In Perfect Light

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From award-winning poet Benjamin Alire Sáenz comes a haunting novel that explores the cruelties of cultural displacement and the resilience of those affected. The story revolves around two strong-willed individuals forever changed by a single tragedy. After Andés Segovia's parents are killed in a car accident during his childhood, his older brother decides to take the family to Juárez, Mexico, a choice that unravels their American family. Years later, with his family shattered, Andés struggles to make sense of his chaotic life. His journey leads him toward self-destruction, as he grapples with a burden too heavy to bear alone. This frustration manifests as a singular rage, which finds an outlet in a seedy El Paso bar, ultimately leading him to Grace Delgado. Recently faced with her own isolation and mortality, Grace, an unlikely therapist, agrees to help Andés after his arrest. Though initially suspicious of each other, they gradually form a tentative working relationship, allowing them to confront their own fragile pasts. As Andés faces the roots of his violence, Grace begins to understand her role in her own self-exile. What starts as a favor becomes Grace's lifeline, even as secrets surrounding Andés' parents' death threaten their connection. Through precise language and an urgent narrative, Sáenz's work bears witness to the cruelty of circumstance while offering the possibility of salvation.