Lovely, Dark, and Deep

by Justina Chen

Overview

“In this moving, empowering book,” a high school senior navigates new love after she is diagnosed with photosensitivity, an illness that changes her life (Booklist).

When Viola Li returns from a trip, she develops a sudden and extreme case of photosensitivity—an inexplicable allergy to sunlight. Thanks to her crisis-manager parents, she doesn’t just have to wear layers of clothes and spaceship-sized hat. She has to avoid all hint of light. Say goodbye to windows and running outdoors. Even her phone becomes a threat. Viola is determined to maintain a normal life, particularly after she meets Josh. He’s a funny, talented Thor look-alike with his own mysterious grief. But their romance makes her take more risks, and when a rebellion against her parents backfires dangerously, she must find her way to a life—and love—as deep and lovely as her dreams.

“A luminous read that will rekindle your faith in the indomitable human spirit.” —Matthew Quick, author of The Silver Linings Playbook

“An inspiring, romantic novel full of redemption and hope.” —Mitali Perkins, author of You Bring the Distant Near

“Fresh, often funny . . . Readers won’t be able to help but root for Viola in this moving, empowering book about a teen recalculating her well-laid plans, all in a vivid voice.” —Booklist, starred review

“Chen provides glimmers of hope as she reveals Viola’s battle to reclaim a form of normalcy.” —Publishers Weekly

“A strong exploration of resilience in the face of life unpredictable.” —Kirkus Reviews

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781338134070
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	08/17/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	352
File size:	8 MB
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Storytelling runs in Justina Chen's blood. After all, her middle name means illuminate, which is what story does: it throws light on life. Her debut novel, Nothing but the Truth (and a Few White Lies), won the Asian/Pacific American Award for Youth Literature, and her novel North of Beautiful was named one of the Best Books of the Year by Kirkus Reviews and was a finalist for nine state book awards. Justina is also the co-founder of Chen & Cragen and a story strategist to leaders. While her home is in Seattle, she feels at ease wherever she goes so long as she has her coconut black tea, journal, and pen.

Read an Excerpt

I lean against Josh in the cold, not wanting to move a single millimeter away from his chest, his light breath on my hair. Instead of feeling the thirty-degree air, I am a furnace of warmth and wanting. And then Mother Nature acts, unleashing the largest meteor I've ever seen in my life. The comet-dragon bolts across the sky, gold-streaked and long-tailed. It is so beautiful, I leave the shield of his chest to sit forward, like that will bring me closer to the dragon even as it escapes from sight. I grab Josh's hand. Or maybe he grabs mine. But we are holding hands, and the enormity of that doesn't even hit me because we are both laughing, awestruck."Did you see that?" I ask him. With my free hand, I jab my finger heavenward. "Did you see that thing?" He looks down into my eyes, and there it is again--this palpable electricity, this comet of an emotion that streaks from him to me and back again. "You want to kiss me," I whisper to him."Do you say that to all your guys?""Am I right?"I know I am. The air is fraught with expectation. Anticipation. My lips tingle, and he closes the gap between us, cradling the back of my head in his hand. Then, his lips a mere breath from mine, he makes me wait, wait, wait. "You're right," he says.And when I finally feel his lips upon mine, all I can do is trust that the earth is still spinning, gravity still anchors us to the ground, meteors are still flashing above us. Because with my eyes closed, leaning into this boy, his kisses become my sky.

