Where the Light Goes by Sara Barnard: Review

Reading Sara Barnard’s novel, Where the Light Goes, is to feel a great wound. Sixteen-year-old Emmeline Beckwith is a student at the illustrious Shona Lee Performing Arts Academy. This is made possible by her sister, Elizabeth, leading woman in The Jinks and controversial rockstar known to the world as Lizzie Beck. To Emmy, Lizzie Beck was just Beth, idol, confidante and complicated sister. But now, five years after shooting to fame on British reality television, Beth is dead, and Emmy must go on alone. 

On page one, Emmy receives the news of her sister’s suicide. From there on, we follow her through her sorrow and attempts to understand. How do we make sense of a loved one’s decision to take their own life? How do we hold that person in our memories – all of them, good, bad and ugly? Through these questions, in anger and grief, Emmy comes of age. Barnard has written a whole person on the page and never simply a victim, a daughter or a sister. Emmeline is as real as they come. 

The character writing is superb. The form is unusual, the story cut through with tweets, interviews and WhatsApps, but all this never gets in the way. The themes are engaged with maturely; the complexities of family life, friendship and sisterhood are never compromised for a teen audience. You might be tempted to draw a comparison with the dreadful Netflix adaptation of Thirteen Reasons Why, but rest assured that this is head and shoulders above it. Suicide is not an act of power here, weaponised for shock value. Through love and perseverance, Emmy and those around her start to cope and grow around their grief. A thoughtful, beautiful read. Highly recommended.

Luke Power