We Are the Light

CW: The “recent tragedy” referred to in the book description was a mass shooting at a movie theater, where 18 people (including the shooter) died. There is also reference to the MC discovering the body of a person who has died by suicide.

2.5 stars, rounded up only because Quick is so open about his own struggles with mental illness, which I admire. Unfortunately, by using Jungian analysis and archetypes to process his protagonist's grief, the author swings a little too close to misogyny. I'm all in favor of countering toxic masculinity, but in the process of modeling healthy male relationships, Quick reduces the female characters to clichés (they are all one dimensionally angelic, evil, mercenary, or nurturing).

I applaud a novel that shows men relating on an honest, emotional level, such as Lucas's relationships with his best friend Isaiah and the troubled teen who pitches his tent in Lucas's backyard. But Quick's reliance on antiquated female archetypes raised my hackles and prevented me from engaging fully in Lucas's journey beyond grief and trauma.