A Scatter Of Light

Aria’s paternal grandmother, Joan is a well-known artist who lives in a small rural town in the San Francisco Bay Area. She’s in her seventies but looks younger, in part because of her stylish appearance. Joan falls under the creator archetype and is characterized by her artistic innovation. She exposes Aria from an early age to different types of art and encourages her to explore ways to express herself. By treating Aria like an adult and offering space to explore and be unsure, Joan not only makes Aria feel safe but inspires her to paint.

Joan is knowledgeable about the mechanics of art and, more importantly, the process and motivation of artists; this quality makes her an impactful mentor to many art students, as well as Aria and Steph. The poignant discussion they have about “following your heart” helps Aria and Steph contemplate who they want to be. Joan’s wisdom and intuition is also evident in subtler ways, like encouraging Aria to invite Steph over for lunch. Aria doesn’t have the opportunity to come out to Joan or tell her about the relationship with Steph, but Joan made it clear that Aria could always come to her about anything.

Despite Aria’s concerns about Joan’s memory and health, she dismisses them, and the concerns go unaddressed, resulting in Joan’s stroke and eventual death. Because the narration is exclusively from Aria’s point of view, it doesn’t reveal why Joan ignores the warning signs; however, Joan is characterized by her fierce independence, which she’s likely reluctant to give up. The grief of losing Joan echoes the grief of Aria’s grandfather’s death—the effects of which Aria becomes attuned to as she spends more time with Joan. Spending a summer with Joan teaches Aria to see people as multidimensional and complex—and teaches her the profound impact that one person can have on others.

Steph is Aria’s love interest—and a life-changing one for Aria because Steph is the first woman Aria is attracted to. Steph has short hair and presents herself in a masculine way; she’s the first person Aria has met who expresses gender so differently, and Aria learns that people don’t always fall within the binary. Steph is helpful and chivalrous, gentleman-like, and shows deep care from the start when she expresses her concerns about Joan’s health. Her introspection and deep thinking allow Steph to bond with Aria and Joan over art. Aria observes Steph as being “tender and gentle” with her girlfriend Lisa (73), which she experiences firsthand as Steph creates a safe space for Aria to talk about her evolving sexuality.

When Steph was young, her father died, and her mother and stepfather disowned her at 17 for being queer. While Aria can understand feeling judged by her mother, this great disparity in acceptance puts Aria’s parental relationships in perspective for her and serves as a reminder of the privilege she inherently has from a wealthy, stable home.

Steph is in her early twenties and meets Aria because she’s Joan’s gardener. Her landscaping work and job at the local garden center leave minimal time for her to pursue her true passion, being a musician. She’s often wearing her workwear and reminds Aria that for working-class people like her and her friends, artistic dreams are difficult to chase when financial burdens come first. This stands in stark contrast to Aria’s family and her Wellesley group of friends, who have always been wealthy enough to pursue whatever interests them. Steph’s relationship with Lisa is the biggest conflict that Aria and Steph struggle with as they develop romantic feelings for each other. She’s torn between a stable, long-term partner who easily gets jealous and someone new and exciting who makes her feel seen, and her indecision leads her to pursue a secret affair rather than committing to either woman. In the end, at the cost of both relationships failing, Steph learns that she must prioritize herself and her own desires for once and needs to learn how to pursue them on her own.

Matthew West and Alexis Tang, Aria’s parents, divorced when she was six. Matthew, a “sort of famous author” (28) and professor at Wellesley College, is Aria’s primary guardian while Alexis travels the world as an opera singer. Both of her parents have minimal physical description and are primarily characterized by their behavior and Aria’s reactions to it.

At the start of the story, Matthew is awkward in the aftermath of Aria’s photo incident. A stereotypical dad, he tries to choose what’s best for Aria, while avoiding direct, uncomfortable conversation. However, he’s loving and affectionate, calling Aria “Ari” and ending phone conversations by telling her he loves her. Matthew has kept old newspaper articles about Alexis and some photos from their relationship, which leads Aria to mistake his nostalgia for longing. He often encourages Aria to work on her relationship with Alexis, a pressure she resents until a frustrated outburst prompts them to finally speak transparently about her parents’ relationship. Matthew confirms that he’s not holding out hope for a relationship with Alexis again but will always love her; his willingness to collaborate with Alexis and his desire for Aria’s relationship with Alexis to heal prove that he’s always prioritizing Aria’s security and well-being.

Alexis, on the other hand, has always prioritized her career—even naming her only child after an element of opera. She sees herself as a “larger than life performer” (53), but her constant travel and high-class lifestyle make her distant and inaccessible to Aria. Aria dreads Alexis’s phone calls and feels physically anxious whenever she meets her in person; Alexis is often critical, and her excuses for being absent leave Aria with a “familiar” disappointment. She approaches the photo incident with judgment and shames Aria for her behavior, which only adds to their preexisting tension. However, their lunch together in San Francisco offers a turning point for their relationship, because Alexis’s new marriage allows her to better support Aria financially and be more present in her life. This sudden support initially makes Aria feel uneasy, but she remains open to letting her mother in.

In addition, Alexis is Aria’s connection to her Chinese culture; the lack of which Aria occasionally reflects on. Alexis provides Aria with an important ancestral link—Lily Hu, who was a scientist and queer. Alexis’s verbal support of Lily’s marriage to Kath (and Matthew’s taking Aria to a gay colleague’s wedding) suggests that Aria’s parents would accept Aria’s queerness, though she doesn’t come out to them in the novel. Ten years after the main events of the novel, Matthew has remarried and is facilitating the video call for Alexis to attend Aria’s art show—all evidence that healing and growth are happening for the Tang-West family.