From bestselling Spanish author Paul Pen comes a haunting and hopeful tale of discovering light in even the darkest of places.For his whole life, the boy has lived underground, in a basement with his parents, grandmother, sister, and brother. Before he was born, his family was disfigured by a fire. His sister wears a white mask to cover her burns.He spends his hours with his cactus, reading his … his cactus, reading his book on insects, or touching the one ray of sunlight that filters in through a crack in the ceiling. Ever since his sister had a baby, everyone’s been acting very strangely. The boy begins to wonder why they never say who the father is, about what happened before his own birth, about why they’re shut away.
A few days ago, some fireflies arrived in the basement. His grandma said, There’s no creature more amazing than one that can make its own light. That light makes the boy want to escape, to know the outside world. Problem is, all the doors are locked. And he doesn’t know how to get out…
more
This book is like holding a jar of fireflies at nighttime – dark, but sprinkled with with intermittent, relieving, fleeting glimpses of light.
There is a family who lives in a basement. They’re covered with burns from a mysterious fire, and never leave for the surface. The story follows the youngest son, just a child, who begins to notice cracks in the facade of their family’s perfect, loving, “normal” home. For the first time, he begins to question everything.
The plot is riveting, fast-paced, and at times horrifying… but there’s always a glimmer of hope around every turn.
I was frustrated by how short the novel’s resolution was – after patiently enduring the book’s numerous twists and unanswered questions, I felt like I deserved a more thorough conclusion. However, it was undoubtedly a blast to read!
The Light of the Fireflies does a masterful job at switching back and forth between 2 timeframes of a family’s life. Surprises at every turn and when you eventually get to the reason as to why they are living the way they do – you NEVER saw it coming. A really enjoyable read.
A family is living in a basement, with most of them carrying scars from being burned. The youngest child doesn’t understand why the family is down there as he wasn’t born yet. He has never seen the outside, never played in the sun or swam in a lake. Why is this family stuck in a basement? Why can’t they leave?
So I’ve read some reviews on this one and I understand where the disgust and the disdain come from. Without giving anything away all I can say is that you start out with the family having been in this situation for 5 years. The story then precedes to work it’s way backward as little-by-little is revealed.
What I can say is that by the time you are done reading this one you will feel great disgust with the parents and the grandparents, sympathise (mildly) with the daughter, and just outright want to save the 3 boys (including the one this situation revolves around).
What would any of us do in this same scenario? We of course would like to say ‘the right thing’ BUT until we are placed in a time and situation where stress, concern and outright fear for our loved ones prevail any logical thoughts…we will never truly know. The heart is a strange creature where loved ones are concerned.
This is one of those stories that I want more of. I would have loved to hear about the boy’s life when he sees the sun finally. This book is the second I’ve read from the author and it’s well written. Takes you one way and then boom you now question everything. Great read!!
Paul Pen is a genius! Yes, I was reminded of “Room” but these nameless people lived underground by choice. The circumstances that put them there may or may not let you empathize with the parents and grandparents, but they made a choice to protect their ‘helpless’ child. Their story is tragic and sad. The daughter is painted as someone you should feel sorry for due to her supposed disfigurement. She is too ugly to be seen. In truth, she is ugly- but in heart and soul.
I wanted more when I finished the book. I did not need to know the names of these ‘faceless’ people, but I needed to know what happens after the “boy” leaves. It is one of those stories I will never, ever forget. It will haunt me. And one of the reasons I read is to find books that will stay with me for the rest of my days and inspire me to continue to write and be a better writer.
Crazy book never guessed what was coming
This is a story of a family that was forced to live underground. A young boy has never known anything but living in the basement with his parents, his grandmother, and his older brother and sister. All of his siblings had been badly burned in a fire no one will talk about. They tell the boy that the basement is all there is – that there is no where else for him to go. The basement keeps them hidden and protects his family from a terrible secret that the young boy knows nothing about.
At the age of 11, the boy desperately wants to see the outside world. But he lives in fear. Fear of the “Cricket Man” and “The One Up There” that brings the family food and medicines but it never seen. When his sister has a baby and no one is telling who the father is, the young boy plans his escape. With his oldest sister’s help, he finds out the truth and soon realizes he can no longer stay below ground.
This story was disturbing. This is dysfunctional family at its best, and when the big reveal about where the baby came from, why they were in the basement, and other family secrets came to life – you just are left feeling disgusted. I do like, though, how the authro went back and forth through time – to the time before the family was forced into the basement, and to the time the boy was young, and then 15 years into the future at the end of the book. So I will give credit for that.
The story is not for the faint of heart. There isn’t much to like about any of the characters. Their actions are unforgivable and in the end, you just want the little boy to escape and be done with the story.
It is hard to recommend it because the story is very disturbing. So I would say skip it
A breath of fresh air as it is not as predictable as you think. I couldn’t wait to read the next page and find out how this family came to be in the condition they were in and what lead to their life long living conditions. This book is a great read.
Sacrificing one child for another. Or is it evil in the hearts of men, in this case women? This is a book which could have been read cover to cover. It is gripping, mind boggling, scary, imaginative. Mesmerizing as it is, the content blurs the lines of evil for the greater good. This begs the question, what would you do?
One continues past the confusion in the first section in order to unravel the truth. And it was well worth the journey. Dysfunctional, but understandably so as we come to understand. I have to believe the translator was fabulous as the English version contained a wealth of precise vocabulary, description, and, almost, poetry. Now I want to read this in Spanish!
One of those stories that stays with you.
A very interesting book. I enjoyed it
I just finished reading this book and loved it! It would make a great book club or discussion book.