A Bright Ray of Darkness

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It is brilliant in parts though, with some superb prose, atmospheric deep dives on theatre acting and Shakespeare and a gripping episode where he has a massive infected boil on his stomach (wtf) excised without anaesthetic.

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 The first novel in nearly twenty years from the acclaimed actor/writer/director is a book about art and love, fame and heartbreak--a blistering story of a young man making his Broadway debut in Henry IV just as his marriage implodes. 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.

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William Harding is a successful film star whose life is in turmoil. Outed by the press as an adulterer, he is now holed up in a New York hotel, divorcing his popstar wife while preparing to make his Broadway debut in Henry IV. In his first novel for 20 years, Hawke has obeyed the adage 'write what you know', bringing the theatrical world, from first rehearsal to final performance, thrillingly to life. * Mail on Sunday * An angry, powerful book seething with love and outrage for a community too often stereotyped or ignored. As someone who has been an actor in theater for most of my life, this book resonated with me. The author's love and admiration for the magic and importance of the theater is palpable and lovely. But one need not be an actor or theater lover to appreciate the book. One need only relate to the conflicting human impulses of wanting to hold on to love while needing to let it go.

What we get is a subtle and realistic character arc as William starts to grow up, both professionally and personally. He starts to take some responsibility for himself but, more than that, sees himself for who he is once the narcissism is stripped away. Delightfully, Hawke goes full throttle, conjuring a world of thespian grandiosity, engorged egos, brittle self-doubt and callow celebrity with a bravura performance. Financial 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 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.” Was für ein tolles Cover. Was für ein wunderschöner Titel! Und was für eine unterhaltsame, verblüffend gute Geschichte. Ich war sehr überrascht, dass Ethan Hawke so gut schreiben kann und eine Geschichte über einen weißen Mann doch überzeugend und passend herausgearbeitet hat.

It's about an actor (well, duh) performing Shakespeare ( Henry IV) on Broadway as he is coming off a divorce to a big-time pop singer. He drinks, does drugs, feels sorry for himself, has two kids he loves, feels insecure about his stagework (he's a movie guy), and cheats on his soon-to-be ex-wife. I heard a great radio interview with Ethan Hawke last year around the time this book was published and made a mental note at the time to give the book a go. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that Hawke is at least as accomplished a writer as he is an actor, since this is his fifth published novel, and he's been nominated for two Oscars for his screenwriting efforts. But I had never read any of his earlier works, so was pleasantly amazed at just how excellent this book is. At least some of it is autobiographical, since this circles around a production of Shakespeare's Henry IV in which 32 y. o. protagonist, bad boy film actor William Harding is making his Broadway debut as Hotspur - and Hawke himself essayed the role in an acclaimed production at Lincoln Center at the same age. The other thread involves Harding's disintegrating marriage to his beautiful and acclaimed pop star wife - and Hawke was going through a painful divorce with HIS superstar wife Uma Thurman at the same time also.