The Light of the Fireflies Audiobook By Paul Pen, Simon Bruni - translator cover art

The Light of the Fireflies

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.

The Light of the Fireflies

By: Paul Pen, Simon Bruni - translator
Narrated by: Scott Merriman
Try for $0.00

$0.00/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $25.00

Buy for $25.00

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

A haunting and hopeful tale of discovering light in even the darkest of places.

For his whole life, the boy has lived underground, in a basement with his parents, grandmother, sister, and brother. Before he was born, his family was disfigured by a fire. His sister wears a white mask to cover her burns.

He spends his hours with his cactus, reading his book on insects, or touching the one ray of sunlight that filters in through a crack in the ceiling. Ever since his sister had a baby, everyone's been acting very strangely. The boy begins to wonder why they never say who the father is, about what happened before his own birth, about why they're shut away.

A few days ago, some fireflies arrived in the basement. His grandma said, There's no creature more amazing than one that can make its own light. That light makes the boy want to escape, to know the outside world. Problem is, all the doors are locked. And he doesn't know how to get out....

©2013 Paul Pen (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved. Translation © 2016 Simon Bruni. Coming of Age Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Psychological Suspense Thriller & Suspense Emotionally Gripping Mind-Bending Scary
All stars
Most relevant  
Well written and skillfully maneuvered. The imagery was good. Only criticism was the story seemed to break pace at the end and it felt rushed. I wished the author could have restrained himself and kept the craftiness until the end. I would recommend this book!

Excellent Tale!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Any additional comments?

Never read anything like it.

Very dark, disturbing, interesting at the same time....even some bits of redemption, a study in humanity after the fall.

Well worth reading.

Unique

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Nice twist. You will change your mind about how you feel about each character .

Nice twist

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This story was filled with surprises. Just when I thought I had something figured out, a new twist would appear. The ending was nothing I could've predicted. Will definitely listen again to catch more detail!

One turn after another

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
sad story not my cup of tea a good read if it invokes a reaction. that's all i have to say.

not what i expected

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Very raw. I liked it but it is a very Heart wrenching story. If you get depressed easily with stories, this is not for you.

Heartbreaking

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I read the negative reviews first and already had in my kind things that were going to happen in the story and while they did...it’s NOT what you think! The first half of the book was a bit hard t get through but once the back story came out I couldn’t stop reading! Really enjoyed this book!

DON’T READ THE NEGATIVE REVIEWS FIRST!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I was swallowed into this story. If I could have listened in one sitting, I would have.

Love this book!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I like dark stories and this book still creeps in on my thoughts. I wasn't crazy about the ending I'll admit but I finished this in two days.. Couldn't stop listening.

If you like dark stories, listen to this!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Maybe the most mixed response to a book I’ve read recently. The book is made up into two parts that are very distinct, though I won’t get into how to avoid spoilers. The first part was some of the best stuff I’ve read recently. The story is simple, and the characters complex. Just for the writing alone it’s worth the read. The second part is almost the reverse, the story growing more complex than it should, and the characters dumbed down versions of themselves. The first part of this book was always compelling and rarely predictable. By the second part I was predicting what would happen and was shocked by the end when I was exactly right. It’s also a fairly unsatisfying ending in my opinion. Really enjoyed the beginning, so am a bit disappointed but at least the writing is good for a time

Mixed bag

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews