I See the Light is a delightful and endearing Christmas novella that takes place on Christmas Eve. It follows a a man named Heath who, after feeling like an outsider his entire life, discovers a new and exciting world that he never knew existed.
The author then leads us on an unforgettable journey into the world of the Elves, where Heath meets an exceptionally handsome Elf named Shea, and it doesn’t take long before sparks fly between the two of them.
I loved how this story combines the bitterness of loneliness and exclusion with the sweet excitement of a newly found family, creating a heartfelt and memorable book. Though our main character Heath is considered an oddball by most of the townspeople who know him — especially given that he has the ability to communicate with animals — he also has an enormous heart.
When his newfound Elf-friend Shea takes him to witness a heart-wrenching scene, my heart broke right along with Heath’s because of his extreme desire to help — but it being “against the rules” to do so.
But I will say though that the grim situation that we witness is somewhat lightened by realistic dialogue and genuineness of feeling from the characters. I loved how Heath has such a sad, sweet whimsy about him, which balances perfectly with Shea’s almost stubborn determination to win the boy over.
I enjoyed how unique this story’s setting is, and I found the tale to be lush and ethereal, making me feel like I’d been enraptured by some old fairy tale that, strangely, felt completely modern at the same time. The evocative prose took me on a thrilling holiday adventure for the mind and the heart, and I really felt the magic inside of this story.
The writing evokes the feeling of a myth or fairytale and does so without creating too much distance from the characters, which is an incredibly hard line to walk.
So when the night comes to an end, Heath is asked to make a decision: either entirely embrace the magic of the elves and move forward with Shea or remain as a human and return to a world without Shea in it. A couple of other elements ensure that this decision is not an easy one.
At the end however, I felt happy, hopeful, when I finished—everything you want to feel at the conclusion of a great story.
Readers seeking feel-good fantasy tales with an endearing holiday message will love journeying along with Heath from when he was a five-year-old boy to the twenty-three-year-old young man who makes a startling discovery in the woods.
This big-hearted book is a love letter to anyone who has felt uncomfortable in their own skin and wondered where exactly they belonged.
Note that this is a “sweet” Christmas story, so as such, there is no sex on-page or off.
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