A Wish in the Dark

My favorite character in all of literature is the Bishop from Victor Hugo's Les Miserables (Ella from Ella Enchanted is a close second 😏). His compassion completely unravels me and his act of Godlike mercy in Jean Valjean's life has helped me understand Christ's love more than any other fictional character. So, when Father Chan first enters Pong's life, I was totally hooked on A Wish in the Dark. "He's just like the Bishop!" I thought. "Come to think of it, Pong is a lot like Valjean," I so cleverly observed. Then the moment when Pong is debating whether to release Nok from the barn jail cell, I was like, "Wait a friggin' second. This IS Les Mis! Did anyone else notice this? Am I the first to discover this amazing connection? Is the author sneaking in these hidden Hugo gems only for true Mizzies?" At this point, for the first time, I decided to read the blurb on the inside of the book's dust jacket . . . yep, it says her book is a twist on Les Mis. So every single person who reads the book knows this fact before they even start reading and I really did think I was so clever. 🤦

Also, though not to the same irresponsible degree, I thought I may be unique in noticing all the Thailand imagery and geography. On the first page when she describes the Chattana River, I immediately pictured the Chao Phraya river. When she calls the temple Wat Singh, though, I knew I had not discovered any kind of secret. Sure enough, the dust jacket blurb also reveals that this is a "Thai-inspired fantasy world." 

But what a combination, right? A modernish fantasy Les Mis story with non-suicidal tweener protagonists set in Thailand? Can you even imagine a lovelier premise? 

It really was as magical as it sounds.