A Trick of the Light audiobook

A Trick of the Light is a short and terrifying read. Very few things are more dangerous than lack of self-confidence, more frightening than a distorted self-image. In truth, if I were to make a list of the oddest books I’ve read in my life, this one would be at the very top. It is such a strange little book that will probably have a niche audience, but easily found myself among its fans. It’s not the plot or the characters that will make or break this book for most readers, it’s the choice of a narrator. Instead of making Mike the narrator of this story, Metzger decided to give voice to his eating disorder, a constant nagging presence in his head. In its own words, this voice knows Mike better than he knows himself and it thinks it has Mike’s best interests at heart. The voice is stalkerish and creepy, and even life-threatening at times. Mike and I are closer than twins; we are one, a team sharing the same space. He is the physical manifestation of me, and I am the best part of him. This is my first book by Lois Metzger so I can’t be sure whether her writing style is usually this sparse or if she made it so to emphasize the rawness of the story, but I must confess she did an extraordinary job. Her sentences are bared to the bone, her dialogues constructed to resemble a play. By stripping her narration of all that is inessential she made the cynicism and the ill intentions of the voice that much stronger. Only 10 % of people with eating disorders are male, which made Mike’s story all the more interesting. He is just a boy – a bit angry, a bit neglected, caught in the middle of his parents’ separation and divorce. He finds comfort in food and then he despises himself for it, so when a voice inside his head starts convincing him that he can be better, stronger, better, invincible – if only he would stop eating and start exercising even more – Mike is quick to obey. The voice does not like competition and it works diligently to isolate Mike, to convince him that his parents and his friends hate him. It keeps filling Mike’s head with hate and aggression, until the only thing he really trusts becomes a distorted mirror in his bedroom. Anorexia is a serious illness that destroys the body methodically, and Metzger gave it a voice that is both relentless and mean. In less than 200 pages, she told a story that will creep you out and stay with you for a very long time.

Click here to see this review and others on my blog Reading With DaniellaA Trick of the Light is a book that I’ve been wanting to read for years, and I’m so glad that I finally picked it up. It was a very well-written, unique, and thought-provoking story. It was down-right terrifying at times, as well as quite eye-opening. The idea to write this book from the perspective of anorexia was so brilliant and unique. I can’t think of any other books I’ve read that are narrated by something other than a character, although I believe The Book Thief does something similar with death being the narrator. I think that this writing style added so much dimension to the book and made for a very fascinating and entirely unforgettable read.This is the first and only book I have ever seen that is about a boy with an eating disorder. It’s really unfortunate that this demographic is never represented in literature, because even though a lot of people seem to view anorexia and other eating disorders as things that only girls struggle with, a lot of men do too. According to the statistics in the book (which is a few years old), of the 10 million people in the USA with eating disorders, 10% of them are male. That means that there are one million men in the USA struggling with an eating disorder, and yet you never see books or movies or anything about it, or at least I don’t. That is why representation is so, so important!! Mental illness does not discriminate - it can affect anyone of any age and gender, and it’s time that we start seeing more diversity when it comes to mental illness representation in books.Furthermore, I liked how short the book was because I was able to fly right through it. However, I feel like the ending was rushed and I would have liked to have seen that part drawn out a bit longer. A Trick of the Light certainly left an impression on me; this is a story that I will remember for many years to come.

Review first appeared on my blog: Book Addict 24-7I received a copy from FSB Associates in exchange for an honest reviewA Trick of the Light by Lois Metzger is a very powerful and honest novel that explores the dark world of eating disorders and how young males can be just as affected as young females. Whereas I've read novels with teenage girls losing themselves piece by piece to the addicting and disastrous nature of wanting to be "thin,", none were as disturbing and honest as this one. Told in an unconventional way, A Trick of the Light is a quick, surprisingly informative, shocking novel with a protagonist that can really be anyone you know, which makes Metzger's novel more memorable. Mike, the protagonist, is a kid who not only has body issues, but a difficult home life, where his parents are a little too busy doing things for themselves, or wallowing in their own self-pity to realize their son isn't exactly OK. We immediately sympathize with Mike because of his living conditions, but much like he does with others around him as he descends into his eating disorder, he pushes us away by being snappy or rude. This is also the disorder's way of pushing us away, because really, we're helpless while we watch Mike's health fall more and more into dangerous levels.The prose is quickly paced and addicting, despite the dark theme. Though the novel is short, we learn a lot about how an eating disorder can materialize while we're at our weakest and when we need order in the chaos of life. I also enjoyed (and cringed) at the honesty found in A Trick of the Light when it comes to obesity vs anorexia, but I also liked reading how even those challenged by what they see in the mirror can find a way to look beyond the surface of a person, no matter their size. This may be a little weird, but sometimes it felt like Mike was actually a girl suffering from an eating disorder, but then I'd be reminded by a comment, or action that he was in fact a boy. I think this tendency to read his character as androgynous plays into the idea that eating disorders don't pick a specific gender: they are present in every gender and at any age. The most interesting part is how Mike's love for film is a constant in his world, even as he becomes more and more focused on his physical image. I was also happy to see the power and encouragement that followed Mike when he thought that no one else cared about him, playing into the idea that we aren't as alone as we think we are. Metzger's novel is an inspiring and must-read young adult book. The message is clear of just how dangerous it has become to be a young adult in today's contemporary world where size zero is ideal, and where eating with gusto is frowned upon. A Trick of the Light also challenges us to not judge others by their outward appearances in terms of how they feel emotionally, and how complex their home lives may be--we can never truly know how someone is doing if they are unwilling to tell us the truth. I also think that A Trick of the Light shows us how difficult it is to say no to eating disorders once they have a hold of us. The issues that come with eating disorders, such as: the obsession with looking better, the inability to see ourselves the way others do, and the unrealistic goals we may set for ourselves, are incredibly difficult to overcome, no matter how much we want to stop. In a way, a certain part of the novel shows just how difficult and overpowering eating disorders can be, and that message alone shows how honest Metzger's novel is, because she doesn't offer easy solutions, but realistic ones that leave us to wonder if the solutions are long-term, or short-term. I recommend A Trick of the Light to any readers who like a thought-provoking young adult contemporary novel. The narrative, which I will not spoil for you, is haunting and terrifying, and the description of just how overpowering eating disorders can be will definitely surprise readers.

