never ask where they got the wi-fi

[ironymaiden]

a while ago i complained about how TJ Klune's The House on the Cerulean Sea didn't work for me. but today i finished a book that really did work for me, Light from Uncommon Stars. the author, Ryka Aoki, seems to get paired with TJ Klune for publicity (i assume because they're writing stories about queer people for the same publisher).

this description is why I picked it up:

Good Omens meets The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet in Ryka Aoki's defiantly joyful adventure set in California's San Gabriel Valley, with cursed violins, Faustian bargains, and queer alien courtship over fresh-made donuts.

this description is true.* but, as i said to mimerki yesterday, it left out a pretty huge thing - it's an ensemble story, but the heart of it is a transgender teen runaway. during the story she is homeless, she does sex work, she's raped, she recounts past physical and emotional abuse, she's deadnamed and misgendered, and abusive internet comments are quoted extensively. oh, and there's also racism and a minor character who does self-harm. most of the worst shit is early in the book and due to that content a year ago i wouldn't have been emotionally capable of finishing the book, so i'm going to say right now that everything works out in its way and it doesn't feel like bullshit in the way it goes down.

i did cry over this book, but it was about music. if you have ever felt transformed or emotionally unlocked by music as a performer or listener, Ryka Aoki gets it and understands how to describe and share it. there's also a not-so-subtle narrative about the meaning and value of video game music. and the food, there's so much goodness about food and how it connects us and what it means to us. i especially recommend it if you love books about diasporic culture.




*unless you were thinking it would be funny. there were some laugh-out-loud moments for me, but humor is not foundational to this book. it's not a parody after all.

Comments

[sartorias]

That sounds terrific.

[ironymaiden]

if you ever pick it up, i'd love to know how the setting details read to someone from SoCal.

[sartorias]

My grandmother lived there for fifty years. I know it well!

[flexagon]

Huh. That's been kind of bumping around on my long list, and the stuff about music and food makes me think it might not work that well for me! But I'm curious and on leave from work, and the trans / ensemble / queer stuff would work for me, so stand by.

[oracne]

I just got a rec for the Aoki from someone else last week!

[dhampyresa]

Oh, this sounds lovely! /adds to ever-increasing tbr