Malinda Lo’s “A Scatter of Light” is a coming of age novel that sadly falls flat in comparison to its semi-companion piece: “Last Night at the Telegraph Club”. This novel centers Aria Tang West, a teenager sent to live with her grandmother in California as punishment for a scandal that she caused during her last week of senior year. There, she meets Steph Nichols, her grandmother’s gardener, and is surprised by her immediate draw towards her.
The book takes place during the summer that gay marriage was legalized in California, and follows Aria as she comes to terms with her identity and is welcomed into an LGBTQ+ world that she never could have imagined. Although the concepts feels reminiscent of Lo’s previous novel: “Last Night at the Telegraph Club”, the story itself falls flat and drags towards a conclusion. I would give this book three and a half out of five stars due to its lack of substance, but with stars added for Malinda Lo’s skill.