The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo

The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo– Audio

Book Blurb:

Lucy is faced with a life-altering choice. But before she can make her decision, she must start her story—their story—at the very beginning.
Lucy and Gabe meet as seniors at Columbia University on a day that changes both of their lives forever. Together, they decide they want their lives to mean something, to matter. When they meet again a year later, it seems fated—perhaps they’ll find life’s meaning in each other. But then Gabe becomes a photojournalist assigned to the Middle East and Lucy pursues a career in New York. What follows is a thirteen-year journey of dreams, desires, jealousies, betrayals, and, ultimately, of love. Was it fate that brought them together? Is it choice that has kept them away? Their journey takes Lucy and Gabe continents apart, but never out of each other’s hearts.

My Review: 4 stars

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The Light We Lost is a double-edged love story that embraces that reality that some hopes are found while others are lost. Beginning the book with the fall of the Twin Towers was a great metaphor to the story and very powerful. The pulse of New York was so spot on and I loved all her references to real places, parks, and neighborhoods. I listened to the audio version of this book, read by the author, who did an excellent job. Her voice was completely typical of what I’d imagine Lucy to sound like.

This book was brilliant at romanticizing romance. At times I found myself thinking about the first euphoric loves I had and what each of them offered me. Lucy was a lucky character to have two strong relationships with two vastly different men that both loved her deeply. Love changes over time and our needs as people change as we get further into adulthood. Lucy struggled with this, as she still needed the raw, sexual and ecstatic feelings she had from her first love. This whole concept is bravely and tenderly portrayed within Lucy’s two love stories.

Sometimes, however, I wanted to smack her over the head. When she fretted about a weekend surprise to Paris because she didn’t get to plan it, was a prime example. What? Are you kidding me? What I saw as a grand romantic gesture she found fault with. I wondered had Gabe surprised her with this, not Darren, if she still would’ve been peeved about Paris.

What I enjoyed most about the book was trying to figure out why she was telling her story. I mean, we knew to whom it was being addressed to, but getting to the why kept the story engaging. I was surprised by the ending and a little perplexed at how she would handle things. Leaving this open for the reader to interpret was a smart move on the author’s part. Overall, this book is about the choices we make and how we choose to live with them.