver down my spine, that, c...more I kept seeing this novel described as ‘compelling’, and that’s exactly what it is. Compelling. With so many supernatural romances filling the shelves lately, it’s hard to find one that stands out from the crowd and actually delivers a unique story. A Certain Slant of Light does just that. It's far more sophisticated and more adult in terms of depth and plot line compared to many of the other paranormal books around.

Firstly, isn’t that just a divine title? It sends a shiver down my spine, that, combined with the frankly stunning cover, gave me a good idea that I was about to read something a little bit special.

What makes this story especially interesting is that it isn’t actually about two teenagers falling in love at all. Helen is 27, while James is 29. Their emotions and passions are raw, real. Their yearning to be together is heightened by the fact that they aren’t adolescents falling head over heels with the first attractive person who comes their way; their attraction stems from a shared experience – of finding someone who understands you, who feels as you do, who misses human touch. The joy of having someone to talk to after 130 years of being utterly alone. They are adults, with adult feelings, out of their own time but confined to young bodies, which has serious repercussions as the story unfolds.

Helen is a very vulnerable character. At times she appears far younger than 27. As we learn more of her struggles in her previous life, in the manner of her death and her overwhelmingly lonely, terrifying, existence since, you begin to understand why she is so sad and guarded. Her feelings of possessiveness and love for her hosts is so complex. James brings her to life. We can understand completely why she is scared but drawn to him. Helen clings to James and comes to depend greatly on him, but she has an inner strength about her as well, which shines through as she determines against the odds to fight for Jenny’s life as well as her own, even at her lowest point.

Though we never really meet them, I grew as fond and invested in the stories of Billy and Jenny (especially Jenny) as Helen and James. One particular scene which really stood out to me in took place between these two secondary characters near the very end, where they meet for the first time, but have already become an anchor in one another's lives.

This book doesn't shy away from difficult or controversial questions. Is what Helen and James doing wrong? Do they make the right choices? Are they being overwhelmingly selfish? The consequences for several characters as a result of Helen and James' actions are serious. Ultimately, I was left with the feeling that Helen and James did help Jenny and Billy, more than they'll ever know, but at a cost.

A Certain Slant of Light has an underlying sadness throughout that is quite touching and profound. Helen and James are two people who desperately want the chance to be together, but discover they may have to sacrifice their own happiness in order to help two young people find the fight within themselves to live.

It is very nearly a perfect story. I felt at times it needed a little more editing, and a little longer spent on it. Some of the overly descriptive language could have been cut down (the beginning is a little difficult to grasp) and I felt the story was incomplete (whether this is intentional or not I don't know). I wanted to read more about James and Helen past lives; a malevolent spirit is mentioned but never resolved and the ending was too abrupt and not in keeping with the atmosphere Whitcomb had maintained throughout the rest of the book.(less)

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Jul 09, 2011 Holly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult-reads, angst-a-plenty, best-covers-ever, deals-with-religious-materials, definitely-unique, deep-stuff, families-and-family-issues, flashbacks, ghost-stories, loved, magical-supernatural-paranormal, makes-you-think, not-what-i-expected, paranormal-romance, sexxy-stuff, unique-in-a-really-good-way

I really enjoyed this book, but the whole time, I kept thinking, "Did I really pick this up in the YA section? It must have been shelved wrong." The characters are late-twenty-somethings spirits who steal teenage bodies, and therefore have adult relationships, and obviously just think like adults (which, again, made me think it was an adult novel--- the characters were adults, and had more maturity and wisdom than most of the characters in YA novels). I've read in other reviews that a lot of oth...more

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Oct 07, 2011 Missie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: legen-wait-for-it-dary, ya

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. http://www.theunreadreader.com/2010/1...

When I first made my reading list for December, A Certain Slant of Light was not on it, but bewitched as I was after reading If I Stay, I realized I craved something similar. And that is how A Certain Slant of Light got bumped up on my TBR, and I'm glad it did.

The immediate draw I felt when I started reading this story was met with an overwhelming dread that no matter what happened, I wouldn't like the ending. And that turned out to be true.

For 130 years,...more http://www.theunreadreader.com/2010/1...

When I first made my reading list for December, A Certain Slant of Light was not on it, but bewitched as I was after reading If I Stay, I realized I craved something similar. And that is how A Certain Slant of Light got bumped up on my TBR, and I'm glad it did.

The immediate draw I felt when I started reading this story was met with an overwhelming dread that no matter what happened, I wouldn't like the ending. And that turned out to be true.

For 130 years, Helen has cleaved on to different hosts, existing as a gentle spirit by the side of a living person until that person dies and she must find another. While she seemed perfectly content to continue on this way, she is haunted by memories she can't quite remember, knowing she did something that caused her to be kept from being accepted into heaven. It isn't until Helen meets James, a human boy that can see her as 'light,' that she begins to imagine the possibility that perhaps she can be released.

What I enjoyed the most was the perfectly polite prose, which was very reminiscent to that of author Edith Wharton, whom I adore. The writing was so proper yet it still felt sinfully exciting and erotic in the most delicate way. I spent a considerable amount of time re-reading simple yet illustrative descriptions of places and tastes Helen reveled in as she came alive. It was intoxicating.

Still, I was frustrated by the feeling that I didn't know if I could trust James. I wanted to, and his goodness was pretty evident, but I feared that he would turn out to be one of the Evil spirits that was referenced. Also, many times, James and Helen talked in circles that provided little understanding. I knew the random things that James would mention or change topics to were because he was remembering or becoming conscious of his actions, but it often annoyed or confused me.

Also, James and Helen did a pretty good job of proving that no matter how old your spirit may be, when you inhabit the bodies of youths, it gives you permission to be as reckless as you'd like. This is probably what I struggled with the most. Yes, I was enticed with their secret romance and stolen time together, but I wasn't thrilled with the outcome of what they left behind. A pregnant 15 year old? Really? While I think the author tried bring some hope into to that situation by bring back Billy, the boy that James inhabited, it was Jenny, Helen's human body, who I felt heartbroken for. Jenny was fragile from the start, but to have her end up with no memories of what happened yet pregnant was absurd, especially since her family dynamic had changed so much while she was away.

Helen's journey towards her conclusion wasn't peaceful as she confronted her past, and there was something ominous about it that I didn't quite understand. Yet, any irritation I collected while following Helen's light was melted away as soon as she was reunited with all her loved ones.

A Certain Slant of Light is an exquisite novel that has all the makings of a classic. (less)

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Mar 01, 2011 Beca "oNe-C" rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: xox-personal-collection-xox, my-2010-reads, the-unforgettables, xox-love-loved-these-books-xox, 00-romance-and-love-00, 00-a-touch-of-paranormal-00, 0-zombies-ghosts-and-monsters-0, 0-not-your-typical-fantasy-0, 5-series-i-am-reading

So I have nothing bad to say about this book except that I wish I found out for sure what happened to Mr. Brown, but that does not even matter because I HEARTED this book! I mean I can only guess that things turned out okay for him too with the way things ended. A Certain Slant of Light was just not what I thought it was going to be at all and I was pleasantly surprised by the plot of this story, so full of twist and turns. Just wish the book was longer just to find out if the real Billy and Je...more

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Sep 23, 2009 Penny rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone wanting to read a

Recommended to Penny by: Reviewer X (blog)

Shelves: penny-s-favorite-books, reviewed-books, paranormal-romance, ya-fiction

I was told it is a modern ghost story. But really, it is so much more then just a ghost story. Yes, the main character, Helen, is dead. And yes, I will admit Helen haunts people, or rather, attaches herself to certain people. But the people she "haunts" are, for the most part, unaware of her presence. She doesn't go around scaring people. So I want to make it clear, this isn't a spooky ghost story. When all is said and done, this story is about love, self-discovery and forgiveness.

Laura Whitcom...more

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Oct 06, 2008 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Li & Colleen, especially Li

Recommended to Laura by: Mom, kind of. I don't think she really liked it.

Shelves: ya-fiction, supernatural

Where to start. First, this is a bizarre book, conceptually, for what I would call fairly mainstream fiction. It's a ghost story through and through, but the premise that people can leave their bodies and they remain vacant, but still completely functional, and that a "Light" (ghost) can enter the body and take it over, with no memories of the former occupent... Just really strange.

The book could have easily been doubled in length and probably would have been better if the author had done so. Th...more Where to start. First, this is a bizarre book, conceptually, for what I would call fairly mainstream fiction. It's a ghost story through and through, but the premise that people can leave their bodies and they remain vacant, but still completely functional, and that a "Light" (ghost) can enter the body and take it over, with no memories of the former occupent... Just really strange.

