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In the Heat of the Light
IN THE HEAT OF THE LIGHT is a young adult neo-noir thriller set in contemporary Atlanta. The book documents the rise and fall of an Atlanta graffiti crew. Set during a brutally hot Atlanta summer, the novel chronicles how each member of the crew reacts to the aftermath of their biggest tag, an audacious defacement of Georgia’s Stone Mountain. As the crew gradually unravels, two FBI agents attempt to untangle the knot of rage and confusion that led to the tag, surveying Atlanta’s underbelly in the process and becoming entangled themselves.
This novel explores the topography of Atlanta in vivid detail, dwelling in the city’s lesser-known corridors and assembling the city’s various ghosts — the Civil War, Jim Crow, the 1996 Olympics, the slum clearance of the 50s, and the Civil Rights Movement — alongside the city’s modern currents — gentrification, Black Lives Matter, traffic, and trap music. Five Atlanta teenagers choose between property and the commons when neither is immediately available to them, a heightened dilemma in this age of mass surveillance and income inequality.
This novel explores the topography of Atlanta in vivid detail, dwelling in the city’s lesser-known corridors and assembling the city’s various ghosts — the Civil War, Jim Crow, the 1996 Olympics, the slum clearance of the 50s, and the Civil Rights Movement — alongside the city’s modern currents — gentrification, Black Lives Matter, traffic, and trap music. Five Atlanta teenagers choose between property and the commons when neither is immediately available to them, a heightened dilemma in this age of mass surveillance and income inequality.
268 pages, Paperback
Published August 6, 2019
About the author
Stephen Kearse
5 books55 followersStephen Kearse is an author, journalist, and arts critic based in metro Washington, DC. His reporting and criticism have been published in the New York Times, The Nation, NPR, Pitchfork, The Atlantic, Mother Jones, The New Republic, and other outlets.
His short stories have been published in VQR, The Deadlands, Joyland, Plotter, and FIYAH.
His short stories have been published in VQR, The Deadlands, Joyland, Plotter, and FIYAH.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 16, 2019
Not there yet.
With a lot of editing, this could work. There's a story here, but it doesn't really start until roughly 2/3 of the way through the book. The beginning mostly consists of laundry-list descriptions of different characters. (The old writer's adage "show, don't tell" definitely applies here.)
The most obvious question that's overlooked is how on earth a bunch of teenagers learned the highly sophisticated hacking skills needed to gain control of government resources. (For example, something extraordinary would need to explain how teens were able to hijack government lasers. It's highly improbable that they learned how to do this on internet forums.) We're also not given the right information that would explain each character's motivation for acting the way they do. The FBI agents are cookie-cutter characters, and we're left to wonder why the teens attempt something so outrageous. With so much missing, the ending does not seem like a logical conclusion.
The story seems to really begin when the NSA presents the teens' profiles to the FBI agents, but the FBI agents underestimate them. To make this novel shine, I would cut nearly everything before that point and rework the remainder so that we're given more insight into the FBI agents' and the teens' motivation. I would also suggest rewriting the publisher's blurb. There are a lot of buzzwords included that are only tangentially related to what I just read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a DRC of this novel.
With a lot of editing, this could work. There's a story here, but it doesn't really start until roughly 2/3 of the way through the book. The beginning mostly consists of laundry-list descriptions of different characters. (The old writer's adage "show, don't tell" definitely applies here.)
The most obvious question that's overlooked is how on earth a bunch of teenagers learned the highly sophisticated hacking skills needed to gain control of government resources. (For example, something extraordinary would need to explain how teens were able to hijack government lasers. It's highly improbable that they learned how to do this on internet forums.) We're also not given the right information that would explain each character's motivation for acting the way they do. The FBI agents are cookie-cutter characters, and we're left to wonder why the teens attempt something so outrageous. With so much missing, the ending does not seem like a logical conclusion.
