Description

‘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

Publisher Review

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 William is the star of this vivid drama from Ethan Hawke … this is ultimately a book about the transcendent value of great art … it communicates a real power. * Sunday Times * Film star William Harding is fed up with having his personal life examined in public. The protagonist of this novel, the first in five years from Hawke (best known for his acting role in Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy), is also disgusted at the ways in which he has allowed his marriage to collapse around him. His debut Broadway role offers him a chance at redemption and turns this bracing book into a considered meditation on the evil of celebrity and the demanding yet restorative power of theatre. * New Statesman * Ethan Hawke, whose acting career has combined celebrity wattage with indie integrity, brings hard-won experience to his latest literary endeavour … [A] wild ride of a book … Written with real fire & originality. Not many novels combine scenes of lying semi-conscious by a motel toilet with thoughts on the perfection of the iambic pentameter. * Metro * An emotional ode to theatre as medicine for heartbreak, and an interesting meditation on fame. * Radio Times *