Scattered Light

by Martha Engber

★★★★★ “Heartbreakingly real... a unique literary triumph.” Byddi Lee, author of Barren

When 36-year-old attorney Mary Donahue of Chicago meets the surprising man of her dreams, she discovers that to love is to risk learning who you really are and what happened to you.

SCATTERED LIGHT is the sequel to WINTER LIGHT, an IPPY Gold Medal winner in YA, in which teen Mary fights to save herself during the blizzard winter of 1978-79 from the poverty and addiction that plague her family. Only when the real storm hits does she learn how little distance exists between success and failure, life and death.

SCATTERED LIGHT begins in 1999. After years of insulating herself from further physical, emotional and financial harm, Mary falls in love with a humble, but world-famous Ugandan human rights lawyer who barely escaped Idi Amin’s butcherous regime.

When his life is endangered, Mary has no choice but to fight for him as she once did for her teen self. Almost losing him dredges up the trauma of her youth, a festering wound that can only be healed by an apparent enigma: to protect herself, she has to bare her soul.

Hair-raising, yet inspiring, SCATTERED LIGHT illuminates a basic truth, that to fully love others, you have to love yourself.

322 pages, Paperback

Published November 25, 2025

About the author

Martha Engber is the author of six books. SCATTERED LIGHT (https://vineleavespress.myshopify.com...), the sequel to WINTER LIGHT, an IPPY Gold Medal Winner for YA, will be published Nov. 25, 2025.

Her other fiction includes THE FALCON, THE WOLF AND THE HUMMINGBIRD, a historical novel, and THE WIND THIEF. Her nonfiction includes BLISS ROAD, a memoir about her neurodiverse family, and GROWING GREAT CHARACTERS, a resource for writers.

A workshop facilitator and speaker, she’s had a full-length play produced in Hollywood and fiction published in a variety of literary journals. She and her screenwriting team have optioned a TV series to a studio. She encourages readers to connect via her website, MarthaEngber.com.

Reviews

[Johanna Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

Martha Engber writes very well. She took me on this thrilling ride that I finished within 24 hours. I had no idea where this story would take me with its interesting plot turns, and with deeper detail and insights into the global situation beyond the usual romance novel, set in the USA. It teared me up at times. This story is hard to define, part thriller, part political novel, part love story, and part a story of recovery from mental illness. The crux of the story is the necessity of dealing with our old traumas, no matter how long ago these happened. Not the adversity in recent developments but the old trauma threatens to tear the lovely couple at the centre of the novel apart. Self-loathing leads to suicidal thoughts and so on. This is the story of recovery from a mental illness, such as trauma and PTSD, which also causes disfunction and hardship for those loved ones around them.

[Sonja Charters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Right from the second I spotted that this book was in progress, I've been patiently awaiting its release.

Having read Winter Light twice over the last few years - and I might add, absolutely loving it! - I was so excited that we were getting to see more of Mary's life following on from the first book.

 

This book forms part of The Mary Donahue Chronicles and as it does follow the same character, I'd definitely suggest that these be read in order to really get the full effect of the character development here.

However, we do come back to Mary after two decades, so really this would still just about work as a standalone read too.

 

Although it's been a while since I saw Mary last, I had absolutely no trouble completely immersing myself back into her life and what an amazing transformation she's gone through.

We really get to see just how much that determination of hers has forged her path to the life she now lives.

 

With another battle to fight, it was also brilliant to see that she had lost none of that fight - but at the same time, seeing just how this past trauma has manifested and still lingers in Mary's make up.

 

I have read other books by this author and I have to say that I'm obsessed with their writing.

But I just feel a real affinity to Mary and found myself travelling this emotional rollercoaster with her once again.

 

I was completely hooked from the very start of this read and raced through the pages once again.

I have no doubt that this will be another book that I'll be more than happy to read over and over and cannot wait to see more from this author soon too.

 

[Catherine Thrush · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scattered Light is an intriguing story that took me in unexpected directions, and I enjoyed the rollercoaster ride! It’s about an emotionally closed off woman who is forces by circumstances to open herself up in ways she never thought possible.