The story seems to really begin when the NSA presents the teens' profiles to the FBI agents, but the FBI agents underestimate them. To make this novel shine, I would cut nearly everything before that point and rework the remainder so that we're given more insight into the FBI agents' and the teens' motivation. I would also suggest rewriting the publisher's blurb. There are a lot of buzzwords included that are only tangentially related to what I just read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a DRC of this novel.
August 13, 2019
3.5 stars for a great debut novel. Someone who isn't familiar with rap music or Atlanta will definitely miss some of the references. I preferred the chapters from the teens' perspective to the Tilly chapters, but each character had their own clear voice. The slower pacing of the middle has clearly bothered other reviewers, but for me the date and especially the temperature readings kept the slow burn going to the explosive ending. Overall, smart and funny writing made this a fast read—looking forward to the next book from this author.
June 23, 2019
DNF. Definitely.
This book was so difficult to complete. I'm usually very accepting of any book that I have to review but this was a struggle. And there were many loopholes in the plot. For one, the 'action' mentioned in the blurb takes places nearly towards the last couple of pages of the book. A good chunk of the book,nearly 2/3rds of it is about Atlanta and the clothes the characters wear. That could have been the author's attempt of chara Ter building, but honestly, the reader is not interested to know about the garbs these young teenagers wear. What should have been character building was completely missing from the premise. Like how did these teenagers learn all those tricks of hacking. They are supposed to be hackers who were able to steal important government codes,but how did they learn all that, how did the group form, that was sadly missing. The characters were bland, and did not entice any interest in me as a reader, in fact there was nothing ordinary, let alone extraordinary, about them. This could have been a passable read if only the plot and writing could have been worked upon.
I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book was so difficult to complete. I'm usually very accepting of any book that I have to review but this was a struggle. And there were many loopholes in the plot. For one, the 'action' mentioned in the blurb takes places nearly towards the last couple of pages of the book. A good chunk of the book,nearly 2/3rds of it is about Atlanta and the clothes the characters wear. That could have been the author's attempt of chara Ter building, but honestly, the reader is not interested to know about the garbs these young teenagers wear. What should have been character building was completely missing from the premise. Like how did these teenagers learn all those tricks of hacking. They are supposed to be hackers who were able to steal important government codes,but how did they learn all that, how did the group form, that was sadly missing. The characters were bland, and did not entice any interest in me as a reader, in fact there was nothing ordinary, let alone extraordinary, about them. This could have been a passable read if only the plot and writing could have been worked upon.
I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 23, 2020
This book really blew me away. I thought I knew what it was going to be about and it took a well written 180. The character dynamics were beautiful and real. The humanity of it was amazingly mixed in with eloquent language. This book is very relevant right now and I recommend it to really anyone.
August 7, 2019
This book was just a mess. That is the only word to describe it. It was not organized at all and way too much time was spent on minor details vs actually developing a realistic plotline. Save yourself the aggravation and skip this one!
June 25, 2019
This book had a lot of potential. A group of teens hijack a satellite and burn the famous carving on Stone Mountain in Georgia. So what happens next? They go for a bigger target? More distruction?
Not really.
This book goes nowhere. It just rambles along with no real point until it reaches an unsatisfying climax. By the end, you don't really care what happens to any of the characters.
The plot had promise, but overall, this was a letdown.
Not really.
This book goes nowhere. It just rambles along with no real point until it reaches an unsatisfying climax. By the end, you don't really care what happens to any of the characters.
The plot had promise, but overall, this was a letdown.
October 27, 2019
Full Review Here
In an attempt to broaden my reading – and reviewing – range, I requested In the Heat of the Light, despite it sounding different to my usual style. I wanted to enjoy this: it addresses culturally themes as well as some important movements the modern day audience can relate to, including Black Lives Matter.
There was only one problem… I got a little bored.
The plot was slow-paced, with long descriptions of the locations making it feel more like you were going on a road-trip rather than exploring what makes these characters react the way they do. I stopped paying attention as streets were named – possibly interesting if you lived in or know Atlanta but when it’s just names, you start to lose focus.
