
A Scatter of Light
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $22.50
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Annie Q
-
By:
-
Malinda Lo
About this listen
“Full of yearning, ponderances about art and what it means to be an artist, and self-revelation, A Scatter of Light has a simmering intensity that makes it hard to put down."—NPR
An Instant New York Times Bestseller
Last Night at the Telegraph Club author Malinda Lo returns to the Bay Area with another masterful queer coming-of-age story, this time set against the backdrop of the first major Supreme Court decisions legalizing gay marriage.
Aria Tang West was looking forward to a summer on Martha’s Vineyard with her best friends—one last round of sand and sun before college. But after a graduation party goes wrong, Aria’s parents exile her to California to stay with her grandmother, artist Joan West. Aria expects boredom, but what she finds is Steph Nichols, her grandmother’s gardener. Soon, Aria is second-guessing who she is and what she wants to be, and a summer that once seemed lost becomes unforgettable—for Aria, her family, and the working-class queer community Steph introduces her to. It’s the kind of summer that changes a life forever.
And almost sixty years after the end of Last Night at the Telegraph Club, A Scatter of Light also offers a glimpse into Lily and Kath’s lives since 1955.
©2022 Malinda Lo (P)2022 Listening LibraryListeners also enjoyed...
-
Last Night at the Telegraph Club
- By: Malinda Lo
- Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
- Length: 12 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"That book. It was about two women, and they fell in love with each other." And then Lily asked the question that had taken root in her, that was even now unfurling its leaves and demanding to be shown the sun: "Have you ever heard of such a thing?" Seventeen-year-old Lily Hu can't remember exactly when the question took root, but the answer was in full bloom the moment she and Kathleen Miller walked under the flashing neon sign of a lesbian bar called the Telegraph Club. America in 1954 is not a safe place for two girls to fall in love, especially not in Chinatown.
-
-
Critiquing queer books
- By angelina on 04-27-21
By: Malinda Lo
-
Mistakes Were Made
- A Novel
- By: Meryl Wilsner
- Narrated by: Quinn Riley, Stephanie Németh-Parker
- Length: 11 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Cassie Klein goes to an off-campus bar to escape her school’s Family Weekend, she isn’t looking for a hookup—it just happens. Buying a drink for a stranger turns into what should be an uncomplicated, amazing one-night stand. But then the next morning rolls around and her friend drags her along to meet her mom—the hot, older woman Cassie slept with. What should have been a one-time fling quickly proves impossible to ignore, and soon Cassie and Erin are sneaking around. Worst of all, they start to realize they have something real. But is being honest about it worth the cost?
-
-
Power dynamic
- By Anonymous User on 01-26-23
By: Meryl Wilsner
-
Yerba Buena
- A Novel
- By: Nina LaCour
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 8 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Sara Foster runs away from home at 16, she leaves behind not only the losses that have shattered her world but the girl she once was, capable of trust and intimacy. Years later, in Los Angeles, she is a sought-after bartender, renowned as much for her brilliant cocktails as for the mystery that clings to her. Across the city, Emilie Dubois is in a holding pattern. In her sixth year and fifth major as an undergraduate, she yearns for the beauty and community her Creole grandparents cultivated but is unable to commit.
-
-
Too much HGTV, too many marshmallows
- By KayMac on 06-07-22
By: Nina LaCour
-
Ash
- By: Malinda Lo
- Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
- Length: 6 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the wake of her father’s death, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother. Consumed with grief, she finds her only joy by the light of the dying hearth fire, re-reading the fairy tales her mother once told her. In her dreams, someday the fairies will steal her away, as they are said to do. When she meets the dark and dangerous fairy Sidhean, she begins to believe that her wish may be granted.
-
-
The woman who read this is exceptional.
- By BSBeach on 05-03-24
By: Malinda Lo
-
Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburgh
- By: Rachael Lippincott
- Narrated by: Natalie Naudus, Shakira Shute
- Length: 8 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Audrey Cameron has lost her spark. But after getting dumped by her first love and waitlisted at her dream art school all in one week, she has no intention of putting her heart on the line again to get it back. So when local curmudgeon Mr. Montgomery walks into her family’s Pittsburgh convenience store saying he can help her, Audrey doesn’t know what she’s expecting…but it’s definitely not that she’ll be transported back to 1812 to become a Regency romance heroine.
-
-
Sweet , entertaining, and endearing
- By Helpful reviews only on 09-30-23
-
The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School
- By: Sonora Reyes
- Narrated by: Karla Serrato
- Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sixteen-year-old Yamilet Flores prefers to be known for her killer eyeliner, not for being one of the only Mexican kids at her new, mostly white, very rich Catholic school. But at least here no one knows she’s gay, and Yami intends to keep it that way.