Wow. This book has honestly left me speechless. It tells an amazing story about something you wouldn't expect. It has some pretty heavy content, but the story is unbelievable. And yet it's completely believable. Because you know these things happen. They're just not as widely heard of. You know, it took me until around the last 40-50 pages to figure out who/what was telling the story. But once I figured it out, the story felt extremely real. This book is truly touching and is a story I wish that everyone could read.

MY THOUGHTS:ABSOLUTELY LOVED ITMike Welles is a responsible teen, he plays baseball, has good friends and makes decent grades. Then, the unthinkable happens, his parents marriage starts falling apart and with it, his world. One by one, he pushes his friends away and withdraws. Mike starts stress eating and packs on a few pounds. Amber, a girl he has known since kindergarten, reaches out to him, telling him slyly about how she handles her home issues by controlling what she can: her appetite. Through his eating, Mike learns to gain control over one part of his life, while the rest of it disintegrates. As Mike finds himself loosing control over his home life, his disease takes over, speaking to him and dominating all of his thoughts. Even though he doesn't realize it, friends and teachers have contacted his parents about how much Mike has changed. For all their faults, his parents really do care and when they see what is happening to him, they get him help. The voice of his anorexia makes it so easy for Mike to disconnect and almost fold back into himself as he stops eating. Sent to a hospital for eating disorders, he finally quiets the voice in his head.This book is amazingly heart-wrenching and told in such a quiet way, that you it makes you realize how insidiously an eating disorder can sneak up on some one. I really liked Mike and he was very sympathetic in that you could see his world unravel and the unique voice he has since most books about eating disorders are written from a female protagonist's point of view. I hadn't realize that so many males deal with this issue until I read the acknowledgements and did a bit of research to find that there are a lot of guys with this problem. Parents: This is an important read for everyone and yes, even though it is about a very sad topic, it contains a lot of important messages and should spark some wonderful discussions.

I picked this book up and within five pages I had forgotten where I was. The premise is intriguing and built into the writing style itself. First person present-tense narrative, from a voice inside the protagonist's mind. Who does this voice belong to? I had no clue what was happening to Mike until it became obvious to the people around him, and in that way I was taken along for the ride at exactly the right pace. Written expertly, with just the right amount of information given. I would recommend this book to anyone! I don't want to spoil the reading process by telling you the important issue the book addresses (if you haven't guessed it already), but I'll just say that I was pleasantly surprised by the importance and relevance of this story. And I loved all the characters. They were all so real.

This book was one of the hardest books I've read in a long time, and I'm not talking about the vocabulary, length, or anything like that. The book doesn't even hit 200 pages, and yet it was a grueling read that I had to put down a lot; not because I wanted to, but because I had to look away. Of course eating disorders is not something that one can just look away from, but as a person who had a period in her life where she struggled with food, this book brought too many painful memories from my past back. This book is so important. There are books out there with girls and eating disorders, but until this book I hadn't seen one with boys. It's sometimes all too easy to forget that teen boys suffer from the same illnesses as teen girls, especially when media is dominated by images of thin young women. However it affects them just the same and they deserve a voice as well. Told from the perspective of the disease anorexia, the book follows the very beginnings until Mike is starting the road to recovery. It's a long process, and the book, while hopeful at the end, does not necessarily guarantee a perfect ending for Mike. But it's a start, and, as Mike says, it's a small step in the right direction. The book rang so true to me. Mike eating just a few bites from meals and hiding the rest, working out excessively, trying to control some aspect of his life when the rest is chaos. It was so painful to read. Other people who have dealt with an eating disorder may also find this book a struggle to get through because of the sympathy for Mike. Those who have not had to deal with it will likewise find it difficult because it's so hard to understand why someone does what they do. I kept my students updated on this book as I read it because they were intrigued and they couldn't fathom how a person starves themselves like that. They said it didn't make sense. And it doesn't. Not all the time. The person going through it can rationalize it, but until you experience it - God forbid - then it really is hard to understand.