The characters were the problem for me. It wasn’t that there was anything wrong per se but you’re never given a chance to connect with them, get to know their motives or engage with their personalities on an emotional level. Quite simply, I didn’t care. One in particular – Apollo – seems fairly mild for the most part, then there is a twist in his character that seems too extreme to be believable.
The narration switches between the group, plus an FBI agent. With it being such a short book, this changing perspective distanced the characters. Without being able empathise with them, their actions were random.
They looked like a successful dodgeball team: triumphant, but united in lameness.
Dialogue was also a tricky one for me. There were phrases that the teenagers were using that made me a little uncomfortable reading. Maybe it is how teenagers in Atlanta speak but without knowing that culture, it was jarring.
Tilly – the FBI agent – was particularly problematic. The relationship and motives behind her and her partner seem vague to say the least. When her partner suddenly seems to go completely off the rails – shooting and killing an unarmed teenager before threatening an entire group of them – the last thing I expected was for Tilly to go along with it because she’s career driven. Even that wouldn’t be so bad if you could actually feel some of her emotions. There’s nothing there to engage with.
Lack of characterisation aside, the plot is fairly straightforward: a group of bored teenagers try and rebel against the system by hacking a satellite and using it to graffiti a monument. Again, it seems extreme and might have worked if the reasoning wasn’t just that one wanted to get revenge on an ex-employer (and then have a crisis of confidence afterwards).
This is a short book that is an easy read. If you’re looking for something to fill an afternoon and want to know a little more about Atlanta, maybe it will be an enjoyable read. But if you’re looking for something emotive, or even with any depth, I’m not sure this is the right book.
I was disappointed. I wanted to get so much more from it. Perhaps fewer characters might have worked, giving us a chance to get to know at least one of them better. Not for me.
In an attempt to broaden my reading – and reviewing – range, I requested In the Heat of the Light, despite it sounding different to my usual style. I wanted to enjoy this: it addresses culturally themes as well as some important movements the modern day audience can relate to, including Black Lives Matter.
There was only one problem… I got a little bored.
The plot was slow-paced, with long descriptions of the locations making it feel more like you were going on a road-trip rather than exploring what makes these characters react the way they do. I stopped paying attention as streets were named – possibly interesting if you lived in or know Atlanta but when it’s just names, you start to lose focus.
The characters were the problem for me. It wasn’t that there was anything wrong per se but you’re never given a chance to connect with them, get to know their motives or engage with their personalities on an emotional level. Quite simply, I didn’t care. One in particular – Apollo – seems fairly mild for the most part, then there is a twist in his character that seems too extreme to be believable.
The narration switches between the group, plus an FBI agent. With it being such a short book, this changing perspective distanced the characters. Without being able empathise with them, their actions were random.
They looked like a successful dodgeball team: triumphant, but united in lameness.
Dialogue was also a tricky one for me. There were phrases that the teenagers were using that made me a little uncomfortable reading. Maybe it is how teenagers in Atlanta speak but without knowing that culture, it was jarring.
Tilly – the FBI agent – was particularly problematic. The relationship and motives behind her and her partner seem vague to say the least. When her partner suddenly seems to go completely off the rails – shooting and killing an unarmed teenager before threatening an entire group of them – the last thing I expected was for Tilly to go along with it because she’s career driven. Even that wouldn’t be so bad if you could actually feel some of her emotions. There’s nothing there to engage with.
Lack of characterisation aside, the plot is fairly straightforward: a group of bored teenagers try and rebel against the system by hacking a satellite and using it to graffiti a monument. Again, it seems extreme and might have worked if the reasoning wasn’t just that one wanted to get revenge on an ex-employer (and then have a crisis of confidence afterwards).
This is a short book that is an easy read. If you’re looking for something to fill an afternoon and want to know a little more about Atlanta, maybe it will be an enjoyable read. But if you’re looking for something emotive, or even with any depth, I’m not sure this is the right book.
I was disappointed. I wanted to get so much more from it. Perhaps fewer characters might have worked, giving us a chance to get to know at least one of them better. Not for me.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews