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 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.
