The Light of the Fireflies by Paul Pen

One of the things I really like about being in a book club is the opportunity to be introduced to new books that I might not have ever read otherwise. Of course, with that comes the risk that I will read books I don't like. While I normally would not continue a book I wasn't enjoying, with book club selections, I feel obligated to finish so that I will be able to contribute to the discussion. Today, I finished a book I would not have chosen and would not have finished if it weren't for book club.

The Light of the Fireflies by Paul Pen is about a little boy who has lived his whole life in a basement, along with his mother, father, older sister and brother, and his grandmother. Born in the basement, he has never seen outside. Everyone else in the family has severe burns from a fire before his birth. His sister even wears a mask to conceal her disfigurement. Told in sections, we first join the story when the boy is nearly five-years-old, we then jump ahead six years and eventually we are able to flashback to before the family entered the basement. This is the boy's story, whose name we never learn, so details are sketchy and his narration slightly unreliable.

I did not like this book. Just reading the description, it sounds dark and unhappy and I just don't generally go for books like that, but I'm a good sport and a devoted book club member, so I read. Even books we don't like can lead to interesting discussions. I look forward to hearing what everyone else thought. I can't recommend this book, but if you read it and want to talk about it, I'm here.