Nicole Lesperance

Eli was six when her mother disappeared off a frozen fjord in Norway under the Northern Lights and now, at age sixteen, she returns, determined to discover what really happened.

The Wide Starlight

Jennifer

I remember reading two atmospheric fantasy novels set in Norway (back to back) last month and loved them both. Nicole Lesperance's The Wide Starlight is one of them. Having read her middle grade fiction earlier this year and enjoyed her unique storytelling style, I was definitely really eager to pick up this YA novel. And I must say that I enjoy The Wide Starlight even more than her middle grade fiction: in a wintry landscape this is an atmospheric and heartbreaking tale about grief.


  

  "No stars, no moon. A million dazzling shades of emerald and amethyst, swirling so slowly that it felt like the earth was moving while they stood still. A whizzing, crackling static filled the air."
  




  

  "The falling snow switches direction, begins to float up into the sky, the flakes like stars returning to the galaxy. I choke down my fear, let myself see this, accept what's happening."
  




  

  "The whole world shimmers like I'm seeing it all brand-new, like I'm using her eyes and ears and nose. The trees stretching their bony fingers toward the moon."
  



Let me just say that I adore the writing style. Lesperance's beautiful prose painted a shimmery & wintry landscape that's utterly unforgettable. The imageries of The Wide Starlight straddles between what's real and what's imaginary, but luckily Lesperance's writing truly shines in fleshing out the things in between: Eli's memories and the emotions that she experienced. These imageries managed to convey Eli's multifaceted state of mind as she goes through different stages of grief.


  

  "The three princesses decided they were tired of everyone telling them what to do, so they ran away and were fierce and free and beholden to no one for the rest of their days."
  



While an atmospheric prose enhances the imageries to the readers, what really matters is the storytelling: having a coherent message throughout the novel. In The Wide Starlight, Lesperance's solid storytelling is demonstrated through the parallels of the subplots (featuring supernatural creatures and fairytale-like characters) and what's happening with Eli in real time. I feel like the subplot did a great job at fleshing out the self-discovery side of her character arc. And it's pretty delightful to read about how she slowly gets back in touch with her Norwegian heritage.


  

  "I dream I'm drifting someplace up higher than the sky. The earth is a foggy blue-and-white thing, round and inconsequential. It holds no draw to me; nothing does. There's not a word for the disconnectedness."
  



But most of all, Eli's character arc revolves around the way she processed grief / loss throughout the novel. And how she eventing came to accept the reality in the end. I think the fact Eli's narrative has been so emotionally engaging and well fleshed out made the ending really heartbreaking to read about.

While there's a lot of merit in terms of the writing and the storytelling, I do think there's a few things to be aware of if you plan to read this book: it is slow paced, it contains multiple timelines, and it's magic realism. So this is something to bear in mind of if you aren't used to these things in books.

Disclaimers aside, Lesperance's debut YA novel The Wide Starlight is a beautifully heartbreaking tale about grief. With its wintry atmosphere and magical storytelling, this is definitely a book that's worth checking out for anyone who loves an emotionally touching storyline!

N.B. This book contains following content warnings: grief, death, loss of loved ones, accidents, injuries, and corpse

The Wide Starlight

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