The Night Burns Bright

A Novel

De: Ross Barkan

Narrado por: Kirby Heyborne

In this coming-of-age thriller, a twelve-year-old boy’s spark of courage to question the harmonious wooded commune he calls home may burn down more than just his own illusions.

Lucien has everything he needs: a loving mama, a library full of books, and House of Earth, a private school nestled safely in the woods of upstate New York. It’s where Lucien is taught the importance of living in harmony with nature and building a peaceful and sustainable future. But when his youthful curiosity draws him into town and to Gabrielle, a public-school student living a life wholly different from his own, Lucien’s inquisitiveness about life beyond the commune and questions regarding the events of 9/11 threaten to unbalance everything he thought he knew.

Slowly, things begin to change at House of Earth. The outside world is off limits. Security measures tighten. New rules are put in place, and anyone who violates them is asked to leave and never spoken of again.

As forbidden questions pile up, Lucien’s willingness to obey weakens. Continuing to meet Gabrielle in secret only reinforces his gnawing fear that something about his world is terribly wrong. Unable to remain silent any longer, Lucien will soon discover that looking for answers at House of Earth may be the most dangerous rule he can break.

©2022 Ross Barkan (P)2021 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Of particular interest to readers with its deft blending of a coming-of-age story and cult-oriented suspense…brought vividly to life in a true 'theatre of the mind' experience by narrator Kirby Heyborne.”—Midwest Book Review

“An Earth-loving collective turns sinister. Though Barkan never uses the word cult, House of Earth is chillingly evocative of many, and as the novel takes its darker turns, the end is both shocking and inevitable.”—Kirkus Reviews

“With this haunting tale of innocence forever lost, Ross Barkan deftly explores how well-intentioned ideals, when taken to extremes, can lead to monstrous outcomes.”—Pitchaya Sudbanthad, author of Bangkok Wakes to Rain

A bit weird and slow

So I thought this may have been a Children’s when In first started. The words were so simple and the narrator read like it was a children’s book. I would have liked it to be a little faster and wished the climax was a little more. Overall good book but not my favorite. Slow and a bit strange.

Sadistic road I'd rather not have taken

SPOILER ALERT! If you enjoy hearing/reading hours of child exploitation plus horrifying psychological and physical abuse enforced by intentionally socially isolated adult cult members to achieve a payoff, this is the book for you. People traumatized by 9/11? I can't believe they'd buy into this.