CANR
WORK TITLE: This Moth Saw Brightness
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WEBSITE: https://aavacharat.com/
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RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Married, husband’s name Zachary.
EDUCATION:Vermont College of Fine Arts, M.F.A. (writing for children and young adults).
ADDRESS
CAREER
Artist, illustrator, writer, educator, technologist, and performer. Has worked as a violin and piano instructor, web application programmer, software consultancy director, Broadway musical performer, neuroscience lab technician, and massage therapist.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
[open new]Alt-minded auteur A.A. Vacharat has enjoyed a peripatetic career that eventually led to the publication of her debut young-adult novel. She graduated from massage school and at once started taking on sensitive post-operative clients. From there she decided to found a software consultancy. In time she elected to close that business so she could focus on a literary career, including by earning a master’s degree in youth writing at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Meanwhile she has taught piano and violin and once performed in a Broadway musical. Vacharat began her first novel in 2013 but went through many drafts that left her unsatisfied until practically perfecting it for publication a dozen years later. She has credited the benevolent personnel at the Citizen Vinyl Session Cafe, in Asheville, North Carolina, with letting her spend many long writing sessions there. Also an illustrator, Vacharat has an Etsy shop—Quillypigs—where she sells decorated fountain pens, decals, and cards.
This Moth Saw Brightness is narrated by high-school senior ’Wayne—nicknamed D for the invisible letter at the front—last name Le, whose life went sideways when his depressed mother left the family eight years ago. D’s Vietnamese father has tried to regulate the apathy out of him, but a breakthrough seems possible when D gets enrolled in a touted medical research study at John Hopkins University. Even more promising for D is the fact that school crush Jane, an autistic origami aficionado whom he has never been bold enough to approach, is also enrolling. As they get started with wristband monitors, puzzles, and a daily pill with unclear effects, Jane suggests that she and D meet regularly to discuss the study. As things start getting weird, D’s survelliance-savvy friend Kermit Shah cues them to the possibility that a chilling conspiracy involving the government and Big Tech may be underway. Interspersed among the novel’s brief chapters are narrative-enhancing elements such as dialogue scripts, screenshots, and footnotes.
A Publishers Weekly reviewer declared of This Moth Saw Brightness: “Utilizing cheeky footnotes and fourth-wall-breaking asides, and deploying shocking twists and turns, Vacharat delivers a propulsive and unnerving debut.” Keying in on the novel’s postmodern elements in a Booklist review, Austin Ferraro recognized that where “specific aspects of the narrative are overtly synthetic,” seeming too stilted or coincidental, the narrative may well be riffing on the idea of “the organic missteps of a debut writer.” Ferraro was impressed by the “tense, well-paced plot” and “deeply unsettling ending.” Horn Book reviewer Katrina Hedeen Eftekhari declared that the “cleverly placed motifs, unique turns of phrase, plays on stereotype and archetype, and meta elements” help make Vacharat’s debut a “standout work of speculative fiction and a foreboding social satire.” A Kirkus Reviews writer affirmed that Vacharat’s “funny, insightful debut about mental illness, identity, and a person’s capacity to change packs a surprising emotional punch.” The reviewer praised the author’s “bold stylistic choices” and hailed This Moth Saw Brightness as “superb.”[close new]
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, April, 2025, Austin Ferraro, review of This Moth Saw Brightness, p. 97.
Horn Book, July-August, 2025, Katrina Hedeen Eftekhari, review of This Moth Saw Brightness, p. 105.
Kirkus Reviews, February 15, 2025, review of This Moth Saw Brightness.
Publishers Weekly, March 3, 2025, review of This Moth Saw Brightness, p. 60.
ONLINE
A.A. Vacharat website, https://aavacharat.com (September 22, 2025).
Etsy, https://www.etsy.com/ (September 22, 2025), “Quillypigs,” author shop.
Shoutout North Carolina, https://shoutoutnorthcarolina.com/ (April 3, 2025), “Meet A.A. Vacharat | Author & Artist.”
A. A. Vacharat makes thoughtful books and art that include elements of science, technology, and usually a bit of absurdity. Although her projects may be inconsistent in subject, medium, and tone, they all tend to be multi-layered and unexpected with rewards with those who are paying attention. They have diverse casts that reflect the community she grew up in, and usually contain at least one animal. She holds an MFA in Writing for Children from the Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA).
before now:
A. A. Vacharat’s done all sorts of stuff. She has taught violin and piano, programmed web applications, run a software consultancy, performed in a Broadway musical, operated on rat brains in a neuroscience lab, and practiced massage at a surgery center where she specialized in the injured groins of pro athletes.
Meet A. A. Vacharat | Author & Artist
April 3, 2025
Leave a reply
We had the good fortune of connecting with A. A. Vacharat and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi A. A., how do you think about risk?
