“He stares down at the body again, and sadness keeps him leaning to one side. It’s the physical weight of emotion and that weight is not centered inside of him but skewed, imbalanced.”
This second paragraph of Light from Distant Stars hooked me. I think most of us would agree that we all have experiences from our past that the emotions of them can render us skewed and imbalanced. A story isn’t near as impactful unless the author draws us into the character’s story and make us feel such empathy for him. And Shawn Smucker does just that in his latest novel.
Light from Distant Stars is the story of Cohen Marah, a middle-aged man haunted by his broken childhood. When a tragic accident happens to his father, he wonders if he is responsible and the circumstances plunge him into memories from his childhood, forcing him to face wounds from his past.
My favorite novels have a little bit of mystery, a bit of the supernatural, and the spiritual. Smucker weaves Cohen’s past and present into a dark and sad, but beautiful story. As Cohen works through the memories of a painful childhood, he finds grace and redemption at the end.
Light from Distant Stars kept me turning the page to see what happened next and surprised me with a turn that I did not see coming. I am so glad I discovered Shawn Smucker’s The Day the Angels Fell last year and this year Light from Distant Stars did not disappoint.
I received an advanced reader copy of the book from the publisher and this is my honest review.