The Light of the Fireflies

By: Paul Pen, Simon Bruni - translator

Narrated by: Scott Merriman

A haunting and hopeful tale of discovering light in even the darkest of places.

For his whole life, the boy has lived underground, in a basement with his parents, grandmother, sister, and brother. Before he was born, his family was disfigured by a fire. His sister wears a white mask to cover her burns.

He spends his hours with his cactus, reading his book on insects, or touching the one ray of sunlight that filters in through a crack in the ceiling. Ever since his sister had a baby, everyone's been acting very strangely. The boy begins to wonder why they never say who the father is, about what happened before his own birth, about why they're shut away.

A few days ago, some fireflies arrived in the basement. His grandma said, There's no creature more amazing than one that can make its own light. That light makes the boy want to escape, to know the outside world. Problem is, all the doors are locked. And he doesn't know how to get out....

©2013 Paul Pen (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved. Translation © 2016 Simon Bruni.

Excellent Tale!

Well written and skillfully maneuvered. The imagery was good. Only criticism was the story seemed to break pace at the end and it felt rushed. I wished the author could have restrained himself and kept the craftiness until the end. I would recommend this book!

Unique

Any additional comments?

Never read anything like it.

Very dark, disturbing, interesting at the same time....even some bits of redemption, a study in humanity after the fall.

Well worth reading.

Nice twist

Nice twist. You will change your mind about how you feel about each character .

One turn after another

This story was filled with surprises. Just when I thought I had something figured out, a new twist would appear. The ending was nothing I could've predicted. Will definitely listen again to catch more detail!

not what i expected

sad story not my cup of tea a good read if it invokes a reaction. that's all i have to say.