You know, when I talk to other people about my career journey, I’m always surprised how often “risk” comes up. People seem to think I’ve done a lot of risky things, which, I suppose in hindsight, I have:
Things like taking on post-op clients the day after graduating massage school. Or jumping from that to starting a software consultancy. Or closing that business and eliminating my only income source to focus on writing. Or writing an offbeat novel about conspiracies in the current political climate.
I do believe in risk-taking, in theory, especially for entrepreneurship and creativity. But for me, it’s not ever a calculated choice. It hardly feels like a choice at all. I simply have a low tolerance for doing things that I don’t want to do.
To say the exact same thing more positively, in following my interests and intuition, in doing what feels authentic, I’ve taken big risks that have worked out well for me. Not necessarily financially, but I have done and made a lot that I’m proud of. I don’t have regrets for things I haven’t tried.
The other thing I’d say about this is that in assessing “risk” I tend to not think of the outcome as binary. It’s not win or lose. For me, the outcome branches into a million other opportunities—“If this business doesn’t work out, I’ll write a novel,” or “move to Argentina,” or whatever.
I guess you could say that nothing feels risky because I redefine “success” to match whatever happens. I am a terrible cheater of my own games.
Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Ha – “Was it easy?” Has anyone actually said “yes” to this?
The thing I’m most proud of these days is: I have a novel, THIS MOTH SAW BRIGHTNESS, coming out in May with Dutton / Penguin Teen. And no, it wasn’t easy. I started this novel in 2013 or so.
But it wasn’t hard in the way I typically think of as something being “hard.” Not like lifting a heavy weight or doing the Sunday crossword.
The hardest parts for me were facing my personal limitations. Perseverance despite lots of rejection. Perseverance in limited time. And the hardest: Perseverance when you look at something you make and you know it’s terrible. Perseverance when how terrible it is—this thing you’ve made—makes you physically ill, when you’re nauseous looking at it, when you imagine anyone finding it and, and they know you made it, this terrible thing, and how they will be embarrassed for you, they will be embarrassed that they know you, this maker of things so terrible it’s a blight on your whole reputation as a human being, it’s a blight on human beings in general…perseverance through all that and continuing to edit and revise even if your eyes and nose and ears are closed in disgust with yourself for what you’ve made.
I actually had to use specific methods to trick myself to push past these phases. So, yes, the hardest part was probably learning the weaknesses in my character and then learning how to outsmart myself. My subconscious is an extremely worthy opponent.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I am a terrible city tour guide because I personally try to never leave my house. But I do love Asheville.
My imaginary friend would have a dog (because of course) so we’d leash up and walk around Historic Montford. It’s beautiful in any season, especially the spring, and close to home.
Asheville is super dog friendly all around, so we’d all go downtown and get a coffee and listen to records at Citizen Vinyl, hop over to Madame Clutterbuckets to get fidget toys and a craft project for the evening, then we’d walk around one of the art walk galleries to appreciate the local artists. We’d end that day with a visit to Malaprops for a tea and a book event with a local author.
I also love taking people (and their dogs) to the River Arts District (the parts that are left after Helene) and trails—my favorites are the ones that involve climbing and scrambling, the ones where my friends end up cursing me by the end.
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My story is long at this point, and there are probably hundreds of people I want to shout out. Since this is North Carolina, though, I’ll shout out Citizen Vinyl Session Cafe. It was the perfect place to write when I was having trouble making progress anywhere else. They let me sit there for hours and made me pour overs.
Website: https://aavacharat.com
Instagram: @quillypig
Other: @Vacharat (On Bluesky)
@a.a.vacharat (on TikTok)
Image Credits
Photograph of artist by A. Azur
Nominate Someone: ShoutoutNorthCarolina is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
This Moth Saw Brightness by A. A. Vacharat High School Dutton 448 pp. 5/25 9780593698600 $20.99 e-book ed. 9780593698624 $10.99
D (short for 'Wayne; the D is "invisible"), who lives in a somewhat off-kilter version of Baltimore, keeps to himself and doesn't care about much. Half his life ago, his mother left the family during a serious depression. Then D enters a coveted health study and gets to know his crush and fellow participant Jane, who is autistic and who can relate to D's loss. An oddball, conspiracy-heavy mystery begins as D, Jane, and D's tech-and-surveillance-hobbyist bestie, Kermit, investigate the clandestine study's purpose and intentions. The storytelling leans into absurdity and surrealism as the trio seeks answers about the shadowy operation through obstacles such as cartoonish adult characters (be they villainous or clueless) and distractions from their eccentric peers. Told in short chapters, dialogue scripts, screenshots, footnotes, and more, a trippy plot unspools in unpredictable directions. Cleverly placed motifs, unique turns of phrase, plays on stereotype and archetype, and meta elements (the mall sells "experiences"; a selfie theme park) together enhance the book's timely themes: identity, ableism, the stigmatization of mental illness, and the impact of technology on human experiences. Vacharat's debut is a standout work of speculative fiction and a foreboding social satire about unethical governing and the corrosive values of Big Tech. KATRINA HEDEEN EFTEKHARI
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Sources, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.hbook.com/magazine/default.asp
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Eftekhari, Katrina Hedeen. "This Moth Saw Brightness." The Horn Book Magazine, vol. 101, no. 4, July-Aug. 2025, pp. 105+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A849568864/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=35669dee. Accessed 25 Aug. 2025.
