How do we know if conspiracy theories hold any truth? This Moth Saw Brightness brings readers into a world not unlike our own but awash with secrets and complexities.

This Moth Saw Brightness by A.A.Vacharat is a weird, funny and heartfelt book that can confuse and make you laugh at the same time. Needless to say, it’s an easy book to love. It is the type of book that creeps up on a reader until finally one decides that they love it.

Starting this story came with a rather embarrassing sigh while reading the first chapter. It seemed like every realistic fiction book which includes a slightly sarcastic main character who likes to monologue to the reader. Let’s not forget about some quirky side characters and parents who don’t seem to notice what their kids are up to.

I frowned when reading the footnotes knowing I would have to hop back and forth trying to connect the dots. At first glance, it’s admittedly easy to be unimpressed with the main character ’Wayne (with an invisible D, mind you) and his acronyms.

Luckily this feeling didn’t last for long. The further an audience reads, the more easily they are hooked. Now a scientific study is being thrown in with a hidden purpose that may or may not be dangerous. As the scientific study goes on ’Wayne has to try to figure out the truth of the study along with his friends, Jane, an origami-loving girl and Kermit, a tech genius. As annoying as the repetition of tropes for side characters can be, Jane and Kermit are delightful.

‘Wayne has to face a lot more than this study though. He has to grapple with his awkward relationship with his father and his long absent mother. The story touches on mental health and what it means to care about the world.

This story is so complex and rich . The thing is, readers finish the book with a frown on their faces, perhaps confused by the ending. Then one puts it down and minutes later runs back to pick it up again, trying to figure it all out. Somehow pieces are easily missed but impossible to get out of one’s head. Then readers realize the background characters were tangled in secrets of their own and they realize the true genius of A.A. Varcharat.

At least, this is what happened for me.

Before I get ahead of myself here, let me highlight something admirable about This Moth Saw Brightness: its representation of minorities. Oftentimes, authors only have one specific character that is ‘diverse’ in their novels, which is annoying. Much preferable is the diversity of characters sprinkled in which this story did perfectly. There were characters from all different races, genders and many of the characters were neurodivergent. As someone part of all of these groups, I am happy to say the author did well in portraying them.

After reading this incredible novel, I rushed to email the author hoping that she would respond. The style of This Moth Saw Brightness is very unique with short chapters and a variety of pieces of writing from scripts to phone screens to email. The format really added to the quirkiness of the novel (including the footnotes, which were much funnier and more enjoyable than I want to admit).

A.A. Vacharat commented on the format saying, “When you’re trying to capture a feeling in as few words as possible, you start having to consider all the tools in your toolbox. For me, that included changing the narrator, including documents, and more.” I have to agree and praise her for the amazing flow that the book has.

For fans of delightfully funny authors such as Stuart Gibbs or John Green, this book will be perfect! I didn’t want to give too many spoilers but if you want to find out what happens, maybe this is your sign to pick it up and read! This is an amazing and worthwhile read and is highly recommended for anyone who wants a good book to read.