What the Light Touches A Novel
Acclaimed author Xavier Bosch weaves an emotional tale of love and intrigue in this novel about a woman on the cusp of middle age, her beloved grandma, and a strange houseguest who changes everything.
Seventeen-year-old Margaux doesn't realize one photo could change the course of her life. But in German-occupied Paris, nothing makes sense anymore. Margaux fears the worst when her lover is arrested. And when her photo appears in Nazi propaganda, her family's reputation and prospects suffer the consequences.
In 2008, Margaux has moved into a retirement home, and her granddaughter Barbara continues to live in the Paris apartment they used to share. Eager to escape unhappy circumstances, Barbara works remotely for a publishing company and rents out a room in "Mamie" Margaux's apartment to help pay the bills.
One day, Barbara finds a stranger on her couch. Roger, who's a curious photographer, uncovers shocking secrets about Barbara's family. And when a snowstorm triggers a lockdown, he opens the door to tempting new possibilities.
A bestseller in its original Catalan at the 2023 Sant Jordi Book Fair, Bosch's sweeping novel alternates between the two timelines, offering sustenance for historical fiction readers, WWII enthusiasts, and romantics alike.
Pages: 443
ISBN: 9781662520815
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Available in: Paperback
Reader Reviews
1 rating
Carla B.
Enter Roger, a photographer with more curiosity than social grace, who shows up uninvited on Barbara’s couch and brings a storm of questions with him. When a snowstorm locks them inside, long-buried family secrets start surfacing, forcing Barbara to reckon with the past she didn’t know she inherited. Told across two timelines, What the Light Touches explores war, memory, and the strange ways strangers sometimes bring us home.
Spillin’ the Book Tea:
Let’s just say it — the first chunk of this book was tough to get through. Barbara and Roger’s story dragged, and I started to wonder if this was going to be one of those “it gets better, I swear” books. Spoiler: it did. Once Margaux entered the picture, I was pulled in. Her voice had the weight, the intrigue, and the emotional depth that kept me listening.
This one has multiple timelines and a wide cast, so it takes a bit of mental bandwidth, but it’s worth it if you like historical fiction that leans into family connections and hidden truths. It’s also clearly a translated work, and I think some of the bumps in rhythm and tone probably come from that. It didn’t ruin the experience, but it definitely made some of the early dialogue feel stilted and a bit of a struggle to get through. Still, the grandmother-granddaughter relationship really stood out, warm, rich, and believable without being overly sentimental. Thank you to Brilliance Publishing | Brilliance Audio and NetGalley for the ALC and the opportunity to provide this candid review.
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