The Lightness

At the Levitation Center, a Buddhist retreat, there’s a summer program for troubled teens. The Lightness centers on one such troubled teen: Olivia, who ran away from home to attend the program. The Levitation Center was the last place where she knows her dad was. Her dad, who was super into Buddhism, always tried to teach his daughter his beliefs. Now, at summer camp, she falls in with three other girls — led by a mysterious camper who has been at the Levitation Center forever, Serena — who want to learn how to levitate. As Olivia narrates, “Even before I understand what Serena was really after, the appeal of levitation was obvious to me. Every girl wants more from the world. Every girl wants magic, to transcend the mundanity of her life. Every girl wants power, and Serena more than most.” There were so many quotes I highlighted as I read, just thinking to myself, oh fuck yes.

The Lightness is at once a coming-of-age tale, but also a literary thriller. You know something is going to happen — but you don’t know what, and Emily Temple expertly writes this tension into the narrative. It’s also not just a straightforward narrative; interspersed with Olivia’s perspective is various other stories of spiritual myths and science and literary history. I am a big fan of that patchwork style of writing (I adore a good footnote), so I loved this, but I could see how it could take away from the bigger narrative arc.

Overall, a fantastic summer read.

Rating: ★★★★