The book could have easily been doubled in length and probably would have been better if the author had done so. There are references to "dark things" looming around empty bodies, inhabiting others, but no further explanation. That certainly would have been interesting to know more about. Also, it felt like the relationship between Helen and James was a little unbelievable, or there was too much haste. I can totally get the haste for the carnal aspect, one of the good things about the book, for those of you that like a little lust in your books w/o being trashy ;),but their conversations didn't evoke a lot of emotional connection, that I could tell. I was left a little confused at how they were such soul mates in the end. Last, I am rather shocked that this book is labeled as Teen Fiction. I mean, I read some disturbing stuff in my teen years, but the way it's written just didn't seem like it would even appeal to the average teenager, nor was there any confusion that the books I read as a teen were "teen lit". It seems like they qualified as "Teen Lit" because the two main characters are inhabiting teenagers bodies. That is not the authors fault, though. Those are my criticisms.

The positives: It was just beautifully written. To me, it was almost like reading music. I don't really care for poetry and this in no way resembled poetry. It just had this feeling to it, though. It's a ghost story and it truly was haunting, there's not other word for it. Helen's relationships with her Hosts were amazing and very real, I loved the names she gave them. The lives of the teens they inhabitied were fascinating and so sad, as well. Obviously chosen because they were in such stark contrast to each other and both severely dysfunctional. Here though, there could have been so much more character development.

I guess, overall, I did enjoy the book. It's a strange concept, but it worked. I do wish it was longer, not just because I like long books, but because I think there was a lot more story that could have been told. The ending was a bit abrupt to me and it seemed like the author was trying to wrap everything up in two pages (I'm not kidding). (less)

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Feb 25, 2010 Jaime rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-and-or-paranormal, romance

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Feb. 2010 Update: I read this book over a year and a half ago, and though the reservations I had about it then still apply, I find that the story has stuck in my mind all this time (haunting me, if you like) as one I very much look forward to rereading. I'm upgrading to 4 stars.

There are things I really like about this book and others I find questionable.

First, some little, likeable things. The names, for instance. Helen, hell-in, in-hell...she's in a hell of her own devising; James, a form of J...more Feb. 2010 Update: I read this book over a year and a half ago, and though the reservations I had about it then still apply, I find that the story has stuck in my mind all this time (haunting me, if you like) as one I very much look forward to rereading. I'm upgrading to 4 stars.

There are things I really like about this book and others I find questionable.

First, some little, likeable things. The names, for instance. Helen, hell-in, in-hell...she's in a hell of her own devising; James, a form of Jacob which means "supplanter"...he supplants another's spirit from its body; Mr. Brown, brown being comforting, as warm as fur, as solid as wood, as familiar as coffee, as bland as workpants. Other little things I liked: the way Helen picks up on the clues being broadcast about Jenny's father almost as soon as the reader does; the way James switches instantly from turn-of-the-last-century gallant to millenial teen depending on whether he's addressing Helen or living people, and how it makes her a little dizzy.

One big thing I liked was how Helen as a spirit remained so untouched by the world despite observing it for a century and a third. Being otherworldly has kept her unworldly. It isn't until she has corporeal experiences that she begins to acquire definition and substance as a person, illustrating that it's not enough to see or hear in order to learn and understand, one needs to Do. It's also a nice touch that she takes on the body of a girl who was forced to be almost as detached from the world as Helen has been, therefore Helen's arcane speech and formal manner are less remarkable than if she were in the body of a more typical youngster. Jenny was every bit as much a ghost in her own life as Helen is in Mr. Brown's house.

I like the drifty, drowsy lyricism at the beginning of the book, I like that Helen is at first a mere echo of a person. I like the character of James very much. He puts me in mind of Gilbert Blythe. He's someone I would want to know. I also think it was well-done of the author to leave some loose ends; for example, while I hope the Browns resolve the difficulty they've been left with, and Jenny and her mother and Billy and his brother can all move forward, I think it's fitting that Helen goes on without knowing if they do; that is, after all, what happens when we leave this world; we don't get to see the end of every story.

