A Bright Ray of Darkness

A Bright Ray of Darkness

Summary

'Riveting work' Patti Smith
'Vivid . . . it communicates a real power' Sunday Times
'A wild ride of a book' Metro


Actor William Harding has been caught cheating on his rock star wife and the press have descended upon him. Amid the headlines and worldwide disdain towards him, he takes on the part in Henry IV. He must examine himself, and who he has become, under the brightest of lights and the keenest of eyes.

'A considered meditation on the evil of celebrity and the demanding yet restorative power of theatre' New Statesman
'An emotional ode to theatre as medicine for heartbreak, and an interesting meditation on fame' Radio Times

'A witty, wise heartfelt novel' Washington Post

Reviews

  • Ethan Hawke is a true writer and his duality as an artist is skilfully reflected in A Bright Ray of Darkness. Hawke circles, descends, and crawls into his characters' skin. Grimy shadows pass over the footlights, into the bowels of the theatre, where a struggling actor, perhaps mirroring the writer, seeks the vine of redemption, and claws his way into becoming. Bright Ray is a riveting work.
    Patti Smith

About the author

Ethan Hawke

A four-time Academy Award nominee, twice for writing and twice for acting, ETHAN HAWKE has starred in the films Dead Poets Society, Reality Bites, Gattaca and Training Day, as well as Richard Linklater's Before Sunrise trilogy and Boyhood. He is the author of Rules for a Knight, The Hottest State, Ash Wednesday and A Bright Ray of Darkness. He lives in Brooklyn with his four children and his wife.
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