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Blue Light Hours
One of Electric Literature’s “75 Books by Women of Color to Read in 2024”
From the National Book Award-winning translator, an atmospheric and wise debut novel of a young Brazilian woman’s first year in America, a continent away from her lonely mother, and the relationship they build over Skype calls across borders
“Utterly beautiful . . . The yearning in these pages will haunt me.”—Ayşegül Savaş, author of White on White
In a small dorm room at a liberal arts college in Vermont, a young woman settles into the warm blue light of her desk lamp before calling the mother she left behind in northeastern Brazil. Four thousand miles apart and bound by the angular confines of a Skype window, they ask each other a simple question: what’s the news?
Offscreen, little about their lives seems newsworthy. The daughter writes her papers in the library at midnight, eats in the dining hall with the other international students, and raises her hand in class to speak in a language the mother cannot understand. The mother meanwhile preoccupies herself with natural disasters, her increasingly poor health, and the heartbreaking possibility that her daughter might not return to the apartment where they have always lived together. Yet in the blue glow of their computers, the two women develop new rituals of intimacy and caretaking, from drinking whiskey together in the middle of the night to keeping watch as one slides into sleep. As the warm colors of New England autumn fade into an endless winter snow, each realizes that the promise of spring might mean difficult endings rather than hopeful beginnings.
Expanded from a story originally published in The New Yorker, and in elegant prose that recalls the work of Sigrid Nunez, Katie Kitamura, and Rachel Khong, Bruna Dantas Lobato paints a powerful portrait of a mother and a daughter coming of age together and apart and explores the profound sacrifices and freedoms that come with leaving a home to make a new one somewhere else.
From the National Book Award-winning translator, an atmospheric and wise debut novel of a young Brazilian woman’s first year in America, a continent away from her lonely mother, and the relationship they build over Skype calls across borders
“Utterly beautiful . . . The yearning in these pages will haunt me.”—Ayşegül Savaş, author of White on White
In a small dorm room at a liberal arts college in Vermont, a young woman settles into the warm blue light of her desk lamp before calling the mother she left behind in northeastern Brazil. Four thousand miles apart and bound by the angular confines of a Skype window, they ask each other a simple question: what’s the news?
Offscreen, little about their lives seems newsworthy. The daughter writes her papers in the library at midnight, eats in the dining hall with the other international students, and raises her hand in class to speak in a language the mother cannot understand. The mother meanwhile preoccupies herself with natural disasters, her increasingly poor health, and the heartbreaking possibility that her daughter might not return to the apartment where they have always lived together. Yet in the blue glow of their computers, the two women develop new rituals of intimacy and caretaking, from drinking whiskey together in the middle of the night to keeping watch as one slides into sleep. As the warm colors of New England autumn fade into an endless winter snow, each realizes that the promise of spring might mean difficult endings rather than hopeful beginnings.
Expanded from a story originally published in The New Yorker, and in elegant prose that recalls the work of Sigrid Nunez, Katie Kitamura, and Rachel Khong, Bruna Dantas Lobato paints a powerful portrait of a mother and a daughter coming of age together and apart and explores the profound sacrifices and freedoms that come with leaving a home to make a new one somewhere else.
192 pages, Paperback
First published October 15, 2024
97 people are currently reading
16108 people want to read
About the author
Bruna Dantas Lobato
16 books136 followersBruna Dantas Lobato is a writer and translator. Her fiction has appeared in The New Yorker, Guernica, A Public Space, and The Common. She was awarded the 2023 National Book Award in Translation for The Words that Remain by Stênio Gardel. She was born and raised in Natal, Brazil, and lives in St. Louis, Missouri. Her debut novel, Blue Light Hours, is forthcoming in October 2024 from Grove Atlantic.
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March 16, 2025CALL YOUR MOM!!
May 4, 2024
Heartwarming. Insightful. Relatable. Informative. Wholesome.💗
That is (in short) what I felt while reading Blue Light Hours. This story is about a mother living in Brazil and a daughter living in the USA. They communicate over Skype, share life updates, and comfort each other. While separated in space, they are united in loneliness and struggle to start their individual new life chapters.
I loved to read about their stories, the writing style, and share a little bit of their life story with my own.
I could relate to a few parts of the story, even though I am quite privileged. But I lived abroad for half a year on my own, and I felt lonely and lost at times. I, too, was only able to communicate via Skype and shared the weird feeling of missing out on their life stories. Nevertheless, my family was not alone; they had each other, which gave me comfort, but also made me feel even more alone on the other side of the globe all on my own.
And there is much more between the lines. Everything that was not said but felt, that was not done but thought of.
As it is such a quick read, written like poetry, I would recommend this to anyone looking for something slow, yet deep. Something meaningful, yet not heartbreaking.
Thank you NetGalley, Grove Atlantic, and Bruna Dantas Lobato for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review - Blue Light Hours will be out on October, 15.
⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘
Prereview:
Ahhh I just received this arc 🤭
This sounds so heartwarming and heartbreaking! I am excited to dive into it once the mood strikes (Publication date is in October, so I still have some time to read it, but I have a feeling that it is not going to take that long for me). 🦋
That is (in short) what I felt while reading Blue Light Hours. This story is about a mother living in Brazil and a daughter living in the USA. They communicate over Skype, share life updates, and comfort each other. While separated in space, they are united in loneliness and struggle to start their individual new life chapters.
I loved to read about their stories, the writing style, and share a little bit of their life story with my own.
I could relate to a few parts of the story, even though I am quite privileged. But I lived abroad for half a year on my own, and I felt lonely and lost at times. I, too, was only able to communicate via Skype and shared the weird feeling of missing out on their life stories. Nevertheless, my family was not alone; they had each other, which gave me comfort, but also made me feel even more alone on the other side of the globe all on my own.
And there is much more between the lines. Everything that was not said but felt, that was not done but thought of.
As it is such a quick read, written like poetry, I would recommend this to anyone looking for something slow, yet deep. Something meaningful, yet not heartbreaking.
Thank you NetGalley, Grove Atlantic, and Bruna Dantas Lobato for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review - Blue Light Hours will be out on October, 15.
⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘
Prereview:
Ahhh I just received this arc 🤭
This sounds so heartwarming and heartbreaking! I am excited to dive into it once the mood strikes (Publication date is in October, so I still have some time to read it, but I have a feeling that it is not going to take that long for me). 🦋
April 12, 2024
While I typically appreciate coolly restrained storytelling, mood-driven narratives, and melancholic slice-of-life stories, Blue Light Hours doesn’t succeed in pulling any of these off. The writing feels overly trimmed down, stripped of its intended meaning and substance. It brings to mind a review discussing contemporary fiction of the Rooney variety: “The results, allegedly, are blanched, lifeless novels, characterized by minimalism of description, coolness of tone, humorlessness of style, and wobbliness of genre—not quite fact, not quite fiction.” While the author of this review goes on to praise Rooney and novelists like her for her “supremely intelligent critique of our discourse,” I cannot do the same. In fact, I agree with the criticism directed at these books. They are ‘less’, less funny, less emotional, less compelling, just less.
These types of novels seem affectedly apathetic, even clinical, but not in a lethally precise way, such as Brandon Taylor's style, but rather robotic, as if they could have been written by AI. Despite their attempts to present reality unvarnished and resist plot and character arcs, they strike me as incredibly artificial and labored, which makes them pretentious, despite their efforts to be authentic and real.
In Blue Light Hours, the interactions between the mother and daughter, while not inherently off-putting given my fondness for mumblecore-esque books, lack authenticity. Despite attempts to portray natural, unadorned dialogue, the exchanges between them feel studied. The rhythm of their conversations is discordant and stilted, failing to convey a sense of their relationship or history together. Instead, reading their back-and-forths felt like watching amateur theatre, with the characters reciting lines without conviction.
Additionally, the prose occasionally ventures into twee territory, reminiscent of Instagram poetry ( millennial ennui vibes: “I lived alone, I rarely spoke, I ate badly”), detracting from the overall experience. Despite my desire to connect with the theme of a young woman navigating college life away from home, the book failed to convey the narrator's longing (be it for home, for Portuguese, or for her mother) that I anticipated.
The latter section, with its perspective shifts and clinical references to 'the mother' and 'daughter,' further highlights the book's tendency towards style over substance. While the summary promises a poignant exploration of the mother-daughter relationship across borders, there was nothing in these pages. Sure, now and again the author captures a certain mood, thanks to descriptions of the weather and changing seasons, but these did not make the book particularly atmospheric or immersive. Writing-wise, I can't help but compare it unfavorably to Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au and Dove mi trovo (aka Whereabouts) by Jhumpa Lahiri. Theme-wise, there are plenty of other novels that managed to explore these themes with either more depth or style: American Fever by Dur e Aziz Amna, The Pachinko Parlour by Elisa Shua Dusapin, Tell Me I’m an Artist by Chelsea Martin, The Idiot & Either/Or by Elif Batuman, Lucy> by Jamaica Kincaid, and Villette by Charlotte Brontë.
Reading this left me feeling completely indifferent. It didn't elicit any positive or negative emotions; it was like glancing over a grocery list or a bus schedule. I felt absolutely nothing. While it might be better than feeling annoyed or disliking something, at least when I read something that causes those (negative) emotions, I know it's had some effect on me.
I could see this novel working for readers who enjoy the work of Rooney, Aysegül Savas, or Bronwyn Fischer. As with any of my other negative reviews, take it with a pinch of salt, and if you are undecided about whether to read this novel, I recommend you check out some more positive reviews.
