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Lucy and Gabe meet at college in New York City on September 11, 2001. They feel an instant connection, and amid the tragedy, they talk about their dreams and even kiss.
They don’t start dating then but meet again a year later. Their relationship gets serious immediately. Both know they want their lives and their careers to matter, to contribute to society somehow. Gabe decides to become a photojournalist, and Lucy gets a good job working for a children’s educational TV show. Their lives are a dream — until Gabe tells Lucy he’s moving to the Middle East to take photos that will share important messages. Lucy is devastated.
Very, very slowly, Lucy manages to move forward. She meets a solid and kind man who provides a steady presence in her life.
Gabe and Lucy only communicate briefly with each other a few times over more than a decade. But every time, it rocks Lucy. She knows she will always love Gabe. And finally, at the end, she will have something important to tell him.
The Light We Lost probably will appeal to a certain kind of reader, but it didn’t do so for me. The whole story is told in first and second person from Lucy to Gabe. Readers know right away that something went terribly wrong. So the whole book is cast in shadow, with Lucy’s heart always breaking either on the surface or underneath. I found it melodramatic. It’s about impossible love that burns strongly and breaks hearts. I didn’t like that an important part of the story is based on infidelity.
Romance book for those who love doomed love.
Rated: High. Profanity includes 5 uses of strong language, fewer than 10 instances of moderate profanity, a few uses of mild language, and about 25 instances of the name of Deity in vain. Sexual content is occasionally detailed, though sex scenes aren’t lengthy. But sex scenes are fairly frequent throughout. It’s just over the line from moderate into high territory. There is some mention of violence (war) in dangerous places the male character is working.