What I dislike about the book is how casually unconcerned the spirits are for the bodies they've taken. For two souls who understand the blessing of a healthy, living body, for two souls who are so conscientious that they've barred themselves from Heaven for making well-intentioned or simply foolish mistakes, they sure have left the already-fragile owners of those bodies to return to some potentially devastating consequences. This continues to bother me even after going through all the rationale of why Helen and James did things the way they did. What is the message here? That lust will always eclipse common sense? That the pursuit of love excuses selfishness? That it is always the flesh that weakens us? That we will always take our physical gifts for granted, even after having been deprived of them a while? What? Was this an intentional but somewhat murky lesson on the author's part or carelessness akin to Alice Sebold's when she let her protagonist existentially rape the loyal friend in The Lovely Bones? Until I decide the answer to that, I'm only giving the book three stars.(less)

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Mar 05, 2008 Juushika rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: status-borrowed

Helen is a ghost: for the last 130 years, she has haunted a series of hosts, following their lives until death, seeing everything without ever being seen. But one day, in the class room of her current host, a high school English teacher, someonea young mansees Helen for the first time. Although scared, Helen is also intrigued, and the two become friends, starting them on an unusual journey as they struggle to find a way to be together and to come to terms with their pasts and the lives of the...more Helen is a ghost: for the last 130 years, she has haunted a series of hosts, following their lives until death, seeing everything without ever being seen. But one day, in the class room of her current host, a high school English teacher, someonea young mansees Helen for the first time. Although scared, Helen is also intrigued, and the two become friends, starting them on an unusual journey as they struggle to find a way to be together and to come to terms with their pasts and the lives of the young people that they come to possess. A Certain Slant of Light is a well-conceived take of life after death, an honest and often harsh assessment of human life and relationships, and a very strange take on the usual coming of age story. The book's originality is its chief strength, as neither the writing nor the characters and character growth are exceptional. An unique, readable, but ultimately forgettable text that does not seem to be geared towards young adults.

Despite the apparently innocuous setting and many of the charactersa modern American high school, peopled by the usual disparate selection of students and middle-aged teachersthis is a far cry from your average young adult novel. The protagonist is a long-dead ghost, and the couple that makes up the primary storyline is a pair of adult ghosts occupying the bodies of teenagers. This originality and break from convention is the book's greatest strength. Whitcomb's conception of this version of life after death is detailed and delicate, granted an ethereal aspect by the writing style. As a result, the otherwise unexciting stories of self-discovery and star-crossed love become unusual and all the more interesting, with a great part of that interest invested in discovering why the ghosts exist and what abilities and influence they have. The ghosts also bring to life the only YA-related portion of the book: the troubled and repressed lives of the young adults whose bodies they possess. Their mature and removed insight makes these stories poignant and points out how things go wrongand how no one intends for them to do so. For all of these reasons and more, the ghosts are the highlight of the novel, defining plot and style and proving to be the most important and meaningful aspect.

Unfortunately, in all other respects this book is not exceptional, meaningful, or particularly interesting. Both the romance and the coming of age stories that fill the pages of the book are, in all ways excluding the ghost aspect, nothing new. The lovers have to fight through social conventions and their personal histories in order to feed their passionate new love; the characters must come to terms with what they have done, putting aside their long-held shame and fears to reevaluate their lives and learn to forgive themselves. Even the YA-aspect is nothing new: the children must stand up to the status quo of trouble and repression in order to resolve personal and family issues and reclaim their own lives. The conclusions to all of these threads are predictable, and the last chapter of the book is a simplistic, perfect ending. The writing style, again excluding the ghosts (upon which Whitcomb writes with delicate grace) is similarly unimpressive: well-structured, but alternately dry and maudlin, and without a distinctive style. A Certain Slant of Light is by no means a bad bookthe characters are realistically conceived, the narrative voice approachable, the plot and writing both swiftly readablebut it is not astounding, distinct, or in any way remarkable.

