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The Light that Binds Us
This is a story about a boy who learns to live from a boy with every reason to want to die.
OSCAR GRAY has made peace with the fact that death or permanent blindness is soon in his future. He passes the time until then, and believes that life is meaningless anyway.
LINCOLN AESTEN is living with his abuser and the murderer of his mother, but learning to find light in the world despite of it.
When Oscar and Lincoln meet at an art group, they click. They share thoughts, dreams, memories, agonies and ecstasies. They teach each other that life is much wider than what they previously thought. And they discover that, perhaps, they have met each other before.
But Oscar’s world slowly gets filled with colour, Lincoln must look within himself to find the strength he knows his mother once possessed.
This is the story about two boys, Oscar and Lincoln, and their misfit friends who find a family in each other — and must learn that the universe is a vast and difficult thing.
In breathtaking prose, Grace Curley captures those moments of rapture and woe that every generation encounters, while exploring love and loss, betrayal and trust, family breakdowns and rebirth. Through that exploration comes the discovery of friendship and forgiveness, self-love and acceptance.
"Intriguing, artful, heartbreaking, provocative, triumphant, unpredictable, exquisitely detailed and vividly eloquent—a profound and passionate depiction of old minds in young bodies." - Observer
OSCAR GRAY has made peace with the fact that death or permanent blindness is soon in his future. He passes the time until then, and believes that life is meaningless anyway.
LINCOLN AESTEN is living with his abuser and the murderer of his mother, but learning to find light in the world despite of it.
When Oscar and Lincoln meet at an art group, they click. They share thoughts, dreams, memories, agonies and ecstasies. They teach each other that life is much wider than what they previously thought. And they discover that, perhaps, they have met each other before.
But Oscar’s world slowly gets filled with colour, Lincoln must look within himself to find the strength he knows his mother once possessed.
This is the story about two boys, Oscar and Lincoln, and their misfit friends who find a family in each other — and must learn that the universe is a vast and difficult thing.
In breathtaking prose, Grace Curley captures those moments of rapture and woe that every generation encounters, while exploring love and loss, betrayal and trust, family breakdowns and rebirth. Through that exploration comes the discovery of friendship and forgiveness, self-love and acceptance.
"Intriguing, artful, heartbreaking, provocative, triumphant, unpredictable, exquisitely detailed and vividly eloquent—a profound and passionate depiction of old minds in young bodies." - Observer
329 pages, Paperback
First published January 17, 2018
109 people want to read
About the author
Grace Curley
1 book1 followerAuthor of 'Finding Lost Stars' (Coming Soon).
Grace Curley is half-Chinese and was raised by a Chinese Medicine Doctor/Psychologist mother and a Nutritional Scientist father. She is passionate about the subjects of mental health, social justice, philosophy, Greek mythology, classical art, music and literature.
Her ultimate vision is to educate kids and teens about emotional resilience, spiritual intelligence, self-love, and mental health.
Grace has studied a Psychology and Neuroscience course with Yale University. She is now obtaining a Doctorate/Ph.D. degree in Integrative Medicine with Quantum University.
Grace Curley is half-Chinese and was raised by a Chinese Medicine Doctor/Psychologist mother and a Nutritional Scientist father. She is passionate about the subjects of mental health, social justice, philosophy, Greek mythology, classical art, music and literature.
Her ultimate vision is to educate kids and teens about emotional resilience, spiritual intelligence, self-love, and mental health.
Grace has studied a Psychology and Neuroscience course with Yale University. She is now obtaining a Doctorate/Ph.D. degree in Integrative Medicine with Quantum University.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 15, 2020
Young gay yearning? Check. Handsome Greek gods? Check. Overcoming odds for happiness? Check. FINDING LOST STARS is the story of two boys who have loved each other through different lifetimes, countries, and millennia. The story of Oscar and Lincoln is also Icarus and Apollo's story. The two are intertwined throughout the novel beautifully. We see a new take on the Icarus story and in modern times, the tale of two lonely, hurting boys who find comfort in art and each other.
Corley's writing is rather poetic and flowery, but in a way that comes off as beautiful instead of obnoxious. Each chapter also begins with a quote from some sort of poem, play, or novel, and while this is something that could also very easily come off as obnoxious, it's instead a great addition to every chapter that does a great job at setting the mood. At times, the dialogue is stilted and awkward, but not so much that it's impossible to get through. Just enough that it sticks out as odd.
Things wrap up very quickly without feeling rushed, though it does involve a fair bit of suspending your disbelief. Most of the medical parts do. However, that's a staple of fiction and especially romance, so I wasn't bothered by it, but those who care about accuracy might. Readers should also be warned of both on and off screen abuse and a suicide.
Overall, I give FINDING LOST STARS four stars. It's very cute and heartwarming, showing us both a new take on a classic myth and how lost teens find each other and build their own communities, but a little too far-fetched on the terminal illnesses and with some work to be done in the dialogue between the boys. I had no idea until the author's note at the end that this was written when Curley was only 13-15, which is absolutely amazing to me. She's incredibly talented at such a young age and I think as she grows and improves, we'll see some truly astounding work from her.
I received a free copy of this from EdelweissPlus
Corley's writing is rather poetic and flowery, but in a way that comes off as beautiful instead of obnoxious. Each chapter also begins with a quote from some sort of poem, play, or novel, and while this is something that could also very easily come off as obnoxious, it's instead a great addition to every chapter that does a great job at setting the mood. At times, the dialogue is stilted and awkward, but not so much that it's impossible to get through. Just enough that it sticks out as odd.
Things wrap up very quickly without feeling rushed, though it does involve a fair bit of suspending your disbelief. Most of the medical parts do. However, that's a staple of fiction and especially romance, so I wasn't bothered by it, but those who care about accuracy might. Readers should also be warned of both on and off screen abuse and a suicide.
Overall, I give FINDING LOST STARS four stars. It's very cute and heartwarming, showing us both a new take on a classic myth and how lost teens find each other and build their own communities, but a little too far-fetched on the terminal illnesses and with some work to be done in the dialogue between the boys. I had no idea until the author's note at the end that this was written when Curley was only 13-15, which is absolutely amazing to me. She's incredibly talented at such a young age and I think as she grows and improves, we'll see some truly astounding work from her.
I received a free copy of this from EdelweissPlus
February 9, 2021
The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
(but also I can't find where I got this arc, it's not on netgalley or edelweiss,, very confused)
Okay this was kind of good except that it was super cheesy and had the floweriest writing I've ever read...and I love flowery writing. I think I might eventually come back to this and try again, but it's just not for me right now.
(but also I can't find where I got this arc, it's not on netgalley or edelweiss,, very confused)
Okay this was kind of good except that it was super cheesy and had the floweriest writing I've ever read...and I love flowery writing. I think I might eventually come back to this and try again, but it's just not for me right now.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews