The premise for Ann Liang's If You Could See the Sun was enough for me to pick it up: A young girl who attends an elite boarding school in Beijing begins to turn invisible. But then the book was listed as one of the best YA dark academia books of 2022. And then, it was nominated for Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction for the 2022 Goodreads Choice Awards. So yes, I have been excited to talk about this one.
The Situation: It is not enough for Alice Sun to simply try her best. When it comes to anything related to school work or academics, Alice must be the best. She already feels incredibly inadequate, nearly invisible, when it comes to her classmates. Because Alice attends the prestigious Airington International Boarding School in Beijing, her classmates are wealthy, privileged, well-traveled, and completely unaware of what it means for someone like Alice to have to work so hard for something they can simply buy...or have their parents buy for them. Alice is the only scholarship student among her friends, and it is not even a full scholarship. Her scholastic awards and accomplishments are what make Alice feel seen, until she literally begins turning invisible.
The Problem: Despite Alice not being able to at all control her new...power? affliction? burden?...she believes she has found a way to make the most of a weird situation. Since her parents have dropped the news that they can no longer afford the school fees that her scholarship does not cover, meaning the illustrious future that is promised by an Airington education is now no longer guaranteed, Alice has been attempting to think of ways to secure her place at the elite school. And being able to turn invisible means access to the secrets of some of China's richest and most powerful teens, and their families. But it does not take long for the requests to become borderline unethical, even crossing over into the criminal. Soon, Alice must evaluate what she wants for herself, and consider what she is willing to do to get it.
Genre, Themes, History: This is a young adult fiction novel set in modern day Beijing at an international boarding school. The vast majority of the students at Airington are incredibly wealthy, with Alice being an exception. Having earned the nickname of 'Study Machine,' Alice is proud of her reputation for being an intense top student, but nothing takes away that feeling faster than the image of the effortlessly attractive, smart, rich, and likeable Henry Li, her main competition in everything academic. At the core of Alice's story is her constant struggle to not only be the best, but to simply exist in a space where those around her have to do very little for the same results. Alice was already tired and angry before the events in the story, so when she receives news that she will not be able to stay at Airington, things become even more manic, tense, and desperate.
My Verdict: What I expected was a somewhat cutesy story of a young girl discovering she can become invisible, and using those powers to her advantage until things get predictably out of control. Shenanigans ensue, and maybe there is a love interest thrown in there somewhere. What I did not expect was to be genuinely affected by Alice's situation of being the only scholarship student (and again, not even a full scholarship) at an elite boarding school, where the other students have no idea about her situation...in fact, many of them cannot even fathom what it takes for someone like Alice to be at a school like Airington. Alice is indeed as her classmates describe her - one young man described her as shrill and intense - but she is also relatable. Despite her many mistakes (so many), I wanted her to win, whatever that meant.
Favorite Moment: At one point, the usually nonconfrontational Alice calls out one of her teachers for essentially being fake, and I was here for it.
Favorite Character: Alice's roommate Chanel is the definition of the phrase "don't judge a book by its cover." She is rich, beautiful, an influencer, and somewhat clueless, while also being loyal to Alice and genuinely wanting to help.
Recommended Reading: I recommend Nothing More to Tell by Karen M. McManus.
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