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“This funny, insightful debut about mental illness, identity, and a person’s capacity to change packs a surprising emotional punch. Bold stylistic choices—wry footnotes, the inclusion of documents referenced in the story, a brief interjection by the author—add an interactive element to D’s humorous and self-deprecating first-person narration. Superb.”

—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

“The true conspiracy theories are the friends we made along the way—or are they?… This debut is an engaging read while also having great potential to spark conversations about information literacy with the implications of its deeply unsettling ending.”

—Booklist, Starred Review

“A remarkable debut novel which delves into both adolescent struggles and mental health.”

—School Library Journal, Starred Review

This Moth Saw Brightness

Written by A. A. Vacharat
Published by Dutton Books for Young Readers

“The invisible D in my name is my mother’s second most lasting contribution to my life.”

‘Wayne Le—known as “Invisible-D ‘Wayne” at school—has been invited to participate in a seemingly ordinary, innocuous adolescent health study by a prestigious university. The study has a few nice perks, but most important to ‘Wayne, is the opportunity to give his immigrant father an accomplishment to be proud of—something that’s been in short supply since ‘Wayne’s mother left.

But the study quickly proves to be anything but ordinary and innocuous, and ‘Wayne, his best friend Kermit, and a fellow study participant named Jane (a girl who shall not be manic-pixied) find themselves sucked into an M. C. Escheresque maze of conspiracies that might be entirely in their heads or might truly be a sinister government plot.

Primary ISBN: 9780593698600
Publication Date: May 2025
Available As: Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook, eBook
Young Adult, Age 14 or older

Community Represented:

Themes: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Setting: United States (Baltimore MD)

Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: 1st Generation

Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience

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