Editorial Reviews

05/14/2018
Everything begins at a bake sale. Viola is peddling red bean baos for a worthy cause, and chatting with an attractive boy, when she has a dizzy spell and faints. She wakes up in the hospital only to find out she has contracted a rare case of photosensitivity; her skin can no longer tolerate light. Viola’s life literally changes overnight: her wardrobe is replaced with special UVA protective clothing; she must always wear a hat, and even more humiliating, carry an umbrella; lights in the house are dimmed and covered. As her condition worsens, Viola fears her dreams of becoming a journalist and her hopes of pursuing a relationship with Josh, the boy she met at the bake sale, will dim like a setting sun. In a novel about love, disappointment, and fighting the odds, Chen (North of Beautiful) convincingly evokes not only Viola’s physical discomfort but also the emotional impact of living with an incurable disease. Viola’s parents’ despair, her sister’s frustration, and Josh’s fear that he will somehow bring harm to Viola are delineated equally well. No matter the darkness of the subject, Chen provides glimmers of hope as she reveals Viola’s battle to reclaim a form of normalcy. Ages 12–18. (July)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Lovely, Dark, and Deep:"A luminous read that will rekindle your faith in the indomitable human spirit and make you want to spend more time in starlight." — Matthew Quick, author ofThe Silver Linings PlaybookandEvery Exquisite Thing"Viola's story explores one of life's big questions: are we defined by our losses or will we allow them to lead us into an even more meaningful hero's journey? InLovely, Dark, and Deep, Justina Chen has crafted an inspiring, romantic novel full of redemption and hope for teens and adults alike." — Mitali Perkins, author ofYou Bring the Distant Near* "Fresh, often funny…. Readers won't be able to help but root for Viola in this moving, empowering book about a teen recalculating her well-laid plans, all in a vivid voice." — Booklist, starred review"Chen convincingly evokes not only Viola's physical discomfort but also the emotional impact of living with an incurable disease. Viola's parents' despair, her sister's frustration, and Josh's fear that he will somehow bring harm to Viola are delineated equally well. No matter the darkness of the subject, Chen provides glimmers of hope as she reveals Viola's battle to reclaim a form of normalcy." — Publishers Weekly"Chen gives readers a sensitive glimpse into what living with a chronic illness might be like…. Readers will root for Viola as she searches for new purpose. A strong exploration of resilience in the face of life unpredictable." — Kirkus Reviews"Teens will want to read this for the romance and rare medical condition, but they will stay for the sympathetic protagonist who must come to terms with her changed reality…. Sure to be popular and recommended for all collections." — School Library Journal

From the Publisher

05/01/2018
Gr 8 Up—When Viola faints from a reaction to the sun, she is saved by Thor, aka Josh, the boy who tried to sell his comic at her bake sale booth. After she is diagnosed with solar urticaria with polymorphous light eruption, a rare condition with no cure, her crisis manager parents' reaction is to manage the situation, but Viola doesn't want her life to change. She dreams of attending NYU in Abu Dhabi and becoming a foreign correspondent to bring increased attention to the causes she campions through her successful bake sales. Viola tries to continue living as normal a life as possible by starting a relationship with Josh and working on her college applications, but her reactions become increasingly severe—not just from the sun but from all light emitting sources, including her phone and computer. After a particularly bad episode that lands her in the hospital, Josh leaves, blaming himself, and Viola withdraws into the basement where she can be safe, shutting herself away from everything and everyone. Teens will want to read this for the romance and rare medical condition, but they will stay for the sympathetic protagonist who must come to terms with her changed reality. For readers interested in learning more about photosensitivity, Anna Lyndsey's Girl in the Dark: A Memoir provides a look from the inside into the realities of a similar condition. VERDICT Sure to be popular and recommended for all collections.—Kefira Phillipe, Nichols Middle School, Evanston, IL

School Library Journal

2018-04-30
Viola Li has her future as a globe-trotting journalist all planned out, but everything comes into question when her body suddenly betrays her.Passionate and ambitious, Viola, a biracial (Chinese/white) 18-year-old, is unmoored when her skin begins to react terribly in the sun and she must curtail her exposure to all light, including computer and phone screens. As Viola's photosensitivity worsens and her world becomes more restricted (the first page of each chapter gets progressively darker throughout the book), her only ray of metaphorical light is her burgeoning relationship with white Thor look-alike Josh Taylor, whom her parents disapprove of. When a romantic outing becomes life-threatening, its aftermath includes Viola's move into the basement and challenges with Josh (who has his own issues). It is then that she finally finds the strength to make a new life plan. Much of the book revolves around the conflict between what Viola's overprotective, crisis-manager parents want for her and her own acceptance of her condition, and Chen (A Blind Spot for Boys, 2014, etc.) gives readers a sensitive glimpse into what living with a chronic illness might be like. Snarky humor and nontraditional narrative structures (lists, texts, cinematic scenes, etc.) offset an otherwise somber situation but may also prevent readers from fully connecting emotionally. Nevertheless, readers will root for Viola as she searches for new purpose.A strong exploration of resilience in the face of life unpredictable. (Fiction. 13-18)

Kirkus Reviews