Teenage burn survivor Wilder Tate faces the challenges of high school but in the aftermath of tragedy he discovers the capacity to forgive and empathize-- learning the importance of healing from the inside out.
Read MoreTeenage burn survivor Wilder Tate faces the challenges of high school but in the aftermath of tragedy he discovers the capacity to forgive and empathize-- learning the importance of healing from the inside out.
Read More“…a stunning read.” —Kirkus Reviews
The Escape of Light is a compulsively-readable marvel that demands to be read in one sitting."—Dan Loflin, screenwriter, the CW’s SUPERNATURAL and THIS IS JANE
Wilder Tate just wants a normal life with a normal face...
Burns have disfigured him, his father has passed away, and his mother now works so many jobs, he feels like he’s living alone. He expects more of that same loneliness as he starts at a new high school, but Wilder surprises even himself as he finds a new best friend, discovers a knack for basketball, and catches the eye of the coolest girl in school. All the cruelty and bullying seems reserved for the enigmatic Lane McKenzie, and Wilder is all too happy to let her take the heat. But sometimes Wilder is his own worst enemy, and his scars run far deeper than just physical damage. He’s haunted by a secret he thinks he can erase with a bold and risky plan to fix his disfigurement for good—a plan that may cost him far more than he ever imagined.
Filled with twists, heart, and humor, The Escape of Light is a bold and unexpected story of resilience, love, and basketball from the acclaimed author of The Heart Does Not Grow Back.
“Full of surprises . . . a stunning read" —Kirkus Reviews
“Intriguing, intense, and--dare I say it--visceral. Keep your eye on this guy. He's going to cause trouble.” ― Isaac Marion, author of Warm Bodies
“Fred Venturini is an awesomely talented writer, and he proves it on every page....”― Donald Ray Pollock, author of Knockemstiff and The Devil All the Time
“Smart and tough and willing to look death in the eyes…This books comes from a real place– that’s what hits you right away, and that’s what matters to young adults most of all.” – Josh Woods, author of O Monstrous World! And The Black Palace
"If you couldn't tear yourself away from The Fault in Our Stars, open your heart, slap on a basketball jersey and lose yourself in The Escape of Light.”– Taylor Zajonc, author of The Maw
“No one captures the life of a teenager in small-town America with as much empathy, humor, and complexity as Fred Venturini.The Escape of Light contains the powerful voices of grief told through the eyes of a young man filled, against all odds, with hope.”—Michael Nye, author of All The Castles Burned
“If you couldn't tear yourself away from The Fault in Our Stars, open your heart, slap on a basketball jersey and lose yourself in The Escape of Light.”– Taylor Zajonc, author of The Maw
The Escape of Light is a compulsively-readable marvel that demands to be read in one sitting, preferably with a box of tissues close at hand."—Dan Loflin, screenwriter, the CW’s SUPERNATURAL and THIS IS JANE
“Intriguing, intense, and--dare I say it--visceral. Keep your eye on this guy. He's going to cause trouble.” ― Isaac Marion, author of Warm Bodies
“Smart and tough and willing to look death in the eyes…This books comes from a real place– that’s what hits you right away, and that’s what matters to young adults most of all.” – Josh Woods, author of O Monstrous World! And The Black Palace
“Fred Venturini is an awesomely talented writer, and he proves it on every page....”― Donald Ray Pollock, author of Knockemstiff and The Devil All the Time
“…a stunning read.” —Kirkus Reviews
The Escape of Light is a compulsively-readable marvel that demands to be read in one sitting."—Dan Loflin, screenwriter, the CW’s SUPERNATURAL and THIS IS JANE
Wilder Tate just wants a normal life with a normal face...
Burns have disfigured him, his father has passed away, and his mother now works so many jobs, he feels like he’s living alone. He expects more of that same loneliness as he starts at a new high school, but Wilder surprises even himself as he finds a new best friend, discovers a knack for basketball, and catches the eye of the coolest girl in school. All the cruelty and bullying seems reserved for the enigmatic Lane McKenzie, and Wilder is all too happy to let her take the heat. But sometimes Wilder is his own worst enemy, and his scars run far deeper than just physical damage. He’s haunted by a secret he thinks he can erase with a bold and risky plan to fix his disfigurement for good—a plan that may cost him far more than he ever imagined.
Filled with twists, heart, and humor, The Escape of Light is a bold and unexpected story of resilience, love, and basketball from the acclaimed author of The Heart Does Not Grow Back.
“Full of surprises . . . a stunning read" —Kirkus Reviews
“Intriguing, intense, and--dare I say it--visceral. Keep your eye on this guy. He's going to cause trouble.” ― Isaac Marion, author of Warm Bodies
“Fred Venturini is an awesomely talented writer, and he proves it on every page....”― Donald Ray Pollock, author of Knockemstiff and The Devil All the Time
“Smart and tough and willing to look death in the eyes…This books comes from a real place– that’s what hits you right away, and that’s what matters to young adults most of all.” – Josh Woods, author of O Monstrous World! And The Black Palace
"If you couldn't tear yourself away from The Fault in Our Stars, open your heart, slap on a basketball jersey and lose yourself in The Escape of Light.”– Taylor Zajonc, author of The Maw
“No one captures the life of a teenager in small-town America with as much empathy, humor, and complexity as Fred Venturini.The Escape of Light contains the powerful voices of grief told through the eyes of a young man filled, against all odds, with hope.”—Michael Nye, author of All The Castles Burned
“If you couldn't tear yourself away from The Fault in Our Stars, open your heart, slap on a basketball jersey and lose yourself in The Escape of Light.”– Taylor Zajonc, author of The Maw
The Escape of Light is a compulsively-readable marvel that demands to be read in one sitting, preferably with a box of tissues close at hand."—Dan Loflin, screenwriter, the CW’s SUPERNATURAL and THIS IS JANE
“Intriguing, intense, and--dare I say it--visceral. Keep your eye on this guy. He's going to cause trouble.” ― Isaac Marion, author of Warm Bodies
“Smart and tough and willing to look death in the eyes…This books comes from a real place– that’s what hits you right away, and that’s what matters to young adults most of all.” – Josh Woods, author of O Monstrous World! And The Black Palace
“Fred Venturini is an awesomely talented writer, and he proves it on every page....”― Donald Ray Pollock, author of Knockemstiff and The Devil All the Time