I was moved by Mary’s plight, impressed by her intelligence, and captivated by her struggle. And while we often think of risking our lives as being brave, Mary shows that risking our inner selves is often even braver, and much more difficult.

A great read!

[John McCaffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Martha Engber's Scattered Light moves at a wonderful pace, but each step forward, line-to-line, feels crafted with patience. Engber is a writer who cares about the reader, who wants us to feel comfortable, secure and confident in her ability to tell a story. She writes in a nice, flowing conversational style, with a gift of dialogue that reminds me in organization to the clean prose of Somerset Maugham. This book explores the human condition in so many deep and wonderful ways, with wisdom doled out in a subtle, meaningful manner. Scattered Light is a winner!

[Steve Zettler · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful follow-up to “Winter Light.” It’s not necessary to have read “Winter Light,” but it’s well worth doing. It gives the reader great insight as to where Mary is coming from, though there are enough twist and turns in Engber’s new novel to keep one guessing as to where Mary’s headed. Surprises on every page. Engber is a flawless writer, and it’s extremely difficult to put “Scattered Light” down, but once you do, you’ll be pleased you read it. Highly recommended.

[Askin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scattered Light – about the light that stays, even when you can’t see it anymore

Some books don’t change your life.
They just stop you for a moment.
Make you breathe differently. Make you feel everything you tried to forget.

That’s what Scattered Light by Martha Engber did to me.
I didn’t read it fast. I read it like you listen to someone who’s finally brave enough to tell their story — quietly, carefully, with your heart open.

Mary Donahue is a woman who has achieved everything, except peace.
Damba is a man who has lost everything, except his light.
And somewhere between them, something is born — not love, but recognition.
The recognition of pain. Of courage. Of that shared silence between two people who have seen too much, yet still hope.

This book isn’t about romance.
It’s about healing — the slow, imperfect kind. The kind that doesn’t erase scars but teaches you to live with them.

Engber writes with brutal honesty and delicate grace.
She doesn’t romanticize pain — she gives it shape, texture, and truth. Her prose lingers, tender and raw, until you realize you’ve stopped breathing.

When I finished it, I didn’t want to talk. I just sat there, in the quiet ache of recognition.
Because Scattered Light isn’t just a love story — it’s a story about survival. About choosing to see light even when darkness feels familiar.

If you’ve ever lost something you thought you couldn’t live without, if you’ve hidden your pain behind competence, if you’ve ever wondered “why me?” — read this book.
It will hurt. But it will also heal.

[Dennis Sides · Rating 5 out of 5]

Martha Engber has written a compelling and insightful sequel to the Mary Donohue story. Mary, now 36 and a successful lawyer, meets and marries the man of her dreams, but then an international incident forces her to take action to help save him. She soon realizes, though, that the real challenge has become how to save herself. Mary shines a focused light for us to illuminate her journey back in this fast-paced and well-written novel.

[Christal Niederererere · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the first and was excited to find out there was a sequel. Mary Donahue clearly had a lot to sort out after her wild ride in the first book, and I'm glad this wasn't overlooked. The characters were so real and likable, I was always rooting for them.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book about the character Mary Donahue and for me, it was a page turner!
Mary meets and falls in love with Damba and due to event that endanger his life, she is forced to confront her own past and deal with trauma that has ruled her life.
All of the characters, especially Mary are SO well written. Even when I was finding myself exasperated with Mary, I was still rooting for her.
Highly recommend!

[Cheryl Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scattered light took me on an unexpected journey. What starts out as a surprising love story between a bi-racial couple turns into a suspense thriller. Current drama is mixed in with past traumas, and a good dose of politics is also thrown in. Almost too many variables to cope with and yet Martha Engberg somehow manages to more that make it all work. You are going for a roller coaster ride so make sure you buckle your seat belts.

[Elaina Battista-Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Winter light she understood. A season of sharp contrast and stark truth.”