* This Moth Saw Brightness. By A. A. Vacharat. May 2025. 448p. Dutton, $20.99 (9780593698600). Gr. 8-12.
The true conspiracy theories are the friends we made along the way--or are they? 'Wayne isn't particularly interested in conspiracy theories, so when he is selected for a medical research study at Johns Hopkins University, he doesn't think much of it. At first, 'Wayne thinks the most interesting thing about the study is the presence of Jane, his classmate (and crush) whom he's barely talked to. To 'Wayne's surprise, Jane proposes that the duo meet regularly to discuss the study. As the study progresses, small but significant details in the teens' daily lives start to seem slightly outside of their norm. At times, specific aspects of the narrative are overtly synthetic; they feel a little too scripted or rely on connections that are a little too convenient. Although these elements initially look like the organic missteps of a debut writer, it later seems that this is the conclusion the reader is intended to reach ... or is it? While 'Wayne's strong voice comes out in frequent footnotes that break the fourth wall and Jane is the rare well-written autistic girl, the tense, well-paced plot is usually at the forefront. This debut is an engaging read while also having great potential to spark conversations about information literacy with the implications of its deeply unsettling ending.--Austin Ferraro
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
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Ferraro, Austin. "This Moth Saw Brightness." Booklist, vol. 121, no. 15-16, Apr. 2025, p. 97. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A847030524/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=a1695ae2. Accessed 25 Aug. 2025.
This Moth Saw Brightness
A.A. Vacharat. Dutton, $20.99 (448p)
ISBN 978-0-593-69860-0
High schooler 'Wayne--called D for his names "invisible D"--is adrift, and his hyper-organized single father worries about D's lack of drive. So when D is invited to participate in a clinical research study at Johns Hopkins University, his dad rejoices at the prestigious opportunity. Meanwhile, D's best friend Kermit wants him to accept the invite out of curiosity: what does a clinical study on "teen health" entail? But D only agrees to join after learning that his crush, Jane, an analytical girl with a love for origami, will be taking part as well. The program seems strange but simple: D is fitted with a wristband that monitors his vitals as he completes daily puzzles and tasks. The most unsettling variable requires that he take a daily pill with unknown effects. As the study progresses and strange events occur, D teams up with Jane and Kermit to uncover more about the program's purpose and origin. Utilizing cheeky footnotes and fourth-wall-breaking asides, and deploying shocking twists and turns, Vacharat delivers a propulsive and unnerving debut. Depictions of government corruption and manipulation are tempered by D's wry narration as he grapples with his mental health, sense of self, and future anxiety. Characters are intersection-ally diverse. Ages 14-up. Agent: Kelly Dyksterhouse, Tobias Literary. (May)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
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"This Moth Saw Brightness." Publishers Weekly, vol. 272, no. 9, 3 Mar. 2025, p. 60. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A829937807/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=0920913d. Accessed 25 Aug. 2025.
Vacharat, A.A. THIS MOTH SAW BRIGHTNESS Dutton (Teen None) $19.99 5, 27 ISBN: 9780593698600
Baltimore teen 'Wayne Le, who goes by "D" for the invisible letter that begins his name, knows he's a disappointment.
After D's mother abruptly left the family eight years ago, he began sliding down the slippery slope of apathy. Now the high school senior's relationship with his father is stilted, his grades are terrible, and his crush on classmate Jane Gallagher is going nowhere because he can't bring himself to initiate a conversation. When D, who's cued Vietnamese on his father's side and whose mother is coded white, is invited by Johns Hopkins University to participate in an important research study, the thought of finally making his father proud convinces him to agree to take part. Soon after, he's approached by Jane, who's autistic and a fellow study participant, with an offer to meet periodically to discuss their thoughts about the study. Their conversations take a conspiratorial turn after Jane and D make some startling discoveries with the help of Kermit Shah, entrepreneurial tech whiz and D's best friend. At the same time, D faces a difficult decision presented by an email from his long-absent mother, asking to visit him. This funny, insightful debut about mental illness, identity, and a person's capacity to change packs a surprising emotional punch. Bold stylistic choices--wry footnotes, the inclusion of documents referenced in the story, a brief interjection by the author--add an interactive element to D's humorous and self-deprecating first-person narration.
Superb.(Fiction. 13-18)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Vacharat, A.A.: THIS MOTH SAW BRIGHTNESS." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Feb. 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A827101083/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=11076b0f. Accessed 25 Aug. 2025.