I admire this book for Whitcomb's ghoststheir conception, and the style in which she writes about their lives from their point of view. It is a promising concept, entirely unique with a distinctive ethereal air that makes many moments in the text delicate and poignant. On the whole, however, I found this novel to be something of a disappointment. None of the plotlines live up to the potential of the ghosts themselves, and the conclusions are trite and so simple that they undercut the complexity of the story and interpersonal relationships within it. I also want to note that I don't consider this book to be a YA novel, and I don't recommend it to YA readers. The bodies that the ghosts possess are young adults, and the plot lines that revolve around those assumed identities are applicable to young adults, but on the whole this is an adult novel that incidentally includes some teenagersas evidenced by the mature relationship between the lovers, by the sex scenes, by the age of the ghosts before their death, and by the "coming of age" which is more of a discovery of identity than a creation of identity. I recommend A Certain Slant of Light to readers who are interested in a detailed conception of ghosts as characters and are interested in an alternative take on many standard storytelling cliches, and the book is swiftly, sometimes compulsively readable. However, I do not strongly recommend it, I do not recommend it specifically to a YA audience (although, even with the sex scenes, it is appropriate for YA readers), and I don't recommend purchasing it. This is a fast, innovative, but ultimately disappointing book, and probably it will not hold up well to rereads.(less)

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Apr 18, 2011 Katie(babs) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: i-want-to-have-babies-with-the-book

Laura Whitcomb's debut is a novel of redemption and love. If you are a fan of Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bone, then you will adore this one also. The point of view is told from Helen a 150 + year old ghost who suffers from her death and the reason why she is still on earth and not going on to the great beyond. She meets James another spirit like her. After they meet, their spirit lives become hopeful and passionate as they find a way to take over human bodies.

Even though this is marketed as a yo...more

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Aug 20, 2012 Linda rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was a good story but it lacked drama.

It had a lot of dramatic elements but there was no intensity to the story. I kept waiting for something to happen to make the story jump from the pages and nothing did. Very low key storytelling.

However, I did cry happy tears at the very end.

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Jan 08, 2009 Anna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Really good book! It is about a ghost girl who finds a boy who can see her. It scares her, because in all the years that she was dead no one ever saw her, but she wants to learn more

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Sep 20, 2007 Jackie "the Librarian" rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of paranormal romance, 17 and up

Shelves: youngadult, romance, fantasy, teen-books-adults-can-enjoy

Ghosts with unfinished business borrow the bodies of a couple of teens and fall in love.
I liked the idea of a ghost being attached to a living person, and acting as a muse. And I liked the creepy stuff - if someone checks out for a while because of trauma, something else, either a ghost or something darker, could move in.
This may be more an adult story than a teen one, despite the teen bodies. The two ghosts are suffering from survivor guilt, not struggling to figure out who they are.
So, I real...more

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Mar 27, 2011 Amy S rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 11, 2008 Holli rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2006

The story of a deceased woman who, as a ghost, haunts a school and ends up meeting another ghost, who has taken over the body of a young man. She decided to take over the body of a young woman and the two of them start a torrid love affair. Which results in death, and lots of familial anguish. The book is a great concept, and the beginning when the woman was just herself with her hosts was really good, but it got a little dramatic and kind of silly when she took over the girl's body and "fell in...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
What's The Name o...: Possibly YA Romance. 2 spirits taking over 2 teenagers' bodies, fall in love with each other [s]	5	19	Mar 25, 2013 06:28am
Recommended ghost stories?	2	14	Sep 19, 2012 05:40am
I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!Anyone Else?	8	34	Sep 15, 2012 03:15pm
Not Just Young Adult: Leslie's "A Certain Slant of Light" Review	1	7	Apr 27, 2012 07:34am
Books That Moved ...: Books That Stuck With Me	15	24	Mar 13, 2012 11:25am
DOES ANYONE HAVE THIS BOOK?	10	61	Apr 13, 2011 03:24pm

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About Laura Whitcomb

Laura Whitcomb grew up in Pasadena, California in a mildly haunted house. She received her English degree at California State University at Northridge in 1993. She has taught Language Arts in California and Hawaii. She has won three Kay Snow Awards and was once runner up in the Bulwer-Lytton writing contest for the best first sentence of the worst Science Fiction novel never written. In her spare...more

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Quotes from A Certain Slant of Light

“The library smells like old books — a thousand leather doorways into other worlds. I hear silence, like the mind of God. I feel a presence in the empty chair beside me. The librarian watches me suspiciously. But the library is a sacred place, and I sit with the patron saint of readers. Pulsing goddess light moves through me for one moment like a glimpse of eternity instantly forgotten. She is gone. I smell mold, I hear the clock ticking, I see an empty chair. Ask me now and I'll say this is just a place where you can't play music or eat. She's gone. The library sucks.” — 98 people liked it

“I couldn't take my eyes off him. Like a desert wanderer afraid of mirages, I gazed at my oasis, but he was real.” — 62 people liked it

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