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A Certain Slant of Light (Light #1)

by Laura Whitcomb

3.83 · rating details · 7,126 ratings · 1,086 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 challenge...more

Paperback, 282 pages

Published September 21st 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

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Jul 17, 2011

Wendy Darling rated it

Recommends it for: fans of beautiful writing

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

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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Jul 19, 2011

Maja rated it

Recommended to Maja by: Wendy Darling

Shelves: readalong, favorites, i-see-dead-people, amazing-writing, reviewed-in-2011

I can see why A Certain Slant of Light is not a book everyone can enjoy. The writing is very… specific (I’d rather say it’s wonderful, but I’m trying to be moderate here) and the story raises some issues not everyone likes to think about. Lately I’ve been in the mood for challenges, and that’s probably one of the reasons why I enjoyed it so much.

I also understand why others (let’s not name names, ok? :)) had issues with the decisions Helen and James made. But, in my opinion, they rea...moreI can see why A Certain Slant of Light is not a book everyone can enjoy. The writing is very… specific (I’d rather say it’s wonderful, but I’m trying to be moderate here) and the story raises some issues not everyone likes to think about. Lately I’ve been in the mood for challenges, and that’s probably one of the reasons why I enjoyed it so much.

I also understand why others (let’s not name names, ok? :)) had issues with the decisions Helen and James made. But, in my opinion, they really can’t be held accountable for many of the things they did. Each of these characters was a tabula rasa, they had little or no recollection of their lives on Earth, and existing as Light (which is what Helen calls existing in her spirit form) for so many years meant that they could observe, but not participate. All those years of existence brought them no experience, so they could just as easily be considered children in relatively mature bodies and with needs and desires of adults.

The only thing that really bothered me was that there was almost no explanation of how (or why) Billy’s and Jenny’s bodies became empty in the first place. The idea of a living, yet empty (and inhabitable) body freaked the hell out of me. It’s something the author really should have gotten into, but has conveniently left unexplored.

Language is a character in this book and I thought it was just as important as James and Helen. I’ve read a book recently where language was not adapted to the characters and I’m not ashamed to admit that I stopped reading after only 80 pages or so. That was not the case with A Certain Slant of Light. I could probably judge this better if it were in my own language, but I really thought that the language use added so much to every character, from James and Helen to Billy’s brother Mitch. It helped me keep in mind how different they all were and it even led to some very amusing situations.

Even though I enjoyed every single page of this book, I would be very reluctant to recommend it to anyone I don’t know well for all the reasons I’ve mentioned before. The hopeless romantic that’s hiding inside of me doesn’t come out to play very often, but this story made my heart jump with joy several times.
(less)

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Jul 04, 2011

Buggy rated it

Shelves: shelf-09, para-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 gho...more

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Dec 29, 2011

Ace rated it

Recommends it for: anyone who loves a tender romance

Shelves: dtb-own, 2011-challenge, read-young-adult

I could see and feel each of his days and he mine. Childhood songs, books read, hearts broken, arguments forgiven. The sweetness of these imperfections far outshining the regrets. Our lives overlapped as naturally as two blades of grass brushing together.

Why I Read This

I was drawn to this book by the title, further intrigued by the premise, and sold by Wendy Darling’s Review.

Main Characters

Our narrator is Helen, a Light who has benevolently haunted fiv...more

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Nov 24, 2011

Maya rated it

Shelves: ongoing

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 charac...moreThis 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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Aug 06, 2011

Giselle rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: ebook

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...more

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Mar 30, 2011

Hannah rated it

Shelves: 2011-reads, ya, awful-reads

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, ...moreWhat 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

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 tha...more

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Nov 14, 2010

Morgan F rated it

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 ...more

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Aug 24, 2008

Alessandra rated it

Someone was looking at me, a disturing sensation if you're dead. I was with my teacher, Mr Brown. As usual, we were in our classroom, that safe and wooden-walled box - the windows opening onto the grassy field to the west, the fading flag standing in the chalk dusty corner, the television set mounted above the bulletin board like a sleeping eye, and Mr Brown's princely table keeping watch over a regimen of student desks.

I stumbled upon a copy of A Certain Slant of Light by ...more Someone was looking at me, a disturing sensation if you're dead. I was with my teacher, Mr Brown. As usual, we were in our classroom, that safe and wooden-walled box - the windows opening onto the grassy field to the west, the fading flag standing in the chalk dusty corner, the television set mounted above the bulletin board like a sleeping eye, and Mr Brown's princely table keeping watch over a regimen of student desks.

I stumbled upon a copy of A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb, a YA ghost story. Not my usual read, but I'm glad I stepepd outside of my usual boundaries to try this. It was a very good book.

After benignly haunting people for 130 years, Helen finds out that a boy named Billy Blake can see her. Helen can't remember anything about her past life except for her name and age - she is never seen or heard by the people she haunts, whom she calls her "hosts" She refers to herself as Light, while she calls living human beings the Quick.

Helen discovers that Billy Blake's spirit left his body and now he is being possessed by a ghost named James, with whom she falls in love. At first, the fact that she hasn't got a body is an obstacle to Helen and James' relationship, but then Helen finds a girl, Jenny, whose spirit has also left her body. Helen and James can be together, then, and start to discover the mysteries of their past.

This is not your usual ghost story, and it is not your usual love story between teenagers, either, partly because Helen and James are adult ghosts in the body of teenagers. Their love story is intense and romantic, depicted in vivid terms, and this is one of the reasosn why the book is more suitable for older teenagers and adults.