Mary Donahue is all grown up. She is gritty, hardworking, and completely self-made in the windy city—and she loves to eat through Chicago in the most honest/roll-up-your-silk- sleeves way. Skip the fine dining. Give Mary a good old sandwich shop, and she’s in heaven. Also, her wardrobe is sleek and elegant, still ultra-aware of her beauty, as tough as she elbows her way through life.

Engber nails this sequel—Mary falls in love with Damba—a kind and calm human rights professor from the University. He is kidnapped by an organization tied to his home nation. Enter the emotional turmoil that Mary recognizes so well. To watch Mary love fiercely, (with a healthy side dish of trauma/triggers from her past) is a riveting and honest experience.
Again, like with Winter Light, I couldn’t close my Kindle. Even though I begged myself to stop and savor…Engber traps you with her pace. But her greatest gift as a writer is character and voice. Enger gives a strong character a monstrous task. I’d expect nothing less of Mary to endure such pain and hard work as a lawyer and a wife. Engber pushes Mary to her emotional and physical limits, which is much more than the average person, given Mary’s past dealings with hardship. Her less than happy adolescence prepared adult Mary for the fight of a lifetime--to get Damba home alive on US soil using a very public strategy.

Engber’s encapsulation of Mary, through and through, is nothing short of mentor text for all aspiring authors---

“She began to ramble because she didn’t know what to do. She didn’t want to be an Ice Queen, but she didn’t know how to melt her heart.”

“Adult Mary strenuously objected to that possibility because she loved Damba more than darts, Sno Balls and sandwiches combined. That and she assumed the deed would finally silence Teen Mary and her immature predictions of death, doom and destruction.”

I couldn’t ignore Engber’s quick commentary about what it really means to be American-
“The world really is a better place because Damba’s here, on this planet. He’s everything America represents. Courage, freedom, the opportunity to overcome adversity.”

As in, we can do this, American people. (That’s the secret message I gathered, at least)

Scattered Light is as excellent as its origin story.

[Joylene Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Powerful Journey of Love, Trauma, and Self-Discovery

Scattered Light by Martha Engber is a compelling sequel that proves love requires the courage to confront our deepest wounds.

Twenty years after the harrowing events of Winter Light (IPPY Gold Medal winner), Mary Donahue has built a successful life as a Chicago attorney. She's carefully constructed walls to protect herself from the poverty, addiction, and trauma that defined her teenage years during the brutal winter of 1978-79. But when she falls in love with a humble yet world-renowned Ugandan human rights lawyer who survived Idi Amin's brutal regime, those protective barriers begin to crumble.

Martha Engber masterfully weaves together Mary’s two survival stories—the fight against her past and the emotional fear and devastating consequences of her partner’s kidnapping—creating a narrative that explores how trauma shapes us long after we've physically escaped danger. When Mary's husband's life is threatened, she must summon the same fierce determination that saved her as a teenager. But this time, the battle isn't just external. The crisis forces Mary to face the festering wounds of her youth and confront a profound paradox: true self-protection requires complete vulnerability.

Mary’s struggle to balance self-preservation with the risk of loving left me breathless. What makes Scattered Light so powerful is its unflinching honesty about the cost of love. Engber doesn't offer easy answers or quick healing. Instead, she illuminates a fundamental truth—that loving others fully is impossible without first embracing and loving ourselves, scars and all. This story shifted how I view my own past.

I read Winter Light, the prequel to Scattered Light, when it was released in 2020, and my reaction remains vivid. My heart ached for everything Mary endured; I never stopped wondering if she'd be okay.

Both books are exceptional, and I highly recommend them. While reading Winter Light first will deepen your experience, it's not essential. Engber's writing is compelling and addictive, leaving a lasting impression long after you've turned the final page. I've read everything she's written, and I encourage you to do the same.

[Joanna Kadish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mary Donahue, the protagonist, is a successful, beautiful, tall lawyer who meets a tall black man in line for coffee and decides to break out of her isolation, and date this very tall man after years of desolatory dating experiences. Mary aludes to buried trauma from a date gone bad in high school, from which she has never recovered early in the story, and also the death of one of her brothers, Danny, possibly from a drug overdose.

