The Effects of Light

by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore

First published 2006

Myla and Pru Wolfe grow up posing for Ruth Handel's camera. The family friend photographs the motherless sisters throughout their childhood, often nude, creating images that fill both girls with artistic pride. The sisters share an intense bond through their loss and their love of learning. Then something happens that destroys their world. Thirteen years pass. Myla receives an unexpected message that pulls her back to Oregon. She abandons the one man who has broken through her walls and returns home. Someone begins sending her packages, each one timed precisely. Inside she finds objects and revelations that force her to face the event that shattered her family. Each delivery brings her closer to a truth she has spent years avoiding.

Genres: literary-fiction, mystery, contemporary, family-drama

Vibes: emotional, intimate, suspenseful

Tropes: coming-of-age, unreliable-narrator

Setting: Oregon

Period: Thirteen years

384 pages · Paperback · Grand Central Publishing

Content warnings: abuse, child-abuse

More by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore

Readers who liked The Effects of Light also liked

View on Siftivo