These types of novels seem affectedly apathetic, even clinical, but not in a lethally precise way, such as Brandon Taylor's style, but rather robotic, as if they could have been written by AI. Despite their attempts to present reality unvarnished and resist plot and character arcs, they strike me as incredibly artificial and labored, which makes them pretentious, despite their efforts to be authentic and real.
In Blue Light Hours, the interactions between the mother and daughter, while not inherently off-putting given my fondness for mumblecore-esque books, lack authenticity. Despite attempts to portray natural, unadorned dialogue, the exchanges between them feel studied. The rhythm of their conversations is discordant and stilted, failing to convey a sense of their relationship or history together. Instead, reading their back-and-forths felt like watching amateur theatre, with the characters reciting lines without conviction.
Additionally, the prose occasionally ventures into twee territory, reminiscent of Instagram poetry ( millennial ennui vibes: “I lived alone, I rarely spoke, I ate badly”), detracting from the overall experience. Despite my desire to connect with the theme of a young woman navigating college life away from home, the book failed to convey the narrator's longing (be it for home, for Portuguese, or for her mother) that I anticipated.
The latter section, with its perspective shifts and clinical references to 'the mother' and 'daughter,' further highlights the book's tendency towards style over substance. While the summary promises a poignant exploration of the mother-daughter relationship across borders, there was nothing in these pages. Sure, now and again the author captures a certain mood, thanks to descriptions of the weather and changing seasons, but these did not make the book particularly atmospheric or immersive. Writing-wise, I can't help but compare it unfavorably to Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au and Dove mi trovo (aka Whereabouts) by Jhumpa Lahiri. Theme-wise, there are plenty of other novels that managed to explore these themes with either more depth or style: American Fever by Dur e Aziz Amna, The Pachinko Parlour by Elisa Shua Dusapin, Tell Me I’m an Artist by Chelsea Martin, The Idiot & Either/Or by Elif Batuman, Lucy> by Jamaica Kincaid, and Villette by Charlotte Brontë.
Reading this left me feeling completely indifferent. It didn't elicit any positive or negative emotions; it was like glancing over a grocery list or a bus schedule. I felt absolutely nothing. While it might be better than feeling annoyed or disliking something, at least when I read something that causes those (negative) emotions, I know it's had some effect on me.
I could see this novel working for readers who enjoy the work of Rooney, Aysegül Savas, or Bronwyn Fischer. As with any of my other negative reviews, take it with a pinch of salt, and if you are undecided about whether to read this novel, I recommend you check out some more positive reviews.
August 25, 2025
A really beautiful portrait of a mother-daughter relationship full of love across the boundaries of borders and time and Skype call screens
3.5
3.5
August 27, 2025
Blue Light Hours - Bruna Dantas Lobato
نوفيلا عن شابة برازيلية وحياتها بعد انتقالها للدراسة في أمريكا، وبعيدًا عن والدتها الوحيدة في قارة أخرى، وعن علاقتهما عبر مكالمات سكايب العابرة للحدود.
قصة حياة طالبة وأمها في البرازيل ثم اجتماعهما أخيرُا بعد سنوات في الفصل الأخير ...
أحب الروايات والأعمال التي تركز على علاقة البنات بأمهاتنهن .. وهذا عمل آسر و بسيط ودافئ.
نوفيلا عن شابة برازيلية وحياتها بعد انتقالها للدراسة في أمريكا، وبعيدًا عن والدتها الوحيدة في قارة أخرى، وعن علاقتهما عبر مكالمات سكايب العابرة للحدود.
قصة حياة طالبة وأمها في البرازيل ثم اجتماعهما أخيرُا بعد سنوات في الفصل الأخير ...
أحب الروايات والأعمال التي تركز على علاقة البنات بأمهاتنهن .. وهذا عمل آسر و بسيط ودافئ.
September 27, 2024
Stunningly simple. I loved it. I looked forward to reading it and dragged out finishing it just so I could savour it.
I say simple because this is just the story of a young woman and her mother communicating via Skype - the daughter having gone to study in Vermont and the mother remaining at home in Natal, Brazil.
The story takes place over five years with the daughter narrating the lion's share of the story as she finds her feet in an English speaking country, learning to cope with the cold and living in a shared home while her mother deals with an underlying illness and her only child being thousands of miles away. The mother takes over the narrative in the second half of the novel.
It is so simple but so beautiful. I read this while trying to imagine being that far from my own mother. Suffice to say I sobbed quite a bit towards the end of this book when the pair are reunited.
A beguiling tale. Highly recommended. I'd love to read more by this author.
Thankyou very much to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for the advance review copy. Much appreciated.
I say simple because this is just the story of a young woman and her mother communicating via Skype - the daughter having gone to study in Vermont and the mother remaining at home in Natal, Brazil.
The story takes place over five years with the daughter narrating the lion's share of the story as she finds her feet in an English speaking country, learning to cope with the cold and living in a shared home while her mother deals with an underlying illness and her only child being thousands of miles away. The mother takes over the narrative in the second half of the novel.
