Book Review

"Light: Stories of Urban Ressurection", by R. Kayeen Thomas

Review by Nicholas Hirsch

"Light" is a powerful, inspired collection of short stories and poetry with a theme of urban redemption and, well, resurrection. His emotional range and impact are matched only by the extreme literary quality of his writing. His style covers a wide range; from the raw, jagged edge of inner city hip-hop to the neo-baroque inflections of horror writers like Anne Rice or Clive Barker.

The opening salvo of "Light" is a short story called "The Awakening". This is the story of a meeting between two inner-city teens whose lives are burdened by expectation and circumstance, each of whom harbors a secret light of knowledge and emotion kept invisible to everyone around them. Their meeting goes beyond the simple moment, though, and leaves both in a state of elevation and despair.

From there, Thomas takes us on a personal journey through a world of unheard screams and terrible whispers, casual divinity, sacrifice and, ultimately, renewal.

In his preface, Thomas tells the reader that "Light" is not simply a book but an experience to be lived through and changed by. After reading the whole thing through twice (it's not hard to do, at a deceptively short ninety pages), I agree whole-heartedly. This is especially evident in the final segment, a second-person narrative entitled (appropriately) "You". "You" is no simple story. Thomas does not ask, but tell the reader what is happening, and there's nothing else to do for it but to follow. In the mere space of four pages, Thomas renders bare the laughter and despair found in living, through the medium of a related dream.

Ultimately, "Light" is not simple a collection of "stories of urban resurrection". It is an open challenge to the reader, demanding that we be resurrected. It is a revival, told in poetry and prose. There is no suggestion to it. R. Kayeen Thomas doesn't leave room for equivocation, and, most important, leaves us with a sense that the door is open for this new generation to find its wings.