Into the Light

Starred review from January 16, 2023
Via a deliberately plotted, nonlinear timeline, this potent speculative thriller from Oshiro (Each of Us a Desert) builds a harrowing image of a queer adoptee navigating religious trauma while combatting white saviorism. Seventeen-year-old Latinx-cued Manny and his older sister Elena don’t remember a time when they weren’t in foster care,
until they are unexpectedly adopted by the white hyper-religious Sullivan family. But for unknown reasons, Manny is immediately sent off to—then subsequently kicked out of—Reconciliation, a religious camp run by a televangelist, and has been hitchhiking through California looking for Elena ever since. He’s soon rescued by the Varelas, a nomadic Mexican family comprising kind former pastors Monica and Ricardo and their charming adoptive son Carlos, who reveal that religious trauma impels their own travels. After learning that a body that might be Elena’s has been found outside Reconciliation, Manny and the Varelas embark toward the compound. Oshiro persuasively cultivates suspense through Manny’s evasive flashbacks to his time back in Reconciliation, interspersed with scenes from the perspective of Eli, another camp participant. While retaining space for authentic representations of faith and spirituality, this breathtaking indictment of corrupted religion’s consequences presents a standout, deeply felt portrait of a teenager’s longing for connection. Ages 13–up. Agent: DongWon Song, Howard Morhaim Literary.

Starred review from April 1, 2023

Gr 9 Up-Seventeen-year-old Manny has been unhoused and traveling California for a year, ever since he was cast out of his deeply religious family. A Latinx-cued, queer adoptee, Manny has experienced multiple forms of trauma from previous foster families, but his last family, the Sullivans, are deeply devoted to televangelist Deacon Thompson. Thompson encourages white couples to adopt and "save" children of color. Manny and his biological sister Elena are quickly sent to Reconciliation, a religious camp that uses conversion style therapies to "re-educate" the adopted children. When Manny is unable to be "saved," he is cast out and separated from Elena. With the help of the Varela family, Manny begins to process his trauma and sets out to reunite with his sister. Oshiro uses an intentional nonlinear time line to build suspense and slowly reveal the mystery of the plot and an interesting twist. However, the strength of the story is the horrific realism and exploration of corrupted religious institutions, the broken foster care system, and the survivors that escape. There are depictions of neglect, religious abuse, sexual abuse, physical abuse, racialized violence, and homophobia. VERDICT A realistic, sometimes horrifying depiction of religious trauma. Recommended for readers who enjoy the works of Courtney Summers and Tiffany D. Jackson.-Kaetlyn Phillips

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from January 1, 2023
An edge-of-your-seat mystery with speculative elements. Seventeen-year-old Manny only cares about one thing: watching a show broadcast for local audiences in California with Deacon Thompson, a man from Christ's Dominion church who claims he saves children. In the backgrounds of these videos, he hopes to catch glimpses of Elena, his sister. It's how he keeps track of her and knows she's well--until the day he learns from the news that a body has been found outside a religious camp, and he spirals. Manny is homeless and has been hitchhiking rides with strangers for the past year, but ever since meeting the Varela family near Fresno, he sees a new possibility for his future and maybe his sister's; that is, if the body isn't hers. In its gripping and raw exploration of White saviorism and the predatory ways White adults in positions of power are able to endanger children of color, this mystery's proximity to reality is viscerally nauseating, a testament to the author's skill. The initially confusing nonlinear timeline and points of view are eventually clearly shown to be deliberately disorienting; everything about the storytelling feels surgically intentional. As they grew up without knowing their family of origin, Manny and his sister aren't sure of their background but believe they are Mexican like the Varelas. Manny, along with many other characters, is queer. An important and searing read on the value of family, agency, and belief. (author's note) (Mystery. 14-adult)

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Starred review from March 1, 2023
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* The world hasn't been kind to 17-year-old Manny, but meeting the friendly and supportive Varela family has at least given him the chance to escape Christ's Dominion church and its manipulative leader, Deacon Thompson. After years of being moved between foster homes, Manny and older sister Elena (who are coded as Latinx) were adopted by the Sullivans, a white, religious couple whom Manny immediately--and rightfully--distrusted. Now, after finally managing to escape the pull of the Sullivans and Christ's Dominion, Manny embarks on a journey toward self-discovery and healing with the help of the Varelas. But when a dead body is reported near a religious camp by Idyllwild, California, Manny can't help but wonder if it's Elena. The novel is populated by a diverse supporting cast of queer characters and people of color, with the exception of the mostly white adults who make up Christ's Dominion. Oshiro's storytelling is unsettling and even upsetting, in the best possible way. The novel forgoes chapter numbers or titles, jumping between time frames and points of view to create a purposeful narrative whiplash. Into the Light is a thoughtful, beautiful, riveting thriller that fans of dynamic character building, gritty mystery, and searing social commentary will devour in a heartbeat.

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