This Moth Saw Brightness

By: A. A. Vacharat

Narrated by: Elena Rey, Austin Ku, Maggi-Meg Reed

A weird and revelatory debut that vividly captures the dislocation of growing up BIPOC and neurodivergent in a country awash in both conspiracy theories and genuine conspiracies.

"The invisible D in my name is my mother’s second most lasting contribution to my life."

‘Wayne Le—known as "Invisible-D 'Wayne" at school—has been invited to participate in a seemingly ordinary, innocuous adolescent health study by a prestigious university. The study has a few nice perks, but most important to ‘Wayne, is the opportunity to give his immigrant father an accomplishment to be proud of—something that's been in short supply since 'Wayne's mother left.

But the study quickly proves to be anything but ordinary and innocuous, and ‘Wayne, his best friend Kermit, and a fellow study participant named Jane (a girl who shall not be manic-pixied) find themselves sucked into an M. C. Escheresque maze of conspiracies that might be entirely in their heads or might truly be a sinister government plot.

A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year

Critic reviews

A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year
A YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Selection

★ "This funny, insightful debut about mental illness, identity, and a person’s capacity to change packs a surprising emotional punch. Bold stylistic choices—wry footnotes, the inclusion of documents referenced in the story, a brief interjection by the author—add an interactive element to D's humorous and self-deprecating first-person narration. Superb."—Kirkus, starred review

★ "The true conspiracy theories are the friends we made along the way—or are they?... This debut is an engaging read while also having great potential to spark conversations about information literacy with the implications of its deeply unsettling ending."—Booklist, starred review

★ "A remarkable debut novel which delves into both adolescent struggles and mental health."—SLJ, starred review

"Vacharat’s debut is a standout work of speculative fiction and a foreboding social satire about unethical governing and the corrosive values of Big Tech."—The Horn Book

"Vacharat's debut YA novel is a compelling dissection of humanity's 'impulse to treat people...like they are the property of whoever's in power.'... An enigmatic, entertaining experience."—Shelf Awareness

"A.A. Vacharat is a bold and strange new YA voice, with shades of A.S. King. This Moth Saw Brightness defies description; at once sweeping and specific, full of huge ideas and beautifully honest relationships, this is a debut from a fascinating new writer. I can’t wait to see what she does next."—Joy McCullough, New York Times bestselling author of Blood Water Paint and Everything Is Poison

"Utilizing cheeky footnotes and fourth-wall-breaking asides, and deploying shocking twists and turns, Vacharat delivers a propulsive and unnerving debut."—PW

Captivating Insightful Creative

The author is my sister and I wanted to read it initially because…it’s my sister, and she wrote a book. However, I don’t really read. But….found myself not able to really put it down. When I got to the end of one segment (some might say chapters), I had to read on to find out what happened next. These are mostly 1-3 pages long so I was able to read during a short break, if I was out and had to wait…could read or listen to the book. Every word of every sentence seemed intentional with much thought put into every detail. I connected with the characters and appreciated how they develop. Overall, I found the content creative, captivating, and insightful from cover to cover.