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  • A Bright Ray of Darkness

  • By: Ethan Hawke
  • Narrated by: Ethan Hawke
  • Length: 7 hrs and 38 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (29 ratings)

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A Bright Ray of Darkness

By: Ethan Hawke
Narrated by: Ethan Hawke
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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

What listeners say about A Bright Ray of Darkness

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Wonderful

There’s a lot I could say about this book.
It’s a fascinating portrait of masculinity: the ironies and absurdity and heartbreakingly raw fight to find one’s place inside what seems to be actually an impossible orientation. Explored through concise and well written tales of sex, marital collapse, fatherhood, ego, ambition, embarrassment, shame, brutal self pity and of course acting. I loved this book. And Hawke’s exceptional reading is a powerful performance. To listen to a wonderful actor act so well, while they read to me a story about theatre and performance, was a treat. This was clever and exciting and beautiful. It could have been awful but it’s so self aware and nuanced that it is a revelation. This book will stay with me for a long time. Hawke is exceptional. There are many layers of craft to enjoy here. Loved it.

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A roller coaster

A simple, yet poignant and deep story. Prepare to feel a range of emotions; fear, disgust, sadness and laughter. Would make an excellent comparative experience with Birdman. I mostly enjoyed the Hottest State, Hawke’s first novel but this is much much better.

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