It is so simple but so beautiful. I read this while trying to imagine being that far from my own mother. Suffice to say I sobbed quite a bit towards the end of this book when the pair are reunited.
A beguiling tale. Highly recommended. I'd love to read more by this author.
Thankyou very much to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for the advance review copy. Much appreciated.
October 30, 2024
A daughter and a mother use their frequent live chats on Skype to maintain their relationship and to navigate the lonely waters they both find themselves in after the daughter leaves home (Brazil) to go and study in the US (Vermont).
Although the daughter is lonely and has to find her feet in this new world we see no sign of her going back home, not even for a visit. Money is a problem yes but I felt that there was more underneath, it felt like she did not want to go back, why? Pity it wasn't examined, I would have liked that.
An ARC gently provided by author/publisher via Netgalley.
Although the daughter is lonely and has to find her feet in this new world we see no sign of her going back home, not even for a visit. Money is a problem yes but I felt that there was more underneath, it felt like she did not want to go back, why? Pity it wasn't examined, I would have liked that.
An ARC gently provided by author/publisher via Netgalley.
May 5, 2024
what started as a light-hearted read became way too personal and heartfelt for me. as someone who also left home to move in another country, i deeply resonated with the daughter and mother's relationship, watching each other's lives through their glowing screens. so, the first thing that i did as soon as i finished this novel was calling my mother from across the world.
it is scary and exciting at the same time to be on your own and leave miles away from home, yet it feels lonely because you also left people and parts of you in that place. you left your past life and now embarking towards on a new journey in which soon enough, you'll create new memories, meet new people, as well as think of a possible future for yourself. and finally, you will experience a sense of belonging. however, when you realize at the end of the day, there is nothing quite like a mother's embrace to make you feel at home.
i think somehow, this novel left a haunting impact on me. no one talks about how lonely it is when you communicate through the screens of your computer. it feels like they are there but but you cannot hold them. it is frustrating and it demands the feeling of sadness because all you see are glimpses of their life through a small screen.
what a beautiful novel debut by bruna dantas lobato. i think this novel fully encapsulates the yearning and loneliness that accompanies us when we miss our loved ones. the riveting writing can also make you feel the sense of nostalgia and deep longingness of wanting your mother by your side.
this will be out on october 15, 2024, so i hope everyone reads this once it is published. ♡
thank you, netgalley, grove atlantic, and bruna dantas lobato for the advanced digital reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
i belonged to this school and to this town, but they couldn't belong to me. i felt like a child again, always carrying the feeling that everyone else knew something i didn't. i felt like i would never stop anticipating my own arrival, waiting for the moment when i'd finally feel at home, no questions asked. then when it finally happened, who would i be then?
it is scary and exciting at the same time to be on your own and leave miles away from home, yet it feels lonely because you also left people and parts of you in that place. you left your past life and now embarking towards on a new journey in which soon enough, you'll create new memories, meet new people, as well as think of a possible future for yourself. and finally, you will experience a sense of belonging. however, when you realize at the end of the day, there is nothing quite like a mother's embrace to make you feel at home.
i think somehow, this novel left a haunting impact on me. no one talks about how lonely it is when you communicate through the screens of your computer. it feels like they are there but but you cannot hold them. it is frustrating and it demands the feeling of sadness because all you see are glimpses of their life through a small screen.
what a beautiful novel debut by bruna dantas lobato. i think this novel fully encapsulates the yearning and loneliness that accompanies us when we miss our loved ones. the riveting writing can also make you feel the sense of nostalgia and deep longingness of wanting your mother by your side.
in her curly handwriting, she wrote, my sweet sweet daughter.
you gave me a beautiful pond. i want you to have the ocean.
this will be out on october 15, 2024, so i hope everyone reads this once it is published. ♡
thank you, netgalley, grove atlantic, and bruna dantas lobato for the advanced digital reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
August 14, 2025
Adorei. A narrativa é contemplativa, carregada de pausas e silêncios, e fala sobre a dor e a beleza de “abandonar” quem amamos para seguir nossos sonhos.
Gostei justamente disso: da forma como Bruna transforma a distância e a saudade em matéria literária, sem pressa, deixando que cada sentimento se acomode no tempo certo.
Gostei justamente disso: da forma como Bruna transforma a distância e a saudade em matéria literária, sem pressa, deixando que cada sentimento se acomode no tempo certo.
April 4, 2025
Do you ever read a book you get (it makes sense, you can follow and empathize with the characters, etc.), yet it goes against everything you do? This book was sort of like that.
Blue Light Hours follows a Brazilian international student in the US and her relationship with her mother - how she’s left her, moved physically away, but chooses to practice distance daughterhood (I’m making this a word, you guys let the dictionary know, thx) by having a video call going with her mother at all times.
