The Ana Edit Issue #13: Book Review
If You Could See the Sun by Ann Liang
🌟🌟🌟/5
If You Could See the Sun is a young adult low fantasy or magical realist novel, depending on how one defines those terms, that follows Alice Sun, a low-income teen at an academically taxing school for the rich. When Alice's parents allude to taking her out of school, Alice uses her newfound invisibility to raise her tuition money by spying on her classmates. What follows ranges from innocent shenanigans to high-level crimes. The novel explores utilitarian moral quandaries. Is the promise of a better future worth breaking fundamental ethical principles? Or is becoming the type of person one despises too great a cost?
Ann Liang's work is certainly entertaining. The premise of a teenager with the power of invisibility coupled with high school drama is great YA fodder. However, what value exists in entertainment is overshadowed by poor, cliched writing and dubious morals. The central relationship between Alice and Henry has cute moments, such as an awkward comment about a praise kink, but lacks the tantalizing tension which usually makes enemies-to-lovers stories so enthralling. For such a sagacious girl, Alice is painfully oblivious to Henry's feelings for her. Henry takes the time to help her with an app, despite being exceedingly wealthy and having nothing to gain. A picture of the two resides in his austere room. Given Alice is his academic rival, he would benefit from turning her in to the administration, yet he does not. All of these factors should culminate in an overt case of Henry's feelings for her, but the thought does not cross Alice's mind.
Though, that is not to say what does cross her mind is wise. As the only scholarship student, Alice is privy to and critical of how the rich can get away with unethical actions unscathed. Yet, she is willing to forgo any partially decent ethical code to get what she wants. One can argue Alice should not have been in the position of having to pay so handsomely for quality education, but this does not absolve her of moral culpability, especially given that she immediately resorts to spying on the other students with her invisibility powers before trying any other method. She does not explain her situation to the school, nor does she attempt to come up with alternative payment plans. Perhaps these efforts would have been in vain, but one can never know if they do not try. By the novel's end, the administration mildly reprimands Alice for her mistakes but not before Alice and her friends attempt manipulation and downright coercion. So, did Alice learn anything at all? Readers are expected to root for the misfortunate, impoverished girl with a keen mind, yet she consistently inflicts misfortune onto others in the name of staying at a school for her academic prowess, which she fails to use in any part of the novel. Taken in aggregate, If You Could See The Sun is an adventurous YA novel with overt moral statements that are covertly contradicted. Some characters, such as Chanel and Henry, are loveable, but a puerile writing style and revenge fantasy overcome the potential for deep characterization or connection.