This book is one of my favorite books.This book holds so many emotions and you can feel the rawness of the writer Lois Metzger.I can really connect with this book and i can actually feel the emotions of the story coming out. I would recommend everyone to give this book a try you wont regret it.

Chronique originalement postée sur Sous ma CouvertureÀ peine reçu pour Noël, autant vous avouer que je me suis (quasiment) littéralement jetée dessus. Je l'attendais depuis septembre, vous savez ? Non ? Maintenant, vous le savez.Et je ne sais pas ce qui m'a attiré dans ce roman, mais l'anorexie touchant les garçons est un sujet tellement rare que je ne me suis jamais demandé si ça existait. Enfin bref.La première chose qui a gravé le début d'un coup de coeur dans ma tête était la narration. La splendide narration ! Narrateur externe mais pas trop, "ça" reste un mystère pendant quelques pages, jusqu'à ce que la vérité me saute aux yeux. Le narrateur est le subconscient de Mike, une petite voix ô combien ambitieuse et motivée à le mettre sur le bon chemin, celui de l'anorexie. J'ai beaucoup aimé les thèmes abordés, même s'ils peuvent passer inaperçus. Mais si on ouvre bien les yeux, on se pose les questions que le narrateur cache à Mike à coups de phrases bien placées et encourageantes. La maigreur et la grosseur, la beauté et la laideur, mais aussi la solitude, les fréquentations qui paraissent bonnes mais qui sont mauvaises, et inversement... L'histoire de Mike nous présente l'anorexie dans presque toute sa splendeur, du côté psychologique aux séquelles. Mais ne vous attendez pas à trop, il n'y a que 183 pages. Cependant, j'ai beaucoup aimé voir sa chute dans ces troubles de l'alimentation, ses différents stades et son évolution, mais aussi les conséquences physique qu'il a subit, un apport à ma culture médicale moindre.Malgré tout, je n'ai pu m'empêcher d'encourager Mike à aller mieux, et à ouvrir les yeux. Peut-être qu'il m'a écouté? Ou peut-être pas. Faudra le lire pour savoir ça. Ce que j'ai le moins aimé : L'intensité, qui reste moindre. J'aurais voulu être plus touchée par l'histoire.Ce que j'ai le plus aimé : Les pensées de Mike débouchant sur l'anorexie.

*WARNING. CONTAINS SPOILERS*I thought A Trick of the Light was brilliant... after I figured out what was going on. In the beginning, the narrator is weird, and kind of creepy because you don't know who it is, whether it's a real person or not. After the first few chapters (and help from the back of the book) I realized that it was a voice in his head, but when I realized that the voice in his head was basically anorexia, I flipped out. I've seen anorexia portrayed many different ways through writing, but this was one of the more creative ones I've read. Never having been anorexic myself, i don't know if it really feels like how it's portrayed in the book, but I still got a better sense of what it is like, and how sad that situation is. I think A Trick of the Light is really good for tweens and teens to read, especially boys. Most people don't think that boys become anorexic; it's not really a big issue in their culture, but this book reminds you that they can, and they do.

Read an advance copy. Best YA book of the year. Gripping from the first page to the last. Funny and sad, sad and funny. I loved the way the narrator was also a trick of the light. Have already read it twice. A great group of characters. Has the kind of voice that stays in your head for days. This one deserves every award. Reminds me of OKAY FOR NOW and SPEAK.

I got an advance reading copy of this book. Tremendous story, great characters. This is a very serious subject but it is told with grace and humor. Highly recommend. My son liked it too.

** spoiler alert ** A trick of the light deals with real life events and it covers something everyone can relate to. In the book, Mike has a eating disorder called anorexia. His family, friends, and teachers notice and go to his mother. She tries to take him to the doctor but he says there is nothing wrong with him. Reading this far I can even tell that something is different he is unhappy. The entire book would have been like that until amber is hospitalized but he has lost so much weight that he blacks out and is forced to be treated and undergoes therapy. I recommend this book for people who like real life situations. I love this book for the main reason that its relate able.

Some of this short novel reads like an episode of Intervention. I don't remember Wintergirls being that disturbing, but I guess I'm due for a reread of that novel. It's important to realize that eating disorders affect both men and women, boys and girls.

Honestly, this book makes the reader rethink everything they know about themselves - especially if you’re a teenager. This book has a psychological aspect to it. I did become slightly angry with the book because of the narrator. But I later realized that the damaging tone of the narrator is what leads to Mike’s growth. This was a good short read, I’d definitely recommend it. :)