Brighter Than the Sun by Daniel Aleman (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Brighter Than the Sun by Daniel Aleman Amanda Toledo Aleman, Daniel Brighter Than the Sun. Little, 2023 [352p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780316704472 $18.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780316704519 $10.99 Reviewed from digital galleys Ad Gr. 9-12 The only member of her family born in the United States, sixteen-year-old Sol (short for María de la Soledad) crosses from Tijuana to San Diego each morning to attend high school. The early mornings are exhausting, not to mention Sol's worries about getting food on the table for her family and her ever present grief over her mother's death a year ago. Sol ends up moving in with her best friend Ari in San Diego to be able to work early morning and late-night shifts at a department store, and she's hoping what she earns will not only help her Papi pay the bills but [End Page 247] also save their family restaurant. Unfortunately, but understandably, Sol begins to buckle beneath the pressure of trying to balance work, school, and her family, especially as her feelings of loneliness and isolation grow. Aleman's direct, accessible prose believably conveys the heavy responsibility teens carry as they support their struggling families, but the lack of description of the setting and emotional details makes some scenes fall flat. The recurring theme of loneliness is an important one, but the exploration is heavy handed with too many occurrences of Sol contemplating her dual-self represented by her name Sol-the sun, and "Soledad-Solitude." Still, the emotional stakes here are compelling, and amidst all the hardship, Aleman inserts potent moments of joy and connection, the power of female friendship, and the perseverance of possibility. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois