Three-sentence Review: This Light Between Us by Andrew Fukuda

A three-sentence review of This Light Between Us by Andrew Fukuda published by Tor Teen.

It’s the mid-1930s and a Japanese-American boy in Washington state begins a pen pal relationship with the daughter of a Jewish merchant in Paris. We see their friendship first sputter and then grow until World War II starts. From there, we follow Alex to the Japanese interment camps and points beyond.

I base my beta reading on 85 questions. Here’s the answer to one:

Were there emotions between the characters?

This novel is excellent at capturing emotions between characters. First in the letters between Alex and Charlie—I love that their friendship doesn’t have a smooth start—and then as Alex’s life becomes more turbulent, we see the different ways Alex’s family reacts to their removal and life behind barbed wire. One thing that could have been tricky was the exit of Charlie from the story, as she had her own turbulence. Despite her exit, her story continues to be woven into the narrative, even as their communication is cut off.