Too Bright to See
Kyle Lukoff
A ghost story and a mystery
When we begin Too Bright to See, Bug, our first-person narrator, is a twelve-year-old kid living with Bug's mother Sabrina, in an old house in rural Vermont that is haunted, according to Bug and Sabrina's brother Roderick. Bug's mother is an artist who makes a living by designing humorous condolence cards, for instance, this one,
The fill-in-the-blank cards are the simplest ones Mom has ever made, and the best sellers. They’re plain white, and the cover says “I’m Sorry That Your _____ Died.” The inside type reads “It Really Sucks.”
How Sabrina and Bug mourn is not unimportant, because Uncle Roderick has just died. A year ago Roderick lived with Bug and Sabrina in the big old haunted house, too, but for the last year he has been in hospital and hospice. You might be inclined to expect a gloomy book, but it isn't, not really. Bug is not a gloomy person, or, for that matter, a cheerful one, or exuberant. Bug is a quiet, introspective kid, whom Sabrina describes thus,
“Oh, Bug's team dead trees. Bug just wants to read, you know that. Has a teacher ever assigned a book you haven’t already read?”
I really enjoyed Too Bright to See, mainly because I enjoyed Bug's inner narrative. Being inside Bug's head for an few hours is a calming experience. Some people may find the book slow, but I didn't, because I enjoyed the time spent with Bug. Bug is unusually self-aware for a twelve-year-old (or for an adult, for that matter). The story of Too Bright to See is a ghost story, but also a mystery. In fact, my only real criticism is that it takes Bug too long to figure the mystery out. I suppose Lukoff does this to stretch out dramatic tension, but you will figure out the mystery long before the big reveal, and I think Bug would have, too, if not impeded by an author who didn't want to get there yet.
I would like to tell you what the title Too Bright to See means, but I can't do that without spoiling the mystery. So you'll have to read it yourself to find out.