Colleen Mondor Reviews Into the Light by Mark Oshiro
Into the Light, Mark Oshiro (Tor Teen 978-1-250-81225-5, $19.99, hc, 437pp) March 2023. Cover by Carolina Rodriguez Fuenmayor.
Mark Oshiro masterfully takes on an enormously important topic with his compelling, realistic, horrific novel, Into the Light. In a narrative framed by three different timelines and told from two teen perspectives, Oshiro takes readers into the dangerous world of religious fundamentalism and conversion therapy. The primary protagonist, Manny, is lucky to be alive after forced therapy, while the secondary, Eli, is still ensconced with the group and in grave danger. Hovering over both of their stories is the news of a body discovered in the woods near Idyllwild, California where the conversion camp was located. To uncover the identity of the deceased, who might be his estranged sister, Manny must face everyone who tried to destroy him. Whether or not he will survive those confrontations, and the puzzling nature of his relationship to Eli, will propel readers on a reading binge. Hold on tight for the final pages, though, as Oshiro has a shocker up his sleeve that both dazzles and disturbs in equal measure.
Manny and his older sister were largely raised in the foster care system. Soon after she became obsessed by the videos of ‘‘Christ’s Dominion’’ and their leader, Deacon Thompson, they were suddenly adopted by members of his flock. Forced into homeschooling by new parents he does not know, Manny finds himself isolated and ignored and then, shortly after meeting a teen boy in the neighborhood for whom he develops a crush, Manny is whisked off to ‘‘Reconciliation,” an isolated church camp where he meets a small group of equally confused adopted children and the church’s compelling, controlling, and downright terrifying leader. In flashbacks, readers learn all of this and the many bad things that happened at the camp leading to Manny’s abandonment on the side of the road. That’s where the current timeline is set, with Manny learning about the body in Idyllwild, his reliance on a family with their own damaged backstory who are determined to help him, and his decision to uncover the truth behind his adoption and the ‘‘parents’’ who cast him aside. All of this likely sounds far more coming-of-age drama than paranormal mystery, but trust me, the paranormal is coming. For that, you need to follow the third timeline, with Eli, who can’t remember a huge swath of his life but is placidly happy at the camp even though he really shouldn’t be. (I can’t stress that enough; he really should not be happy.)
As the road trip to Idyllwild continues, and Manny’s past is slowly revealed, Oshiro ratchets up the tension, and Into the Light shifts from coming-of-age drama into full-fledged thriller. The pressure becomes relentless, and every scene with church leader Deacon Thompson is particularly unnerving, if not downright terrifying, and when Manny and Eli’s joint history is revealed, it arrives like a literary sonic boom. I wish this novel was not so timely, I wish the way in which Deacon Thompson insinuates himself into the heads of his happily willing followers was not so believable, and I really wish that what happens to all of the kids did not ring so true. Into the Light is powerful stuff, and Manny is a hero for our times. Keep writing, Mark Oshiro, keep writing and making the world a better place.
This review and more like it in the June 2023 issue of Locus.
While you are here, please take a moment to support Locus with a one-time or recurring donation. We rely on reader donations to keep the magazine and site going, and would like to keep the site paywall free, but WE NEED YOUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT to continue quality coverage of the science fiction and fantasy field.
©Locus Magazine. Copyrighted material may not be republished without permission of LSFF.