At first Mary seems too beautiful and tall to be approachable. But then the reader learns how hard she works to obliterate her demons through the skillful writing of the author. Mary's story of childhood trauma and how she learned to cope is well done. I know a few female lawyers who work for major law firms in big cities and feel that Engber did a good job in her descriptions of the workplace, and their heavy workloads. I liked that part of the story and felt it was believable.

I'm less enthusiatic about how the author portrays Danda, the humble but world-famous Ugandan human rights lawyer who barely escaped Idi Amin’s butcherous regime. Danda seems like a cardboard character to me, I couldn't believe that he would say that he didn't know he was black growing up. He tells Mary that he has memories of playing ball with his friends, but the rest of his past growing up in Uganda is hidden in a fog. There is no mention of the significant and well established Asian communities predominantly of Indian and Pakistani origin who held British passports and were the backbone of the Ugandan economy that Idi Amin ordered out of the country in 1972. From what I've read, the damage to the economy was enormous. I would have loved to have learned what that did to Danda's family and how that changed his circumstances.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Elizabeth Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Martha Engber’s forthcoming novel, SCATTERED LIGHT, is a taut, intimate exploration of love and trauma between two crusading attorneys in Chicago at the end of the 20th century. Scrappy, workaholic labor lawyer Mary Donahue meets Ugandan atrocity survivor and international human rights lawyer Damba Rugundi in a gastronomically exquisite chance encounter at a local deli. The heat and simpatico energy between them ripple across the page.

Both Damba, whose family was murdered by brutal Ugandan tyrant Idi Amin, and Mary Donahue, an orphaned working-class attorney still haunted by family loss and her teenage sexual assault, bear the scars of PTSD, bathed in regret. The instant attraction and empathy between them, however, leads to a long, glorious day discovering each other’s worlds. From the Ugandan Community Center and Church in a low-income Chicago neighborhood to the darts-competing blue-collar bar of Mary’s youth, Engber’s novel wraps its arms around the reader and beckons us to join this unexpected pair.

Indeed, Engber’s eloquent, deeply insightful story telling instantly pulls the reader into the warmth and terror of her protagonist Mary’s narrative and that of her beloved Damba. A stunning capture of international crisis response circa 2000, SCATTERED LIGHT, pulses with an intensity that will grip readers across continents and generations.

A sequel to Engber’s award-winning YA novel, WINTER LIGHT, SCATTERED LIGHT (ISBN-978-3988321831) is Book 2 of the Mary Donahue Chronicles, launching November 25, 2025, by Vine Leaves Press.

Five stars!

[Jayne Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mary Donohue has been a fighter all her life. From a childhood of poverty, alcoholism and violence to a rising star in her Manhattan law firm where a record of winning cases has her on track for partnership. But nothing could have prepared her for the fight of her life when her husband, a human rights worker and esteemed law professor, is kidnapped by a terrorist group in Africa, on a trip she had not wanted him to take.

Emotionally scarred by a traumatic attack she suffered as a teenager, Mary never expected to fall in love. Believing herself to be unworthy, she built a protective barrier around her heart. However, Damba, this soft-spoken, handsome African man, who carries the weight of his own childhood trauma, is able to break through Mary's defenses with his sensitivity and unconditional love. Their relationship, founded on shared pain and vulnerability, brings a profound sense of connection that will be intensely challenged as the story unfolds.
What begins as a love story between two unlikely partners quickly transforms into a gripping thriller. The narrative intensifies as Mary is forced to confront her buried trauma and summon every ounce of strength and ingenuity to secure Damba's release. When the FBI proves unable to help, Mary takes matters into her own hands, turning the novel into a tense psychological drama that explores themes of resilience, love, and the enduring impact of past wounds. I couldn’t put it down.

