This Moth Saw Brightness - by A A Vacharat (Hardcover)

About the Book

High schooler 'Wayne and his best friend Kermit participate in a university health study that turns out to be riddled with conspiracies pointing to a sinister government plot.

Book Synopsis

A weird and revelatory debut that vividly captures the dislocation of growing up BIPOC and neurodivergent in a country awash in both conspiracy theories and genuine conspiracies.

"The invisible D in my name is my mother's second most lasting contribution to my life."

'Wayne Le--known as "Invisible-D 'Wayne" at school--has been invited to participate in a seemingly ordinary, innocuous adolescent health study by a prestigious university. The study has a few nice perks, but most important to 'Wayne, is the opportunity to give his immigrant father an accomplishment to be proud of--something that's been in short supply since 'Wayne's mother left.

But the study quickly proves to be anything but ordinary and innocuous, and 'Wayne, his best friend Kermit, and a fellow study participant named Jane (a girl who shall not be manic-pixied) find themselves sucked into an M. C. Escheresque maze of conspiracies that might be entirely in their heads or might truly be a sinister government plot.

Review Quotes

★ "This funny, insightful debut about mental illness, identity, and a person's capacity to change packs a surprising emotional punch. Bold stylistic choices--wry footnotes, the inclusion of documents referenced in the story, a brief interjection by the author--add an interactive element to D's humorous and self-deprecating first-person narration. Superb."--Kirkus, starred review

★ "The true conspiracy theories are the friends we made along the way--or are they?... This debut is an engaging read while also having great potential to spark conversations about information literacy with the implications of its deeply unsettling ending."--Booklist, starred review

★ "A remarkable debut novel which delves into both adolescent struggles and mental health."--SLJ, starred review

"Vacharat's debut is a standout work of speculative fiction and a foreboding social satire about unethical governing and the corrosive values of Big Tech."--The Horn Book

"Vacharat's debut YA novel is a compelling dissection of humanity's 'impulse to treat people...like they are the property of whoever's in power.'... An enigmatic, entertaining experience."--Shelf Awareness

"A.A. Vacharat is a bold and strange new YA voice, with shades of A.S. King. This Moth Saw Brightness defies description; at once sweeping and specific, full of huge ideas and beautifully honest relationships, this is a debut from a fascinating new writer. I can't wait to see what she does next."--Joy McCullough, New York Times bestselling author of Blood Water Paint and Everything Is Poison

"Utilizing cheeky footnotes and fourth-wall-breaking asides, and deploying shocking twists and turns, Vacharat delivers a propulsive and unnerving debut."--PW

About the Author

A. A. Vacharat is an author, illustrator, and web developer. She is a graduate of the Vermont College of Fine Art MFA program. Her books include elements of science, technology, and usually at least a little whimsy or absurdity. She includes characters that her child-self yearned to see--such as children with one Asian parent and autistic protagonists--and portrays worlds beyond those most often seen. This Moth Saw Brightness is her debut.