Brighter Than the Sun

Brighter Than the Sun is one of the best young adult novels I have read in a long time. The story of María de la Soledad, more often called Sol, as she travels across the border from Mexico to America to attend school and work to provide for her family, will be one that stays with readers long after they close the book. Sol crosses the border every day to attend school in America: she knows the border guards by name, knows who will make the crossing more difficult, who will simply nod her through, and when the pedestrian bridge between the two countries will be the busiest. She has dreams of attending college in America after high school, and she knows the sacrifices she makes by waking up early and being away from her family all day will be worth it when she achieves great things. However, all of this is disrupted when she has to work a part-time job in America to help keep her family afloat.

Sol was born in America, but her family lives in Tijuana, granting her dual citizenship and the ability to cross the border with relative ease. Her family is trying desperately to keep their restaurant above water after the passing of Sol’s mother who was the creative force behind an ever-changing menu and the energy needed in their building to draw in regulars. Sol quickly realizes that her mother was the heart of the restaurant, and her family struggles both financially and emotionally after her death. The restaurant occasionally has patrons, but the menu has become stagnant, and the cost of goods is exceeding the revenue that the family is making. There are very few jobs in Tijuana for Sol’s older brother to help contribute to the family’s financial woes, and so the only option is for Sol to work in America.

Sol’s life changes immediately after securing part-time work in the warehouse of a department store. She has to work difficult hours—sometimes before her school day even starts—on top of staying focused in school, worrying about her family, and now feeling like a burden while staying at her best friend Ari’s house during the week so she does not have to cross the border and miss any work shifts. She misses her family during the week, especially her younger brother, but she knows she is playing a vital role in making sure bills are paid and food is on the table every time she passes her pay cheque over to her father. While her new life is challenging, she also recognizes a new sense of family growing with Ari and her mom, she feels less anxious at school and begins making more friends, and even finds a love interest at her job. It is incredibly easy to root for Sol as she does her best to support her family, and for readers to understand her desire for normalcy in a life that is anything but ordinary compared to most.

Sol’s life is complicated, but it reads as authentic, layered, and reflective. She is a teenage girl with enormous pressure to help her family while still experiencing the complexities of navigating high school. While some YA novels try to jam-pack every available woe into a storyline, Brighter Than the Sun is nuanced in how it addresses teenage lives and the big and small challenges that young adults face. Relationships in the novel have flaws, the families are not perfect, the weight of anxiety is beautifully vocalized, and the instances of privilege and racism are raw. This novel has numerous access points for readers to connect to, and I think it will appeal to a wide range of readers who are interested in realistic fiction.

My life has been steeped in privilege, and I have never had a similar experience to Sol’s. Brighter Than the Sun was a refreshing and fast-paced look at the worlds that are realities for some teenagers. These worlds are filled with joy, desperation, kindness, and more, and readers are lucky to get a glimpse into Sol’s world.