One of the aspects I really liked about A Certain Slant of Light is the literary quotations. Helen usually haunts people with literary aspirations - she likes literature and poetry. The title itself refers to a line by Emily Dickinson, and the full name of the boy whose body James possesses is William Blake. Moreover, the book contains direct literary quotations, for example from Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. This is one of the features that make this book less of a ghost story and more of a literary piece of fiction.

I liked this book very much. Laura Whitcomb has a talent with descriptions - while reading the book you can feel the characters' pain and feelings. I'd recommend this book, not only to lovers of ghost stories or YA books.(less)

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Oct 02, 2007

Heidi rated it

Shelves: teen

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...more

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Sep 11, 2007

Bonnie Gayle rated it

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 take...more

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May 14, 2007

Jan rated it

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 (liter...more

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Oct 26, 2011

Angela rated it

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 n...more

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Jul 09, 2011

Holly rated it

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 ...more

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Oct 07, 2011

Missie rated it

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/2010/12/r...

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 ...morehttp://www.theunreadreader.com/2010/12/r...

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

Shelves: personal-collection, my-2010-reads, the-unforgettables, love-it, 00-love-amor-amore-liefde-00, a-touch-of-paranormal, zombies-ghosts-and-demons-oh-my, not-ur-typical-fantasy, 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

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 forgivenes...more

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Oct 06, 2008

Laura rated it

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 ...moreWhere 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

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 ...moreFeb. 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

Shelves: 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, someone—a young man—sees 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 ...moreHelen 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, someone—a young man—sees 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 characters—a modern American high school, peopled by the usual disparate selection of students and middle-aged teachers—this 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 wrong—and 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 book—the characters are realistically conceived, the narrative voice approachable, the plot and writing both swiftly readable—but it is not astounding, distinct, or in any way remarkable.

I admire this book for Whitcomb's ghosts—their 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 teenagers—as 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

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 mark...more

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Jan 08, 2009

Anna rated it

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

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...more

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Mar 27, 2011

Amy S rated it

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

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Jan 11, 2008

Holli rated it

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 "...more

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Jul 16, 2010

Rosanne rated it

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Mar 20, 2009

Heather rated it

Shelves: ya, ala-s-best-books, paranormal-romance

I read this book months ago, but never reviewed it, which is shocking as A Certain Slant of Light has certainly earned its place as one of my favorites. Whitcomb has woven an absolutely beautiful story. The prose was fantastic and the characters were a heart breaking delight to read. There were touching moments throughout and I doubt any of the events could have ended more perfectly. Great book!

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Oct 25, 2011

El Templo de las Mil Puertas added it · review of another edition

Shelves: criticas-literarias, 04-eltemplo

"Los fantasmas deben vivir siempre con un anfitrión. Un humano que no pueda ni verles ni sentirles, pero al que puedan agarrarse y con el que vaguen hasta que éste fallezca, momento en el cual deberán escoger a otro. Helen es una Luz, como les gusta llamarse a sí mismos, que no recuerda cómo falleció. Únicamente, que de pronto un día encontró una voz en medio de la oscuridad a la que aferrarse y gracias a la cual salió a la superficie. Esta voz pertenecía a una mujer, y esa mujer pasó ento...more

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Aug 04, 2011

Helga added it

So, my dear friend has been trying to get me to read A Certain Slant of Light, the first novel by Laura Whitcomb, for over three years. She even lent me the book a year and a half ago, I suppose in the hope that proximity would move me to do what the passage of time had not. And it finally worked! I am very glad that I got around to reading it, as well, although it was much more dark and serious than I had expected. At first, the story seems to be about a ghost (Helen) and the high school boy (B...moreSo, my dear friend has been trying to get me to read A Certain Slant of Light, the first novel by Laura Whitcomb, for over three years. She even lent me the book a year and a half ago, I suppose in the hope that proximity would move me to do what the passage of time had not. And it finally worked! I am very glad that I got around to reading it, as well, although it was much more dark and serious than I had expected. At first, the story seems to be about a ghost (Helen) and the high school boy (Billy) who is the first person to see and interact with her for over 100 years. However, she soon finds out that he can see her only because Billy's body is being occupied by another spirit, James, who exerts a magnetic pull on Helen as she begins to discover that her (after)life might not be as unchanging and eternal as she believed. Although the story is set in the modern era, the atmosphere is distinctly gothic, as Helen struggles with questions of faith (why does God deny her entry into heaven?), love, and obedience. The book is also concerned with perception; Helen's purgatory is in no small part created by her own belief in the "rules" of life as a ghost, which she has never questioned until James arrives on the scene. It is difficult to say more without giving away key parts of the story, but suffice to say that Whitcomb does an excellent job of gradually building tension, delicately outlining the difficulties experienced by teenagers and their families, and exploring the concept of free will, all within the framework of an engrossing love story.

Random Thoughts:

I was really, really worried about the main characters for most of this book. It made it very difficult to stop reading.

Although I imagine this is categorized as a Young Adult book, the main character has "lived" for at least 150 years, and James is equally adult. The juxtaposition between the ghostly lovers and their human counterparts is intriguing, because they have been distanced from the world of the living for so long that everything is new and exciting for them (a kind of delirious freedom), whereas the teenagers find life increasingly restrictive.(less)

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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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“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.” — 68 people liked it

“To desperately hope," I whispered
James let out a breath. "To gratefully believe.” — 38 people liked it

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