So, a bit about me: I’m not a big family person. And I’ve purposely migrated to avoid family in particular. Physical distance has always been a nice excuse for me to drop off the radar. So this book was a challenging read. The fact that the mother was constantly present without really understanding anything (doesn’t know what language the daughter speaks, where she lives, what she studies), and especially the way she spoke to her, made me feel suffocated. Yet, where I felt caged and suffocated and interpreted (wrongly) the mother’s words as blatant manipulation, the main character took it as love and accommodated it. Like, a bit where the mom’s like “I’ve abandoned my mother at the cemetery and I don’t visit her, I’m such a bad daughter” - I read this as “you moved to the US and you aren’t visiting me.” But the daughter thought this was actually about the grandma.
4 stars because of how this book challenged me, really. I liked the writing - detached, apathetic. It honestly felt like a horror book to me, but it’s an interesting perspective on distance daughterhood (?) and daughter-mother dynamics.
Blue Light Hours follows a Brazilian international student in the US and her relationship with her mother - how she’s left her, moved physically away, but chooses to practice distance daughterhood (I’m making this a word, you guys let the dictionary know, thx) by having a video call going with her mother at all times.
So, a bit about me: I’m not a big family person. And I’ve purposely migrated to avoid family in particular. Physical distance has always been a nice excuse for me to drop off the radar. So this book was a challenging read. The fact that the mother was constantly present without really understanding anything (doesn’t know what language the daughter speaks, where she lives, what she studies), and especially the way she spoke to her, made me feel suffocated. Yet, where I felt caged and suffocated and interpreted (wrongly) the mother’s words as blatant manipulation, the main character took it as love and accommodated it. Like, a bit where the mom’s like “I’ve abandoned my mother at the cemetery and I don’t visit her, I’m such a bad daughter” - I read this as “you moved to the US and you aren’t visiting me.” But the daughter thought this was actually about the grandma.
4 stars because of how this book challenged me, really. I liked the writing - detached, apathetic. It honestly felt like a horror book to me, but it’s an interesting perspective on distance daughterhood (?) and daughter-mother dynamics.
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September 28, 2025a subtle, quiet, melancholy little novel. go hug your mom and tell her you love her. i liked this book a lot, I haven’t seen a long distance family relationship dynamic like this in a book before
September 29, 2024
─ 𝟓 ★ 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 💙💻 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞.
“𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚏𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚋𝚘𝚠𝚕𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚝𝚎, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚛𝚎𝚏𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚋𝚘𝚠𝚕𝚜 𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗, 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚊𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚗𝚘𝚘𝚗, 𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚢, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚝𝚜 𝚜𝚘 𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚜𝚘𝚏𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚞𝚌𝚑, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚓𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚢 𝚙𝚒𝚎𝚌𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚗 𝚏𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚏𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚗𝚎. 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚋𝚘𝚠𝚕𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚛𝚘𝚝𝚑, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎, 𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚊𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚍𝚒𝚙𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚙𝚒𝚎𝚌𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚜.”
This is a beautifully written novel, with Bruna’s lyrical prose that is as poetic as the relationship this mother and daughter have, and every single thing that brings them back together to the blue light hours sitting in front of their computer screens, sharing stories, moments and memories, helping them keep their bond intact throughout the years in this coming of age piece of work. I savoured every single page and had a wonderful time, smiling and tearing up with the tastes of happiness and worries.
Bruna was able to paint a beautifully intricate picture of a mother and daughter coming of age story and it’s deeply emotional insights, both together and apart where every single page makes you yearn more and more for them to see each other again. This novel speaks volumes with me considering I myself am Brazilian and I know how warm and sentimental we are, and the yearning was palpable, I could feel both the mother and daughter’s sentiments through the pages, with each one of their actions and sentiments being thoughtful of how each other would feel.
As the preview of the book says, “[…] 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙡𝙪𝙚 𝙜𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙪𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙬𝙤 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝙙𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙥 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙘𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙙𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙚𝙮 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙙𝙙𝙡𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝 𝙖𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙨𝙡𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙡𝙚𝙚𝙥”. It shows the fear they have to lose touch, to lose their bond, the struggle of their daily lives with their own problems. It’s just beautifully written, as well as a fast-paced read navigating both their lives and feeling their feelings. I adored the mentions of our beloved Brazil, the few sentences in Portuguese that weren’t translated to English which made me connect even more with the novel seeing the sweetness of mãe e filha 🩵.
“𝒯𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝒹𝓇𝒾𝒻𝓉𝑒𝒹 𝑜𝒻𝒻 𝓃𝑒𝓍𝓉 𝓉𝑜 𝑒𝒶𝒸𝒽 𝑜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇, 𝒶𝓇𝓂𝓈 𝓉𝑜𝓊𝒸𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔, 𝒽𝑒𝒶𝒹𝓈 𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝑜𝓃 𝑒𝒶𝒸𝒽 𝑜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇’𝓈 𝓈𝒽𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹𝑒𝓇𝓈. ℱ𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓃𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉, 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝑔𝓁𝑜𝓌𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓈𝒸𝓇𝑒𝑒𝓃 𝓈𝒶𝓉 𝒷𝑒𝓉𝓌𝑒𝑒𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂. ℐ𝓉 𝒷𝒶𝓉𝒽𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂 𝒾𝓃 𝒶 𝓂𝒾𝓇𝒶𝒸𝓊𝓁𝑜𝓊𝓈 𝒷𝓁𝓊𝑒 𝓁𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉.”
