A Bright Ray of Darkness

By: Ethan Hawke

Narrated by: Ethan Hawke

Length: 7 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

The first novel in nearly 20 years from the acclaimed actor/writer/director, A Bright Ray of Darkness is a book about art and love, fame and heartbreak - a blistering story of a young man making his Broadway debut just as his marriage implodes.

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 theatre, 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 whisky and sex. What saves him is the theatre: in particular, the challenge of performing Shakespeare in his Broadway debut under the leadership of a brilliant director. 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.

©2021 Ethan Hawke (P)2021 Penguin Audio

Brilliant performance, clever storyline

Absorbing and powerful performance with a story line packed with insight on life and being a man. Highly recommended!!’

Great performance and thought provoking story

The performance is fantastic! The story is multilayered and an interesting meditation on identity and what it means to mean something and be human.