I just finished reading Flashlight by Susan Choi and I’m DYING to talk to somebody about it. I can’t even begin to describe how much I loved it. I feel like it deals with the primary theme of memory SO SO beautifully.
What did I like or dislike?
I loved how Choi plays with the instability of memory — the way a single moment fractures into multiple possibilities, none fully reliable but all emotionally true. The shifting perspectives felt like being pulled through someone’s subconscious, where memory is less a record and more a performance. If I disliked anything, it’s only that the ambiguity left me slightly unmoored at times — but even that feels intentional, like part of the book’s ethics of uncertainty.
What did I think of the actions of the main character?
I mean there isn't one single main character in this book. I think Anne, Louisa, Serk, and even Tobias are all main characters. But if I had to pick one, I would probably say Louisa. I found her actions heartbreaking because they’re propelled by a desperate need to reconstruct what has already slipped out of reach. Her choices often feel impulsive or self-sabotaging, but that’s precisely what makes them so human. She is moving through trauma without a clear narrative to hold onto, and the way she grasps at fragments — sometimes tenderly, sometimes recklessly — captures the violence of remembering and the impossibility of getting it “right.”
Feel free to continue the discussion in the comments!
by PuzzleheadedTask2675