[Melanie Faith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scattered Light is a wonderful continuation of Mary Donahue’s story, the protagonist of Winter Light. When readers last read about Mary, she was a struggling high-school teen. This story picks up with Mary in her ambitious thirties. Mary is in the stage of her life where she is building both her career as an attorney and her love life. Enter Damba.

Mary is loveably skeptical, scrappy, and plucky in both books, and her characterization is well-developed and interesting to read.

Damba is unlike anyone Mary has ever met, much less dated. He is calm and mysterious as well as a fellow lawyer and accomplished professor of about her age. They are from vastly different cultures and yet share enough to spark each other’s interest repeatedly. Damba also experienced trauma in his youth: his family was murdered when he was just a child . Damba is motivated to raise awareness and to help others as an adult. Mary also begins to reflect on and grapple with her childhood.

This novel is filled with suspense, drama (including a kidnapping), international intrigue, tension, connection, flirtation and romantic connection, and twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat. I especially love Mary’s dry-wit dialogue and flirtatious sparring in the opening deli scene with Damba.

Even if readers find this sequel first, they could immediately leap in to understand Mary, her motivations, her infuriation, and her life as a thirty-something Baby Boomer. A highly recommended read!

[Cee R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Martha Engber’s compulsively readable new novel is the sequel we’ve all been waiting for! Her IPPY Gold Medal winner, “Winter Light,” chronicles the life of Chicago teen Mary Donohue, who survives the destructive dysfunction of her family as well as a terrible crime. The trauma of her early years inflects the character we meet again as an adult in “Scattered Light.” Despite having become an accomplished attorney, Mary’s emotional scars have led her to the self-protective isolation that characterizes her personal life. Everything changes when she meets and falls in love with a Ugandan human rights lawyer, who’s got scars of his own, having narrowly escaped Idi Amin’s murderous regime. When he is threatened, Mary’s long dormant ferocious protective instincts are ignited. The aftermath sparks a reckoning that will define not only Mary’s future, but the nature of her relationship with the only person she’s allowed inside for a very long time. “Scattered Light” is more than a great love story; it’s an action-filled adventure that will keep you reading into the wee hours. Punctuated by moments of great humor, the book is an inspiring account of the profound resilience of the human spirit, and the courage it takes to be fully known to another.

[Amanda Felton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you LBT for having me on this review tour and for my gifted copy of this epub.

I read Winter Light and I seriously was so excited to hear another book was gonna be out. I signed up so fast for this book. Couldn’t wait to read this and I finished this book within 24 hours. I seriously couldn’t put it down. I really wasn’t sure where this book was gonna go I really didn’t. The more I read the more interested I became and invested.

This book has so much depth to it. Like it had so many different parts and meanings and just I thought it was so well written. I loved that the point of this story is mainly about dealing with your traumas no matter how old they are but the important thing is actually dealing with them. This hit hard for me. So so much because I know what living with un healed trauma and resentment and just pain. I’m working on dealing with it but it’s not easy especially when you are doing it with non recourses. This book taught me a lot believe it or not. So so good. I couldn’t put this down and feel like this book just had so much to offer and I loved Mary and what she become of herself. How are she works and just everything about here.

Definitely need this book !!!

[Ian Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heartfelt, gripping, and ultimately powerful emotional ride, Scattered Light invites readers on a rollercoaster of trauma that's ultimately surprising and multifaceted.

I picked up this book knowing very little about it (and having not read Martha Engber's first Mary Donahue novel) and was pleasantly surprised to find first a careful romance between two characters, followed by a much deeper exploration of fear, protection, and the lengths we go through to project a confident self on the world. For just as Mary herself easily identifies the overconfident swagger on potential suitors that hides their insecurity and lack of compassion early in the novel, so too do deeper traumas lurk beneath the surface of her confident exterior. The way in which she finally faces them will leave readers deeply moved -- and perhaps even help them think more deeply about their own relationships with trauma, and the ways in which we do or don't face it as adults.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Bianca Duthie · Rating 4 out of 5]