-
-
Good Topics - Not as engaging as I’d hope
- By AlyssaKate on 09-22-23
By: Sonora Reyes
-
Last Night at the Telegraph Club
- By: Malinda Lo
- Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
- Length: 12 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"That book. It was about two women, and they fell in love with each other." And then Lily asked the question that had taken root in her, that was even now unfurling its leaves and demanding to be shown the sun: "Have you ever heard of such a thing?" Seventeen-year-old Lily Hu can't remember exactly when the question took root, but the answer was in full bloom the moment she and Kathleen Miller walked under the flashing neon sign of a lesbian bar called the Telegraph Club. America in 1954 is not a safe place for two girls to fall in love, especially not in Chinatown.
-
-
Critiquing queer books
- By angelina on 04-27-21
By: Malinda Lo
-
Mistakes Were Made
- A Novel
- By: Meryl Wilsner
- Narrated by: Quinn Riley, Stephanie Németh-Parker
- Length: 11 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Cassie Klein goes to an off-campus bar to escape her school’s Family Weekend, she isn’t looking for a hookup—it just happens. Buying a drink for a stranger turns into what should be an uncomplicated, amazing one-night stand. But then the next morning rolls around and her friend drags her along to meet her mom—the hot, older woman Cassie slept with. What should have been a one-time fling quickly proves impossible to ignore, and soon Cassie and Erin are sneaking around. Worst of all, they start to realize they have something real. But is being honest about it worth the cost?
-
-
Power dynamic
- By Anonymous User on 01-26-23
By: Meryl Wilsner
-
Yerba Buena
- A Novel
- By: Nina LaCour
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 8 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Sara Foster runs away from home at 16, she leaves behind not only the losses that have shattered her world but the girl she once was, capable of trust and intimacy. Years later, in Los Angeles, she is a sought-after bartender, renowned as much for her brilliant cocktails as for the mystery that clings to her. Across the city, Emilie Dubois is in a holding pattern. In her sixth year and fifth major as an undergraduate, she yearns for the beauty and community her Creole grandparents cultivated but is unable to commit.
-
-
Too much HGTV, too many marshmallows
- By KayMac on 06-07-22
By: Nina LaCour
-
Ash
- By: Malinda Lo
- Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
- Length: 6 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the wake of her father’s death, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother. Consumed with grief, she finds her only joy by the light of the dying hearth fire, re-reading the fairy tales her mother once told her. In her dreams, someday the fairies will steal her away, as they are said to do. When she meets the dark and dangerous fairy Sidhean, she begins to believe that her wish may be granted.
-
-
The woman who read this is exceptional.
- By BSBeach on 05-03-24
By: Malinda Lo
-
Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburgh
- By: Rachael Lippincott
- Narrated by: Natalie Naudus, Shakira Shute
- Length: 8 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Audrey Cameron has lost her spark. But after getting dumped by her first love and waitlisted at her dream art school all in one week, she has no intention of putting her heart on the line again to get it back. So when local curmudgeon Mr. Montgomery walks into her family’s Pittsburgh convenience store saying he can help her, Audrey doesn’t know what she’s expecting…but it’s definitely not that she’ll be transported back to 1812 to become a Regency romance heroine.
-
-
Sweet , entertaining, and endearing
- By Helpful reviews only on 09-30-23
-
The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School
- By: Sonora Reyes
- Narrated by: Karla Serrato
- Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sixteen-year-old Yamilet Flores prefers to be known for her killer eyeliner, not for being one of the only Mexican kids at her new, mostly white, very rich Catholic school. But at least here no one knows she’s gay, and Yami intends to keep it that way.
-
-
Good Topics - Not as engaging as I’d hope
- By AlyssaKate on 09-22-23
By: Sonora Reyes
-
Cleat Cute
- A Novel
- By: Meryl Wilsner
- Narrated by: Dana Varden, Zim Avaltrades
- Length: 11 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Grace Henderson has been a star of the US Women’s National Team for ten years, even though she’s only 26. But when she’s sidelined with an injury, a bold new upstart, Phoebe Matthews, takes her spot. Phoebe is everything Grace isn’t—a gregarious jokester who plays with a joy that Grace lost somewhere along the way. The last thing Grace expects is to become friends with benefits with this class clown she sees as her rival.
