Ein Lächeln sieht man auch im Dunkeln

Ein Lächeln sieht man auch im Dunkeln follows Marie, who feels an immediate pull toward Samuel, and her younger brother Theo, who has lived with fear and been targeted by bullies at school ever since a traumatic incident more than a year before the story begins. Adriana Popescu builds her novel around the idea of "shadow children" — siblings whose struggles go unnoticed because they live in the shadow of someone else's story.

The novel addresses bullying, violence, and the peer pressure of adolescence alongside its central romance, giving equal weight to Theo's quiet crisis and Marie and Samuel's growing connection. It is recommended for readers aged fourteen and up.