Thanks a lot to Netgalley, Grove Atlantic, Grove Press, Black Cat and of course Bruna Dantas Lobato for trusting me with this beautiful ARC in exchange for my honest review.
“𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚏𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚋𝚘𝚠𝚕𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚝𝚎, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚛𝚎𝚏𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚋𝚘𝚠𝚕𝚜 𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗, 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚊𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚗𝚘𝚘𝚗, 𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚢, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚝𝚜 𝚜𝚘 𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚜𝚘𝚏𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚞𝚌𝚑, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚓𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚢 𝚙𝚒𝚎𝚌𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚗 𝚏𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚏𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚗𝚎. 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚋𝚘𝚠𝚕𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚛𝚘𝚝𝚑, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎, 𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚊𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚍𝚒𝚙𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚙𝚒𝚎𝚌𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚜.”
This is a beautifully written novel, with Bruna’s lyrical prose that is as poetic as the relationship this mother and daughter have, and every single thing that brings them back together to the blue light hours sitting in front of their computer screens, sharing stories, moments and memories, helping them keep their bond intact throughout the years in this coming of age piece of work. I savoured every single page and had a wonderful time, smiling and tearing up with the tastes of happiness and worries.
Bruna was able to paint a beautifully intricate picture of a mother and daughter coming of age story and it’s deeply emotional insights, both together and apart where every single page makes you yearn more and more for them to see each other again. This novel speaks volumes with me considering I myself am Brazilian and I know how warm and sentimental we are, and the yearning was palpable, I could feel both the mother and daughter’s sentiments through the pages, with each one of their actions and sentiments being thoughtful of how each other would feel.
As the preview of the book says, “[…] 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙡𝙪𝙚 𝙜𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙪𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙬𝙤 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝙙𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙥 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙘𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙙𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙚𝙮 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙙𝙙𝙡𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝 𝙖𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙨𝙡𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙡𝙚𝙚𝙥”. It shows the fear they have to lose touch, to lose their bond, the struggle of their daily lives with their own problems. It’s just beautifully written, as well as a fast-paced read navigating both their lives and feeling their feelings. I adored the mentions of our beloved Brazil, the few sentences in Portuguese that weren’t translated to English which made me connect even more with the novel seeing the sweetness of mãe e filha 🩵.
“𝒯𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝒹𝓇𝒾𝒻𝓉𝑒𝒹 𝑜𝒻𝒻 𝓃𝑒𝓍𝓉 𝓉𝑜 𝑒𝒶𝒸𝒽 𝑜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇, 𝒶𝓇𝓂𝓈 𝓉𝑜𝓊𝒸𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔, 𝒽𝑒𝒶𝒹𝓈 𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝑜𝓃 𝑒𝒶𝒸𝒽 𝑜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇’𝓈 𝓈𝒽𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹𝑒𝓇𝓈. ℱ𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓃𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉, 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝑔𝓁𝑜𝓌𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓈𝒸𝓇𝑒𝑒𝓃 𝓈𝒶𝓉 𝒷𝑒𝓉𝓌𝑒𝑒𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂. ℐ𝓉 𝒷𝒶𝓉𝒽𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂 𝒾𝓃 𝒶 𝓂𝒾𝓇𝒶𝒸𝓊𝓁𝑜𝓊𝓈 𝒷𝓁𝓊𝑒 𝓁𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉.”
Thanks a lot to Netgalley, Grove Atlantic, Grove Press, Black Cat and of course Bruna Dantas Lobato for trusting me with this beautiful ARC in exchange for my honest review.
July 9, 2025
Se “a infelicidade exige mais da nossa atenção do que a felicidade”, é então acerca da infelicidade acompanhada da saudade e da sensação de abandono que é o mote da obra, todavia, é também dos sentimentos que estão por trás, como o amor, cuidado e carinho.
Narrando, portanto, a vida de uma mãe e filha que se encontram distantes e seus métodos para se fazer presente, a escritora compõe uma narrativa bonita e sensível acerca das nossas escolhas em partir; o que levamos, deixamos e o que sempre mantemos conosco daqueles que somos parte.
É, por fim, uma obra que escancara que há sempre um pouco de cada um de nós naqueles que amamos, e por isso ela é tão boa. Tive uma ótima leitura.
Narrando, portanto, a vida de uma mãe e filha que se encontram distantes e seus métodos para se fazer presente, a escritora compõe uma narrativa bonita e sensível acerca das nossas escolhas em partir; o que levamos, deixamos e o que sempre mantemos conosco daqueles que somos parte.
É, por fim, uma obra que escancara que há sempre um pouco de cada um de nós naqueles que amamos, e por isso ela é tão boa. Tive uma ótima leitura.