We meet again with Mary Donohue, who in the 1970s was a troubled teen going through an awful experience but is now a successful lawyer in 1999. The story follows her from her birthday in 1999 to her birthday in 2001 and its safe to say that while she has made a successful career for herself, inside she is still that feisty girl who desperately needs healing.
I found the first section of the book a little slow going, it wasn't until D went to Wada that things really hotted up for me and I became totally gripped. I thought the action through this section was non-stop and so interesting. I was desperate to see what would come of it all. I think the last section of the book though is truly heartwarming. I have felt really sorry for Mary during the periods of her life we have read about, so seeing her take action to heal was so inspiring.
I really liked the relationship between Mary and Damba, it was also great seeing the relationship with Kathleen and her family was still so strong.
I don't think there is more to come from Mary, so I think the ending was just perfect for her story.

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

📆 single timeline.
👀 3rd person
🐢 -🐇 medium-paced
💬 favourite quote

Having read and loved the first book in this series earlier this year, I was delighted to have the chance to read the second installment. I have to say that it definitely met my expectations.

Being aimed at the YA audience, means this book is really easy to read without feeling childish or too young. The writing style is easy to follow and flows beautifully. This book deals with some difficult issues, but is done with sensitivity

I loved catching up with Mary and seeing that she had managed to find some happiness in her life, even if there is plenty of heartache still to come. Mary really grows as a person throughout this series, and I feel privileged to have been on that journey with her. The book really does serve as a reminder that you need to love yourself first.

[Daisy Hollands · Rating 5 out of 5]

It will surprise absolutely no one that I am not the target audience for a YA novel - but if you are of a similar vintage, don’t let that put you off. This is the follow up book to Winter Light and although I think it definitely helps to read both books (and in the right order) I don’t think it’s essential. I think they both work as standalone. Mary is a complex character and through the series we follow along as she matures and develops. The writing is beautiful and expressive and as I say, even though this book isn’t aimed at me, it was a story that resonated. I really enjoyed it - you should check it out! I have read several books by this author and she never disappoints.

[Annalisa Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scattered Light is a poignant, emotive, fast-paced novel that pulled my heart in so many directions. A love story, a thriller, and a reflection on how past trauma can influence the present unexpectedly and harshly. Mary Donahue is a wonderfully strong and powerful character, standing up for those she loves albeit perhaps at the detriment to herself, until circumstances turn in a way she could not possibly predict.

Martha Engber writes with such compassion and skill, this novel is very hard to put down. Highly recommended.

[Joanne Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scattered Light, Martha Engber’s well-researched follow up to Winter Light continues the story of Mary Donahue. Mary has grown up and is doing just fine—keeping busy trying to make partner at her law firm as well as stay ahead of her haunting childhood memories. When love comes to call she must decide if she’ll allow her battered heart to risk another loss. Engber has written another page-turner that will again keep readers engaged well past their bedtime with hearts pounding through the novel’s central crisis and with fingers crossed for Mary’s future.

[Sara Hosey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven’t read Winter Light—the book before this one—but now I have to!

Mary is a compelling protagonist—smart, a fighter, with deep compassion and commitment to those she loves—and the story here is at once romantic and suspenseful. Scattered Light grapples with issues including racism and classism, but also the difficulty of trusting and connecting with others, healing after trauma, and knowing how to advocate for the people we love. A must-read!

[Ashley Soukup · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was very much looking forward to reading the sequel to Martha Engber’s marvelous Winter Light, and Scattered Light did not disappoint! What a riveting, psychologically spellbinding, and richly detailed novel. While the suspense drives the plot, the exploration of trauma and healing really carries the story home. Mary Donahue is an extraordinary character whose resolve and power is evocatively explored.

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a fantastic time writing this book and held firm in my view that even though strong women are near and dear to our hearts — think of your moms, aunts, grandmothers, cousins and besties — we sometimes need help.

I hope you enjoy the book!

[Cynthia Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this was a page-turner I couldn't wait to get back to. And Mary Donahue is a badass I would follow anywhere. I loved being in her head. Great writing AND great story. Hope there's a sequel!