-
-
Cute Sotey; Not Meryl Wilsner’s Best
- By ari on 09-22-23
By: Meryl Wilsner
-
Integrity
- Halcyon Division, Book 1
- By: E. J. Noyes
- Narrated by: Abby Craden
- Length: 9 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s an ordinary workday when intelligence analyst Lexie Martin learns about a horrific chemical weapon attack abroad. Just an ordinary day...until a stranger breaks into her house and warns her to forget what she saw and heard, setting off a chain of events Lexie thought only happened in movies. Falsely accused of stealing intelligence and unsure of who to trust, Lexie quickly realizes the significance of the intel and that she must do everything she can to keep it safe. And as she runs—maybe for her life—Lexie knows she needs something, or someone, to help her.
-
-
So Good!
- By csofthemidwest on 05-28-23
By: E. J. Noyes
-
A Kiss Doesn’t Lie
- By: Robin Alexander
- Narrated by: Abby Craden
- Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jodi Grant had plans—a job interview that held promise and a date with a real woman who didn't only exist in her mind. What she had not planned on was a trip . . . at gunpoint when her father dropped a bombshell in her lap . . . at his own funeral. Dr. Blair Whittington went to Peru in search of ancient artifacts. What she discovered was the illegal antiquities trade in which she had unwittingly become embroiled. Betrayed by Nicolas Grant, Blair must rely on his estranged daughter, the key to her freedom.
-
-
Excellent
- By Sab on 11-02-23
By: Robin Alexander
-
Sorry, Bro
- By: Taleen Voskuni
- Narrated by: Christine Mirzayan
- Length: 10 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Nareh Bedrossian’s non-Armenian boyfriend gets down on one knee and proposes to her in front of a room full of drunk San Francisco tech boys, she realizes it’s time to find someone who shares her idea of romance. Enter her mother: armed with plenty of mom-guilt and a spreadsheet of Armenian men, she convinces Nar to attend Explore Armenia, a month-long series of events in the city. But it’s not the mom-approved playboy doctor or the wealthy engineer who catch Nar’s eye—it’s Erebuni, a woman as immersed in the witchy arts as she is in preserving Armenian identity.
-
-
Amazing
- By Anonymous User on 08-09-23
By: Taleen Voskuni
-
She Gets the Girl
- By: Rachael Lippincott, Alyson Derrick
- Narrated by: Natalie Naudus, Valentina Ortiz
- Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alex Blackwood is a little bit headstrong, with a dash of chaos and a whole lot of flirt. She knows how to get the girl. Keeping her on the other hand…not so much. Molly Parker has everything in her life totally in control, except for her complete awkwardness with just about anyone besides her mom. She knows she’s in love with the impossibly cool Cora Myers. She just…hasn’t actually talked to her yet.
-
-
Crushes & Self Awareness
- By Anonymous User on 04-06-22
By: Rachael Lippincott, and others
-
Kiss Her Once for Me
- A Novel
- By: Alison Cochrun
- Narrated by: Natalie Naudus
- Length: 10 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One year ago, recent Portland transplant Ellie Oliver had her dream job in animation and a Christmas Eve meet-cute with a woman at a bookstore that led her to fall in love over the course of a single night. But after a betrayal the next morning and the loss of her job soon after, she finds herself adrift, alone, and desperate for money. Finding work at a coffee shop, she’s just getting through the days—until Andrew, the shop’s landlord, proposes a shocking, drunken plan: a marriage of convenience that will give him his recent inheritance and alleviate Ellie’s financial woes.
-
-
Just bad
- By Jadyn G on 12-15-22
By: Alison Cochrun
-
Dreamland
- A Novel
- By: Nicholas Sparks
- Narrated by: Austin Nichols, Thérèse Plummer, Nicholas Sparks
- Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After fleeing an abusive husband with her six-year-old son, Tommie, Beverly is attempting to create a new life for them in a small town off the beaten track. Despite their newfound freedom, Beverly is constantly on guard: she creates a fake backstory, wears a disguise around town, and buries herself in DIY projects to stave off anxiety. But her stress only rises when Tommie insists he’d been hearing someone walking on the roof and calling his name late at night.
-
-
Wow
- By Valeria on 09-21-22
By: Nicholas Sparks
-
These Thin Lines
- By: Milena McKay
- Narrated by: Abby Craden
- Length: 11 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the heart of Paris, Chiara Conti is a Queen trapped in an Ivory Tower of haute couture, fortune and lovelessness. Lonely and dejected, she's longing for inspiration, for direction, for understanding. When Vi Courtenay falls at her feet, losing her shoe like a veritable Cinderella, events are set in motion that will unravel their carefully fashioned lives. With everything tainted, will the thin lines they rend ever be mended?
