Book Review of I Am the Light of This World, a novel by Michael Parker. Available in Kindle and Hardcover on November 15th 2022. Find it here on our Bookshop or here on Amazon.
Publisher’s Summary + Buzz:
Acclaimed author Michael Parker tells the searing and unforgettable story of one decision that irrevocably changes the course of a young man’s life.
In the early 1970s, in Stovall, Texas, seventeen-year-old Earl—a loner, dreamer, lover of music and words—meets Tina, the new girl in town. Tina convinces Earl to drive her to see her mother in Austin, where Earl and Tina are quickly separated. Two days later, Earl is being questioned by the police about Tina’s disappearance and the blood in the trunk of his car. But Earl can’t remember what happened in Austin, and with little financial support from his working-class family, he is sentenced for a crime he did not commit.
Forty years later, Earl is released into a world he can barely navigate. Settling in a small town on the Oregon coast, he attempts to establish a sense of freedom from both bars and razor wire and the emotional toll of incarceration. But just as Earl finds the rhythm he’s always sought, his past returns to endanger the new life he’s built.
Steeped in the music and atmosphere of the 1970s, I Am the Light of This World is a gritty, gripping, and gorgeously written story of loss, redemption, and the power of the imagination, perfect for fans of Ron Rash, Rachel Kushner, and Laird Hunt.
Karissa’s Reflection:
From the first page, I could not put this book down. I kept it on me at all times so that I could read a few more pages at every possible opportunity- while waiting in line for coffee, in the pickup line at school, even while cooking dinner. The story has an unusual rhythm and it took me a minute to get used to it, but once I surrendered to the flow it carried me through effortlessly to the end.
I Am the Light of This World follows the life of Earl, a boy from rural Texas. We initially meet Earl as a 17 year old in the 1970s who is deeply in love with a girl named Tina. His love for her is pure- he thinks he knows her completely and he wouldn’t change her for the world. But we quickly realize that Tina may not be all she seems, and an attempt to do something kind for her results in Earl’s life changing irrevocably. More than 40 years later Earl is released from prison and attempts to start over in Oregon. As he begins to build new relationships and develop a life for himself the question arises- can he truly have a fresh start, or will his past return to haunt him?
Michael Parker’s writing style is lyrical and poetic, with song lyrics and musical references dropped like breadcrumbs throughout. He narrates the story in a stream of consciousness style mixed with dialogue, an approach that gives an intimate feeling to the reader. However, the stream of consciousness is in third person as opposed to the usual first, which gives the entire story a somewhat dissociative feel. We’re getting to hear Earl’s most intimate thoughts and see his perspective without him actually owning any of it.
With I Am the Light of This World Parker has created a poignant, deeply human masterpiece which perfectly illustrates the destructive power of decisions and which will stick with the reader long past the last page.
Where to buy:
Find I Am the Light of This World here on our Bookshop or here on Amazon.
*I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to read an Advance Copy of this book with no obligation to write a review. All opinions are honest and my own.
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