Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Publication Date: October 2012
Format: Trade paperback, 343 pgs
Source: Publisher
Twenty-something Laura has lived with a secret for the past ten years. This secret has been living in her memory and it strikes her the most when the council decided to build a summerhouse in memorial of Chloe's death but most of all, a monument to a young love gone wrong and a publicity for the City's urban renewal programme after all these years; after they have found a body and Laura knew who that person was.
The story then proceeds to unfold the mystery as Laura narrates her life and her friendship with Emma and Chloe when they were fourteen year old. Laura, at that age, was a self-conscious girl and she didn't have many friends either. It was Chloe who became friends with her when she was transferred from another school. Laura wasn't sure if the other friends were scared or intimidated by Chloe, but either way Laura was glad to have found a friend in her. Chloe, unlike Laura, was bold and sassy. She knew what she wants and she knew ways of getting them. Emma, on the other hand, was a little like Laura but she knew the right things to say or do under circumstances. Laura was more like a goody-goody among the three.
Their friendship took on a turn after Chloe knew an older man and began spending more time with him. Emma and Laura knew it is illegal if Carl would do anything to Chloe, but despite of this none of them ever mentioned the relationship between Chloe and Carl to anyone. It was at that time that Chloe chose to be closer with Emma; sharing things from accessories to secrets and Laura couldn't help but feeling jealous of Emma. She was a bit angry with Chloe too, but she wouldn't want to admit it, thinking that Chloe would come out of it in no time and they would be good friends again.
However, things got worse after a chance meeting with a Down's Syndrome man called Wilson. It appeared that he had gone missing and Chloe, Carl and Laura were the last person to see him before his disappearance. Laura insisted that they should report it to the police, but Chloe and Carl rebuked that they didn't make Wilson wander into the woods so they should stay out of it. As Laura wondered about Wilson, the media connected Wilson's disappearance as the answer to the identity of a sex offender as it appeared that there was no repeating crimes after his disappearance.
Filled with teen-aged angst and intensity, Cold Light is a book that makes you think of how one's secret could ruin a person's reputation or even, his or her live. As much as I think the story is interesting, I have to admit that the plot tends to drag as I felt three-quarter of the book was focused on the angst and jealousy of the three girls. In addition, Chloe isn't a likeable character and I didn't know what to feel towards Laura. There are times I felt like shaking her up and ask her to move on, even if it is your good friend who doesn't want to be friends with you anymore. But of course, sometimes things are beyond our control and often, we want to remind ourselves to be optimistic, no matter how bad the circumstances can be. So what's my verdict after reading Cold Light? I just felt hollow. Period.
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This one sounds ok, but I just finished reading a YA romance that left me with enough teen-aged angst to last a few months...lol.