Winner of the 2024 VPLA for Unpublished Manuscript, The Sun Was Electric Light is a striking debut from Rachel Morton, demonstrating her capability as a fierce new literary talent. Sparse and beautifully written, Morton delivers a powerful meditation on the meaning of home, happiness, and where to turn in grief.

We follow the story of our narrator Ruth, lonely and rootless, who abandons her life in New York for the balmy streets of Guatemala. There, Ruth meets Emilie and then Carmen, drawn towards these polarised individuals for different reasons, her love for them is shaped in distinctive and incompatible ways. Steadily reconnecting with the world around her, Ruth develops deep relationships both to people and place, grappling with her attachment to each woman and the volcanic lake around which their life is centred.

Every character on the page is wholly believable, brought to life by descriptions that feel the opposite of cliché. The stripped-back story structure leaves room for nuanced relationships and powerful insight, exploring the quiet complexities of friendship, community, and our desire to belong. Ruth’s mind is obfuscated; her thoughts are neither confessional nor expository. While this carefully constructed ambiguity muddies the character’s past, identity and emotion, she still narrates her world with delicate understanding, moving through the story as a vivid and complex personality.

This narrative is unique and pleasingly unpredictable. Ruth’s retreat from the city leads her towards an intimate life, stripped of luxuries and rich with gentle recognition. Her journey is, at times, lonely and strange, as she chooses to follow people and ideas towards unexpected ends. It is there, however, that she uncovers moments of integrity and beauty. The strength of this book is its ability to unmask the most subtle of human experiences simply and succinctly, drawing readers deep into the heart of Ruth’s Guatemalan home.