In the Absence of Light: Adrienne Wilder

I've been on a bit of reading binge on stories that feature characters with autism (or on the autism spectrum).  That, combined with really strong reviews, catapulted In the Absence of Light to the top of my reading list.

Blurb:  

For years Grant Kessler has smuggled goods from one end of the world to the next. When business turns in a direction Grant isn’t willing to follow he decides to retire and by all appearances he settles down in a nowhere town called Durstrand. But his real plan is to wait a few years and let the FBI lose interest, then move on to the distant coastal life he’s always dreamed of. 

Severely autistic, Morgan cannot look people in the eye, tell left from right, and has uncontrolled tics. Yet he’s beaten every obstacle life has thrown his way. And when Grant Kessler moves into town Morgan isn’t a bit shy in letting the man know how much he wants him. 

While the attraction is mutual, Grant pushes Morgan away. Like the rest of the world he can’t see past Morgan’s odd behaviors. 

Then Morgan shows Grant how light lets you see but it also leaves you blind. And once Grant opens his eyes, he loses his heart to the beautiful enigma of a man who changes the course of his life.

Review: 4 Stars

The manifestation of Morgan's autism is different from other characters I've read.  The blurb describes him as "severely autistic".  I'm not sure if that's accurate, but I had a harder time understanding the relationship between him and Grant than other books I've read that feature a relationship with an autistic main character.  I tried to listen to Morgan's words and ignore the rest.

“The light is a funny thing, Grant. We think it shows us what we need to see, but in reality, it blinds us. That’s why I brought you here. I wanted you to see me.”

Most people can't see past Morgan's tics and verbalizations.  He has been underestimated his entire life.  I feel like the author did a good job of creating a complex, interesting character in Morgan.  But, in the end, I felt that there was a lot about Morgan that was never said and that storyline would have intrigued me more than any of the FBI storyline.  However, I'm not a big fan of police story lines in general.  

Aside from that, it's the kind of book that makes me wish I belonged to a book club because I would like to discuss it with a group of people to get their impressions and interpretations of what happened.  What did Morgan see in the light?  What was missing from his sculptures?   What does Morgan see that others don't and what parts of the book are influenced by this?