The Light We Lost

i


Sometimes objects seem like they ve witnessed history. I used to imagine that the wooden table we sat around during Kramer s Shakespeare seminar our senior year was as old as Columbia that it had been in that room since 1754, edges worn smooth by centuries of students like us, which of course couldn t be true. But that s how I pictured it. Students sitting there through the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, both World Wars, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf.

It s funny, if you asked me who else was with us that day, I don t think I could tell you. I used to be able to see all their faces so clearly, but thirteen years later I remember only you and Professor Kramer. I can t even recall the name of the TA who came running, late, into the classroom. Later, even, than you.

Kramer had just finished calling roll when you pushed open the door. You smiled at me, your dimple making a brief appearance as you slipped off your Diamondbacks cap and stuck it into your back pocket. Your eyes landed quickly on the empty seat next to mine, and then you did too.

And you are? Kramer asked, as you reached into your backpack for a notebook and a pen.

Gabe, you said. Gabriel Samson.

Kramer checked the paper in front of him. Let s aim for on time for the rest of the semester, Mr. Samson, he said. Class starts at nine. In fact, let s aim for early.

You nodded, and Kramer started talking about themes in Julius Caesar.

We at the height are ready to decline, he read. There is a tide in the affairs of men / Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; / Omitted, all the voyage of their life / Is bound in shallows and in miseries. / On such a full sea are we now afloat, / And we must take the current when it serves, / Or lose our ventures. I trust you all did the reading. Who can tell me what Brutus is saying about fate and free will here?

I ll always remember that passage because I ve wondered so

Jill Santopolo

Praise for The Light We Lost

It s the epic love story of 2017 and the ending is one you ll be feeling for months to come. Redbook

"An irresistible tale of love and second chances." People 

Extraordinary. Emily Giffin

This moving story is a perfect understanding of the sacrifices we make for love and for our dreams. Real Simple

Your new tearjerker has arrived: Fans of Me Before You and One Day will love/weep over this elegant novel. New York Post

This read is One Day meets Me Before You meets your weekender bag. The Skimm 

Have your tissues ready...This book will sink its hooks into your heart on page one, and leave you scarred long after you're done. Bustle

Enchanted and compelled me. Delia Ephron, author of Siracusa

A wonderful and heartbreaking book....The kind of heartbreak that s in The Way We Were, that you really love to cry over. NBC New York's Weekend Today

Heart-wrenching yet beautiful. US Weekly

A beautiful and devastating story that will captivate readers. Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Comparisons will be made to David Nicholls  One Day, but there is something more romantic here yet also more grounded that will draw readers in. Booklist
 
Gorgeously written and absolutely unforgettable, Santopolo s novel has a beating heart all its own. Caroline Leavitt, author of Pictures of You

Santopolo vividly illuminates how our personal lives and loves are changed by the common and uncommon events of our troubled world. Nancy Thayer, author of The Island House

The perfect beach read: an engrossing, romantic, and surprisingly sexy story about the power of first love. Domino

Santopolo nailed the thrill and devastation that love can cause...This book made me feel everything! Renée Carlino, author of Before We Were Strangers

Evocative, raw and at times