July 25, 2025
This is a melancholy tale of a mother (in Brazil) and daughter (in Vermont) who are separated because the daughter is in college in the U.S. They talk via Skype almost every evening. They are both lonely without the other, but eventually get to reunite for a short time. This novel captures the difficulty of mother-daughter separation as they both find a new way to live in the world.
February 22, 2025
A story for mothers and daughters. A story for international students, who will never share a home with their parents again. Oh how this makes me want to hug my mom endlessly.
October 31, 2025
A short snapshot of life novella following a mother and daughter communicating via Skype while the daughter is away at school in the US (Mom is in Brazil). While I have never had to have a long distance relationship with my mom like this and I have never lived in a foreign country, I could feel the heartbreak of trying to maintain closeness over such a far distance. This was well a well constructed story of distance, grief, loneliness, and change.
August 30, 2024
Firts of all, thank you so much Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for this beatiful ARC. Out October 15th, 2024.
I just finished reading the book and immediately decided to write a review. The ending almost made me cry, not because anything terrible happened, but because it was full of so much love, hopes, and dreams.
This is a fairly short novel, but still powerfully written, even though at times it can feel like nothing much is happening. It focuses on the mother-daughter relationship and how they are trying to stay in touch for a very long time, being so far away from each other.
Sometimes we can blame technology, social media, etc. for taking away our “real life.” But after reading this novel, I became incredibly grateful to the creators of laptops and online calling because it helped our characters stay connected and be there for each other.
This book is heartwarming, full of immigration experience, and it will make you want to call your family, trust me.
I just finished reading the book and immediately decided to write a review. The ending almost made me cry, not because anything terrible happened, but because it was full of so much love, hopes, and dreams.
This is a fairly short novel, but still powerfully written, even though at times it can feel like nothing much is happening. It focuses on the mother-daughter relationship and how they are trying to stay in touch for a very long time, being so far away from each other.
Sometimes we can blame technology, social media, etc. for taking away our “real life.” But after reading this novel, I became incredibly grateful to the creators of laptops and online calling because it helped our characters stay connected and be there for each other.
This book is heartwarming, full of immigration experience, and it will make you want to call your family, trust me.
January 10, 2025
First book of the year! I loved this. The writing is perfection, the mother daughter dynamic and how it switches between characters is so well done. The importance of the color blue, of the coldness of Vermont in juxtaposition to the warmth of the protagonist’s native Brazil. I really want to read more from this author in the future. If you want a book you should read in one or two sittings that is quiet and reflective and vivid in its imagery, I would highly recommend this one.
July 25, 2025
Lovely and warm and poignant. Why couldn't I stop crying?
December 20, 2024
This was lovely 🥹
January 26, 2025
brb mourning the relationship i wish i could have with my mother
November 2, 2025
I'm a disappointed as I'd been meaning to get to this for just over a year now, but it was so unbelievably mid to the point it offends me
There's nothing that I can point out and say is bad, but there's barely anything I enjoyed about it either. The themes of being disconnected but still somewhat together due to technology were initially interesting, but after the first 50 pages this just felt mundane and monotonous
I'm sure this would go down a lot better if you relate to the main characters lol
There's nothing that I can point out and say is bad, but there's barely anything I enjoyed about it either. The themes of being disconnected but still somewhat together due to technology were initially interesting, but after the first 50 pages this just felt mundane and monotonous
I'm sure this would go down a lot better if you relate to the main characters lol
August 30, 2025
“it was a lovely kind of freedom that i only experienced when i trusted the rest of the world was asleep, when there was no one to see me living.”
my heart 🥺 this is the first book that has ever made me cry.
when i first heard the description, it was an immediate yes: an international student living on campus, skyping her mom? that’s all i needed to know. i’ll read anything set on a university campus.
as someone who lived over 20 hours away from home during university, this novel felt incredibly nostalgic. some parts comforted me with the memories i already have, while others stirred up a longing to feel that way again.
if you’ve ever lived away from home for school, i can’t recommend this enough. and if you need a reminder that you’re the main character of your own life, this book is that, too 🤍
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (easy 5/5)
my heart 🥺 this is the first book that has ever made me cry.
when i first heard the description, it was an immediate yes: an international student living on campus, skyping her mom? that’s all i needed to know. i’ll read anything set on a university campus.
as someone who lived over 20 hours away from home during university, this novel felt incredibly nostalgic. some parts comforted me with the memories i already have, while others stirred up a longing to feel that way again.
if you’ve ever lived away from home for school, i can’t recommend this enough. and if you need a reminder that you’re the main character of your own life, this book is that, too 🤍
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (easy 5/5)
January 31, 2025
Exquisitely simple and captures a moment perfectly
August 23, 2024
It’s been weeks since I finished reading Blue Light Hours, and I’m still grappling with how to write a review that does justice to Bruna’s work. How do you critique something that mirrors your own life so closely?