-
-
Not my favorite
- By Amazon Customer on 01-02-24
By: Milena McKay
-
Written in the Stars
- A Novel
- By: Alexandria Bellefleur
- Narrated by: Lauren Sweet
- Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After a disastrous blind date, Darcy Lowell is desperate to stop her well-meaning brother from playing matchmaker ever again. Love—and the inevitable heartbreak—is the last thing she wants. So she fibs and says her latest setup was a success. Darcy doesn't expect her lie to bite her in the ass. Elle Jones, one of the astrologers behind the popular Twitter account, Oh My Stars, dreams of finding her soul mate. But she knows it is most assuredly not Darcy... a no-nonsense stick-in-the-mud, who is way too analytical, punctual, and skeptical for someone as free-spirited as Elle.
-
-
Absolutely wonderful
- By Michelle M. on 11-13-20
-
That Summer Feeling
- By: Bridget Morrissey
- Narrated by: Jeremy Carlisle Parker
- Length: 8 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Garland Moore used to believe in magic, the power of optimism, and signs from the universe. Then her husband surprised her with divorce papers over Valentine's Day dinner. Now Garland isn’t sure what to believe anymore, except that she’s clearly never meant to love again. When new friends invite her to spend a week at their reopened sleepaway camp, she and her sister decide it’s an opportunity to enjoy the kind of summer getaway they never had as kids. If Garland still believed in signs, this would sure seem like one.
-
-
Narrator is female
- By Anonymous User on 06-03-23
-
Imogen, Obviously
- By: Becky Albertalli
- Narrated by: Caitlin Kinnunen
- Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lili drops a tiny queer bombshell: she's told all her college friends that Imogen and Lili used to date. And none of them know that Imogen is a raging hetero—not even Lili’s best friend, Tessa. Of course, the more time Imogen spends with chaotic, freckle-faced Tessa, the more she starts to wonder if her truth was ever all that straight to begin with. . .
-
-
Sweet, lgbtq+ YA story
- By Leena on 07-01-23
By: Becky Albertalli
-
Girls Like Girls
- By: Hayley Kiyoko
- Narrated by: Brandon Flynn, Hayley Kiyoko, Katie Gavin, and others
- Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Trailblazing pop star, actor and director, Hayley Kiyoko debuts her first novel, a coming-of-age romance based on her breakthrough hit song and viral video, Girls Like Girls.
-
-
Perfect
- By Allison on 06-30-23
By: Hayley Kiyoko
Critic reviews
An NPR Best Book of the Year
A Parents Magazine Best Book of the Year
A BuzzFeed Best Book of the Year
“Full of yearning, ponderances about art and what it means to be an artist, and self-revelation, A Scatter of Light has a simmering intensity that makes it hard to put down."—NPR
"The intimate details and complex relationships of this perfectly rendered story of first love between two young women is reminiscent of Judy Blume's classic Forever."—Parents Magazine
"Beautifully rendered and instantly captivating. Malinda Lo writes queer desire like no other."—Diva Magazine
What listeners say about A Scatter of Light
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Shannan
- 10-11-23
Love Letter to SF
I was born, raised and came of age/came out in SF and this novel felt like home to me.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Megan
- 10-25-23
Great book
Loved it! Wish this was a series. Definitely love the author on to the next
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Alex Carman
- 06-29-24
A Great Sequel to my favorite Sapphic Novel
I love that we go to hear about Lily and Kath. I love that this story was very relatable especially for me because a few years ago my Great Grandmother Joan had a stroke and died soon after. I do also understand why they did the ending the way they did, this isn’t the story of someone’s long time relationship, it’s the story of their first relationship that might lead to something else later on. Unlike Lily and Kath, our main character is still trying to find herself even if it means she has to face both a death in the family and her first break up. This story shows how much the writer has improved,
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Pema
- 02-02-24
Hang on, it catches fire.
A slow start tumbled into wonderful depths. And a familial bond with Last Telegraph characters was fantastic. I’m Malinda Lo’s newest biggest fan.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Malwynne
- 08-27-24
Emotional and tone whiplash
It's not the morally grey main character that's the problem, it's that this story felt like it didn't quite know how to get to where it wanted to be. The sudden transition between scened seemed like they didn't go together, like jamming puzzle pieces together that didn't quite fit. I feel like this book would be better physically read, but I don't know how much that would help. Not the worst book I have read, but the Author's other book Last Night At The Telegraph Club is much better and does not suffer from the problems this one does as much.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Addison
- 04-13-24
Bore
Totally dull ending bore was so good at first totally did not end well totally un climactic in my opinion
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!