"Heartbreaking and compelling." Observer

Lou Connor, a gifted, unhappy sixteen-year-old, is desperate to escape her life of poverty in Sydney. When she is offered a place as an exchange student at a school in America it seems as if her dreams will be fulfilled . . .

How the Light Gets In is an acutely observed story of adolescence, shot through with spiky humour. In Lou Connor M.J. Hyland has created a larger-than-life heroine who captivates the reader with her vivacity and vulnerability,
from hopeful beginning to unexpected, haunting end.

"Hyland nails the alternating excitement and embarrassment of being a teenager . . . a writer grappling with serious questions about how we make our way through the world."
New York Times

"An astonishingly well-written slice of reality."
Telegraph

"Hyland excels at atmosphere . . . she brings the long-forgotten teenage sensation of drowning in life's uncomprehended complexities horribly alive."
The Times

"An intriguing and disturbing work which shimmers with edgy brilliance."
Sunday Herald