Blue Light Hours tells the story of a daughter who moves to another country for her studies, leaving her mother behind with only Skype to bridge the distance. Bruna offers us a slim, ‘Sally Rooney-esque’ novel that delves into the questions every mother and daughter have likely pondered: How long can a mother hold on to her child? How do you reassure your mother in the face of inevitable change? How do you show that, despite the distance, you’re still her little girl who needs her guidance?
Unlike the daughter in the novel, who is portrayed as quiet (not shy, but introspective), I am an active and outgoing daughter. I make friends easily and dive into new experiences without hesitation. Yet, whenever it’s time to leave home—whether for college or work—I find myself overwhelmed with emotion. I think about how my absence disrupts our usual routines, and how my mother will cope with the empty side of the bed in the middle of the night.
Putting aside my personal connection to the story, I want to highlight how beautifully the novel addresses cultural differences and the immigrant experience. The second half of the book is my favorite, particularly the shift in writing style that captures the bittersweet reunion between mother and daughter, and the inevitable sorrow of parting once more. The portrayal of the single mother and daughter dynamic is something I’ve longed to see in literature, and Bruna delivers it with poignant realism.
I was also captivated by the evolving symbolism of the blue light throughout the novel, but I’ll leave that for you to discover on your own.
Thank you Net Galley for the ARC, and Bruna for sharing this with me <3
Blue Light Hours tells the story of a daughter who moves to another country for her studies, leaving her mother behind with only Skype to bridge the distance. Bruna offers us a slim, ‘Sally Rooney-esque’ novel that delves into the questions every mother and daughter have likely pondered: How long can a mother hold on to her child? How do you reassure your mother in the face of inevitable change? How do you show that, despite the distance, you’re still her little girl who needs her guidance?
Unlike the daughter in the novel, who is portrayed as quiet (not shy, but introspective), I am an active and outgoing daughter. I make friends easily and dive into new experiences without hesitation. Yet, whenever it’s time to leave home—whether for college or work—I find myself overwhelmed with emotion. I think about how my absence disrupts our usual routines, and how my mother will cope with the empty side of the bed in the middle of the night.
Putting aside my personal connection to the story, I want to highlight how beautifully the novel addresses cultural differences and the immigrant experience. The second half of the book is my favorite, particularly the shift in writing style that captures the bittersweet reunion between mother and daughter, and the inevitable sorrow of parting once more. The portrayal of the single mother and daughter dynamic is something I’ve longed to see in literature, and Bruna delivers it with poignant realism.
I was also captivated by the evolving symbolism of the blue light throughout the novel, but I’ll leave that for you to discover on your own.
Thank you Net Galley for the ARC, and Bruna for sharing this with me <3
April 1, 2024
This is a lovely, delicate novel about studying abroad and, finding, shaping and becoming yourself away from the place you grew up in. Though there is much more ate stake than during my Erasmus in Iceland. For the Brazilian daughter, studying in Vermont is an opportunity she has to seize, a future she'd never be able to have back home in Brazil.
Mother and daughter are sharing a sense of loneliness they partially hide from each other. Daily Skype calls where they fill each other in about their day leave a lot unsaid, yet they are very necessary.
The being lost is something I experienced myself during my time abroad in the beginning. My family of course still had each other but being on your own can be trying. This novel describes emotions I had almost forgotten after I got the hang of it. In a beautiful language it captures the essence of starting anew somewhere else.
Thank you NetGalley, Grove Atlantic and Bruna Dantas Lobato for the ARC!
Mother and daughter are sharing a sense of loneliness they partially hide from each other. Daily Skype calls where they fill each other in about their day leave a lot unsaid, yet they are very necessary.
The being lost is something I experienced myself during my time abroad in the beginning. My family of course still had each other but being on your own can be trying. This novel describes emotions I had almost forgotten after I got the hang of it. In a beautiful language it captures the essence of starting anew somewhere else.
Thank you NetGalley, Grove Atlantic and Bruna Dantas Lobato for the ARC!
July 6, 2025
Tanta sensibilidade, ternura e carinho misturados numa narrativa pra falar de tudo que somos — que podemos, fomos ou seremos —, do que nos afasta (e, elástico, perde força diante da imensidão das memórias de amor que nos constituem e seguem, empoeiradas e intactas, dentro de nós) e, mais ainda, do que nos aproxima, que é o infinito de tudo no silêncio, no gesto, no olhar.
February 6, 2025
This was just really nice and sweet, plain and simple. I saw a criticism about the simplicity of the writing but I think in this case it shows that the author trusts the reader to get there by themselves without having to over explain. I really loved this.
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December 24, 2025se minha mãe assistisse a esse filme, veria uma criança que se despede da mãe e vai brincar com outras crianças. elas brincam e brincam e brincam e brincam. depois se cansam de brincar. alguém, qualquer pessoa, pode, por favor, vir nos buscar? queremos ir pra casa, dizem no final.
October 20, 2024
beautiful, tender, delicate
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