I enjoyed reading A Bright Shining Light immensely! The action moves right along; the characters are believable and likable and I grew to care very much about them; and my interest was held throughout the book. I loved the ending!

Also, there are several things I thought you did exceptionally well. With few words you gave just enough information so that I could let my imagination fill in things like what the people on the bus looked like; how it felt to be cramped for hours not knowing exactly where one was on the bus ride; how Tara and Andrea and Bill looked like; and the loneliness and cold of the Aleutians. These are only a few examples; but, they all helped me to enter into your book and feel very much a part of it - a wonderful experience for a reader.

Though there were constant comings and goings across country and from loved ones, the pace of your novel was never rushed. This too helped me to stay with the action and characters with whom I became more and more involved. To create something that is fast paced in time but depicted slowly enough for a reader to follow with understanding and sympathy is quite a feat!

The most precious gift your book has given me is a reminder to stay in the moment. There are moments that stand out for me such as Thomas and Tara in the hammock not needing words, Thomas adrift and dry in the wet sea, and the return of the shining light, that give meaning and focus to all the turmoil of war and separations that the characters must face. My life right now seems filled with too many commitments and constant "on-the-goings". But I found, while reading your book, that if I just stopped for just a couple of minutes, looked inward for what I was really feeling and thinking, I could then look outward again with much better perspective at what was happening. And, sometimes just the joy in a moment itself such as stopping to listen to a bird sing can life my spirits for an entire day!

Thank you so much, Adam, and I hope you will continue to write -- I so look forward to your next book! D.O.