Too Bright to See is a young-adult novel by Kyle Lukoff. It follows Bug, a young person, who begins to experience a series of supernatural events following the death of an uncle. Over the course of the book, Bug comes to a meaningful understanding of his identity as a transgender boy.
The novel begins shortly after Bug's uncle Roderick dies. Reeling from grief, he and his mother struggle to come to terms with this loss. Bug spends time with his friend Moira, who is focused on making friends and being well-versed in makeup, nail polish, and clothes. Bug sometimes struggles to feel close to her at times, as he has no interest in these things. At the same time, Bug begins to notice strange occurrences in his house, like odd noises and falling objects. After some investigation at the local library, he realizes that his house is haunted. He uses a Ouija board and discovers that the ghost haunting his home is his uncle Roderick. During one interaction with Roderick's ghost, he discovers a box of photographs and articles about transgender people and begins to wonder what he is trying to communicate to him. He goes to a sleepover with some older girls and in the morning discovers that his head has been shaved by his uncle's ghost. The girls compliment his haircut, despite being spooked by the supernatural circumstances under which it occurred. At this moment, he realizes he's a boy. Bug goes home to tell his mother about this revelation, and she happily cries and holds him, saying that she loves him. He tells Moira the same thing and she takes him shopping for boys' clothing. The novel ends with him attending the first day and seeing his uncle at school.
Published in 2021, the novel was widely celebrated for discussing gender identity and sexuality in a thoughtful and affirming way. The book was a Newbery Honor Book and a finalist for the National Book Award. It also received the Stonewall Book Award in the "Children and Young Adult'' category. It was included on best-of lists by The Boston Globe, NPR, and The Washington Post. In a starred review, Kirkus Reviews wrote, “The narrative pushes against gendered stereotypes about interests like sports and makeup, challenging restricting ideas about gender and self-expression. A chilling, suspenseful ghost story balances the intimate, introspective narrative style.”
