Review: Ethan Hawke is one of my favourite living artists. This means practically every creative project he works on I find myself enjoying immensely. From Dead Poet's Society (1989) to the Before trilogy (1995, 2004, 2013) his movie choices are always brilliant to me.
Furthermore, in 2003 after I read Hawke's second novel Ash Wednesday (2002) I enjoyed it so much I went on to search out his debut The Hottest State (1996). Thus when he announced he would be publishing his third full novel my excitement was palpable.
After being lucky enough to grab a signed copy of this novel I opted to read it simultaneously with the audiobook, which is brilliantly narrated by Hawke himself. Undeniably this enhanced the experience as an audiobook reading from the author, who happens to also be a multiple Academy Award nominee felt as if I was getting all the nuances of this literary fiction novel just as Hawke had intended.
The narrator of the novel is very obviously closely modelled on the author himself. This is the first time Hawke has done this in his novels and claims to do so he finally accepted the advice from his agents, editors and publishers to 'write what you know'. It works remarkably well here. Rather than seaming lazy or unimaginative A Bright Ray of Darkness takes the reader into the heart and mind of a man slowly spiralling: his marriage is in tatters, he has been 'cancelled' publicly in an early 2000s way (when the book is set), he is struggling to shine as Hotspur whilst performing on Broadway in a production of Henry IV Part 1 and his rockstar wife is at the top of her game career wise, adding to his male insecurity.
Hawke's prose style is luminous, poetic and vivid, making his novel a delightful tale of self-indulgent woe and entertaining self-discovery. Another great piece of art from Ethan Hawke.
Title: A Bright Ray of Darkness
Author: Ethan Hawke
Genre: Contemporary
ISBN: 978-0385352383
Publisher: Knopf
Publication Date: 2 February 2021
Publisher Description: The blistering story of a young man making his Broadway debut in Henry IV just as his marriage implodes—a "witty, wise, and heartfelt novel" (Washington Post) about art and love, fame and heartbreak from the acclaimed actor/writer/director.
A bracing meditation on fame and celebrity, and the redemptive, healing power of art; a portrait of the ravages of disappointment and divorce; a poignant consideration of the rites of fatherhood and manhood; a novel soaked in rage and sex, longing and despair; and a passionate love letter to the world of theater, A Bright Ray of Darkness showcases Ethan Hawke's gifts as a novelist as never before.
Hawke's narrator is a young man in torment, disgusted with himself after the collapse of his marriage, still half hoping for a reconciliation that would allow him to forgive himself and move on as he clumsily, and sometimes hilariously, tries to manage the wreckage of his personal life with whiskey and sex. What saves him is theater: in particular, the challenge of performing the role of Hotspur in a production of Hawke's narrator is a young man in torment, disgusted with himself after the collapse of his marriage, still half hoping for a reconciliation that would allow him to forgive himself and move on as he clumsily, and sometimes hilariously, tries to manage the wreckage of his personal life with whiskey and sex. What saves him is theater: in particular, the challenge of performing the role of Hotspur in a production of Henry IV under the leadership of a brilliant director, helmed by one of the most electrifying—and narcissistic—Falstaff's of all time. Searing, raw, and utterly transfixing, A Bright Ray of Darkness is a novel about shame and beauty and faith, and the moral power of art.