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Title: Tora's Paradox
Review: Tora is a thirteen year old girl who is dying of leprosy; she resides in Norway during the Napoleonic Wars. Throughout the novel, the author (Mette Newth) utilizes light imagery to foretell the events of the story. The title, "The Dark Light," is a blatent contradiction. Tora's life is also a contradiction. Although she leads a life that would be perceived as hopeless by many, she manages to find success and beauty. The success comes from her mastery of reading, and the beauty comes from the friendships that she cherishes as she resides within the horrid conditions of St. Jorgen's hospital. There, she cares for other lepers in order to pay for her stay. Tora finds her spiritual answers toward the final point of her death as the spirits of her mother and her two best friends answer her question "Does God exist?" They inform Tora that man creates his own gods; the answers of life lies within each of us.
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