A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat

 

Before winter break, I finished reading A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat. This Thai-inspired fantasy takes place in Chattana, a city where all the light comes from one man, the Governor, who appeared after the Great Fire to rebuild the city. The story is about Pong, a boy who escapes Namwon Prison by hiding in a trash basket and ending up in Tanaburi, a small town south of Chattana. After he meets an old monk, Father Cham, while stealing food from a temple, he spends the next few years hiding among the monks. When Nok, the prison warden's perfect daughter, chases him into the river during her family's visit to the temple, he grabs the rope of a barge heading north to Chattana instead of south to the sea. Although her parents want her to stay and go to the school near the temple, Nok decides go back to the city and hunt Pong to bring honor back to her family. As Pong learns that the outside world is just as unfair as the prison and tries to come up with a plan to escape the city for good, Nok discovers secrets about her own life that make her question everything she has always believed. With a march being planned in the city to protest against the Governor, Pong and Nok must decide if they should stand up for what's right and bring light to the injustice in Chattana.

This book was so enchanting and beautiful. When I learned that it was inspired by Victor Hugo's Les Miserables, I was deeply intrigued by the book's premise because Les Miserables is one of my favorite musicals. I also loved how the author used inspiration from Thailand because the world-building was fantastic and made Chattana feel like a real place. The description of a city with colored light orbs was gorgeous, but I thought it was interesting how that beauty hid the injustice of poverty and privilege. Additionally, I liked the main characters, Pong and Nok. When Pong is discouraged after meeting the Governor in person at the beginning of the story, I understood why he wanted to leave the city and never come back, but at his core, he is someone who will always fight for what right, so I was very satisfied with his journey. On the other hand, I admired Nok's determination no matter what her goal is and her growth was just as rewarding. From the start, I thought that they would be great friends if they weren't enemies and hoped that they would both be brave enough do the right thing. With that in mind, I enjoyed the climax of the story when everything finally came together. A perfect combination of fantasy and realistic issues, anyone should read this book.