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    2 Book Lovers Reviews

Soon the Light Will Be Perfect

​By Dave Patterson

​Sometimes a synopsis just grabs your attention and refuses to let go.  For me, Soon the Light Will Be Perfect is one such book.  A coming-of-age story set in rural Vermont, it had a universality that it could have been set in Anytown, America.

Patterson has pulled one life-changing year out of our young protagonist’s life.  In this year we experience the highs and lows of growing up in this time and place.  I could recognize some of his trials and tribulations, some from my own life, some from others I knew.  Patterson does not paint a pretty picture; I appreciate this, because life isn’t always shiny and happy.

Soon the Light Will Be Perfect was outside of my usual reading genres, but I like to mix things up to change the pace.  This book worked for me with its gloomy reality and troubled protagonist.  I felt sympathy for him and his situation.  At other times, I was appalled at just how fast life was forcing him to grow up.

Patterson truly captivated me with this story, and although it is set in a specific time and place, the themes it explores are apt to connect with anyone and everyone.

I think that this is a book that just won’t get the attention that it deserves.  Despite the connections that it creates, the marvelous touches of humor, and the dark, brooding characters, I don’t think it is the type of book that people will fall in love with, at the same time, it shouldn’t generate the hate that tarnishes reading.  Unfortunately, I think that it will fall into a long list of good books that are lost in the mass of available books.

*4 Stars