A scatter of light

'A book that feels like summer ... with moments of sharp clarity that puncture the constant sense of aching and longing that define the feel of much of the story.' THE NATIONAL

'Beautifully rendered and instantly captivating. Malinda Lo writes queer desire like no other.' DIVA MAGAZINE

'Lo writes tenderly about the first buds of teenage desire amid a downtown hipster art scene.' DAILY MAIL

'Poignant, vivid and so beautifully written. I adored it.' LAURA KAY

A Scatter of Light is a companion novel to the National Book Awards winner and New York Times bestseller Last Night at the Telegraph Club, and is about how the threads of family, inspiration, art, and identity are woven across generations.

Aria Tang West thought she'd be spending one last summer on Martha's Vineyard with her friends before starting MIT in the fall, where she intends to study astronomy, like her late grandfather. But after topless photos of her are posted online, she's abruptly uninvited from her friends' summer homes.

Aria's parents, a writer and opera singer with plans of their own, send Aria to stay with her artist grandmother, Joan West, in Northern California. Although Aria has never been attracted to girls before, she finds herself drawn to Joan's gardener, Steph Nichols, an aspiring musician a few years older than Aria. The only problem? Steph isn't single; she lives with her girlfriend, Lisa. But the chemistry between Aria and Steph seems undeniable, and this will be a summer that will turn her world upside down.