The Escape of Light

by Fred Venturini

Overview

“…a stunning read.” —Kirkus Reviews

The Escape of Light is a compulsively-readable marvel that demands to be read in one sitting."—Dan Loflin, screenwriter, the CW’s SUPERNATURAL and THIS IS JANE

 

Wilder Tate just wants a normal life with a normal face...

 

Burns have disfigured him, his father has passed away, and his mother now works so many jobs, he feels like he’s living alone. He expects more of that same loneliness as he starts at a new high school, but Wilder surprises even himself as he finds a new best friend, discovers a knack for basketball, and catches the eye of the coolest girl in school. All the cruelty and bullying seems reserved for the enigmatic Lane McKenzie, and Wilder is all too happy to let her take the heat.  But sometimes Wilder is his own worst enemy, and his scars run far deeper than just physical damage. He’s haunted by a secret he thinks he can erase with a bold and risky plan to fix his disfigurement for good—a plan that may cost him far more than he ever imagined.

Filled with twists, heart, and humor, The Escape of Light is a bold and unexpected story of resilience, love, and basketball from the acclaimed author of The Heart Does Not Grow Back.

 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781684423927
Publisher:	TURNER PUB CO
Publication date:	10/22/2019
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.90(d)
Lexile:	850L (what's this?)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Fred Venturini has eleven scars from eleven separate incidents, the most interesting of which is the time he was set on fire. For the others, just ask. His short fiction has been featured in the Booked Anthology, Noir at the Bar 2, and Chuck Palahniuk’s Burnt Toungues anthology. He is the acclaimed author of The Heart Does Not Grow Back and the forthcoming The Escape of Light (Turner, 2019). On the basketball court, he is a three-point specialist and defensive liability. He lives in Southern Illinois with his wife and daughter.

Editorial Reviews

2019-07-26
A high school student with burn scars explores his identity in a coming-of-age tale full of surprises.

Wilder Tate is a self-proclaimed basketball junkie from small-town Illinois who is haunted by a childhood incident resulting in burn scars on much of his upper body and face. At the start of high school, he seemingly has it all—a defense position on the basketball team and a cute cheerleader on his arm. But Wilder soon discovers that his good luck is an illusion, and he decides to try to "fix" his scars through tissue expansion. When an accident threatens his recovery, the story shifts into more genuine, heavy territory. Wilder is surprisingly wise and reflective for his age, but his ordinary teenage experiences, as well as his struggle to embrace an identity that may or may not include his scars, will undoubtedly leave readers rooting for him. Characters who originally seemed to disappear into the story's background are reintroduced later as multilayered people who blur lines between good and bad and have storylines of their own that beg to be expanded. Readers unfamiliar with basketball may find the lingo hard to follow, but that doesn't lessen the novel's impact. The book follows a white default.

Rich narrative and (eventually) characters make for a stunning read for a wide audience. (Fiction. 14-adult)

Kirkus Reviews

Intriguing, intense, and—dare I say it—visceral. Keep your eye on this guy. He's going to cause trouble.” ― Isaac Marion, author of Warm Bodies

“Fred Venturini is an awesomely talented writer, and he proves it on every page....”― Donald Ray Pollock, author of Knockemstiff and The Devil All the Time

“Smart and tough and willing to look death in the eyes…This books comes from a real place– that’s what hits you right away, and that’s what matters to young adults most of all.” – Josh Woods, author of O Monstrous World! And The Black Palace

"If you couldn't tear yourself away from The Fault in Our Stars, open your heart, slap on a basketball jersey and lose yourself in The Escape of Light.”– Taylor Zajonc, author of The Maw

From the Publisher