A Bright Ray of Darkness, Ethan Hawke
A Bright Ray of Darkness, Ethan Hawke
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A Bright Ray of Darkness
A novel

Author: Ethan Hawke

Narrator: Ethan Hawke

Unabridged: 7 hr 38 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/02/2021

Synopsis

The blistering story of a young man making his Broadway debut in Henry IV just as his marriage implodes—a "witty, wise, and heartfelt novel" (Washington Post) about art and love, fame and heartbreak from the acclaimed actor/writer/director.

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 theater, 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 whiskey and sex. What saves him is theater: in particular, the challenge of performing the role of Hotspur in a production of Henry IV under the leadership of a brilliant director, helmed by one of the most electrifying—and narcissistic—Falstaff's of all time. 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.

About The Author

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, and Ash Wednesday. He lives in Brooklyn with his four children and his wife.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Ron on February 02, 2021

Finally, a novel about the travails of a successful White guy! What could pull the heartstrings of our afflicted nation tighter than a story of brief, emotional setback suffered by a handsome movie star? Ethan Hawke has got a lot of nerve. But he’s also got a lot of talent. The actor and director, who......more

Goodreads review by Tom on August 28, 2021

Only a rich movie star could get away with this. Ethan Hawke really has got some fuckin balls, writing a novel in 2021 about the plight of the wealthy white man. But, God, it's good. Ethan Hawke is an author. Yes, yes, yes, I know he's actually an actor. A very fine actor. A twice Oscar-nominated acto......more

Goodreads review by Jeffrey on March 23, 2021

Just wanted to notate some of the quotes from this book I particularly enjoyed. "When you finish a movie, they always forget to call you a car. When you are starting a movie, everything runs perfectly--town cars, hotel rooms, per diem--but once the film ends they couldn't give a shit." "I'd forgotten......more

Goodreads review by Andrew on December 01, 2024

I admit that I’m fascinated by Ethan Hawke: he acts, directs, writes and whenever I’ve seen him interviewed he’s come across as an engaging raconteur, articulate and thoughtful and with some interesting views on life. He hadn’t written a book in twenty years but in this new novel he documents the pl......more

Goodreads review by Betsy on October 30, 2022

Oh lord, can Ethan Hawke write. I kind of wish he weren’t a well-known actor because that gets in the way of him receiving the well-deserved literary admiration people have for, say, Jess Walter and Steve Toltz, whose books I would put on the same shelf next to this one. Hawke isn’t just funny. He i......more

Quotes

“Explores the demands of acting and the delusions of manhood with tremendous verve and insight...the work of an author who knows every aspect of the profession from the inside... Hawke is a genius at conjuring the hush of the auditorium, the thrill of live actors, the magical sense of a performance moving through time. He’s written a witty, wise, and heartfelt novel... a deeply hopeful story... Bravo.”
—Ron Charles, The Washington Post

"Ethan Hawke pens a Valentine to theatre in A Bright Ray of Darkness. His new novel is also a prayer for the stage and a reminder of the healing power of performance."
—The Austin Chronicle

"[Hawke's] writing evokes both the beauty and tawdriness of New York. And he teaches the reader a lot about theater... an engaging book for those who love theater and Shakespeare."
—The Christian Science Monitor

“Ethan Hawke is a true writer and his duality as an artist is skillfully 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
 
“A brilliant insider's account of the joys and terrors of acting, the trials of celebrity, and the secrets of Henry IV.”
—Kirkus Reviews

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