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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
There's a thriving sub-genre of suspense novels about a protagonist returning to their childhood home in the wake of tragedy and uncovering old secrets, and in theory, I like the idea of mashing that together with something like Friday Night Lights. A small town in Texas that revolves around high school football is a great setting for exploring the corrupt underbelly of respectable society, and the hints of Lovecraftian horror further emphasize everyone's cultish devotion to the team's star players. Debut author John Fram is also utterly unafraid to take on the rampant homophobia at the heart of American sports culture, which I definitely appreciate.
I'm not really sold on the execution of all these themes, however. Although the gay representation is admirable, the narrative falls into the tired trope of all the worst bigots being closeted themselves, and it feels like we brush past the implications of that. I also lose track of the emotional truth to the characters as the story goes on, especially as the supernatural elements grow in stature. A late-stage burst of gun violence seems intended to shock, but since the relevant figures have long stopped resembling actual people by that point, I've greeted it with just a shrug instead.
There are still some interesting ideas here, but as a finished product, it doesn't quite add up to a satisfying whole.
[Content warning for police abuse, sexual assault, racism, and various slurs.]
--Subscribe at https://patreon.com/lesserjoke to support these reviews and weigh in on what I read next!--
Find me on Patreon | Goodreads | Blog | Twitter
I'm not really sold on the execution of all these themes, however. Although the gay representation is admirable, the narrative falls into the tired trope of all the worst bigots being closeted themselves, and it feels like we brush past the implications of that. I also lose track of the emotional truth to the characters as the story goes on, especially as the supernatural elements grow in stature. A late-stage burst of gun violence seems intended to shock, but since the relevant figures have long stopped resembling actual people by that point, I've greeted it with just a shrug instead.
There are still some interesting ideas here, but as a finished product, it doesn't quite add up to a satisfying whole.
[Content warning for police abuse, sexual assault, racism, and various slurs.]
--Subscribe at https://patreon.com/lesserjoke to support these reviews and weigh in on what I read next!--
Find me on Patreon | Goodreads | Blog | Twitter
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
In general, I really liked this book. I like the larger metaphors and the inclusion of crime + supernatural along with explorations of toxic masculinity and queerness.
I think there is a lot of good in this book but I won’t lie I did get a bit lost a few times. I was listening to the audiobook and I think that made it a bit hard to keep all of the characters and their specific plots straight. However, I do think this book is well worth the read and I may pick it back up in physical form to re-read when I have the chance!
I think there is a lot of good in this book but I won’t lie I did get a bit lost a few times. I was listening to the audiobook and I think that made it a bit hard to keep all of the characters and their specific plots straight. However, I do think this book is well worth the read and I may pick it back up in physical form to re-read when I have the chance!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Outing, Injury/Injury detail
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was only okay for me. It had a lot of things going for it. In fact my biggest problem with this book is that it tried to do too much and be too many things.
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4 stars
The Bright Lands is A LOT, at times on the verge of drowning in its own excess. But once you crack through its shell, this Gothic-supernatural-American-small town thriller is an incredible emotional roller coaster that goes to some extremely unexpected places.
In a less-assured hand, this could've easily turned into a cheap Wattpad paranormal erotica.
I sometimes describe novels as 'cinematic', but The Bright Lands reads like a television series, due to its extensive cast (has to be somewhere close to 15+ recurring characters), multiple story arcs with different POVs, and a dialog-forward writing style evoking the format of a screenplay. Without the benefit of a visual presentation, the beginning of The Bright Lands was definitely a struggle; new characters show up without introduction, leaving readers to piece together relationship/connection contextually as the story progresses. If you need your character relationship clearly mapped out, taking note is a must.
The Bright Lands is immensely atmospheric, interjecting the main story with unexplained violence and unsettling imagery. John Fram really captured the apocalyptic dread that is looming over this small Texan town. I also appreciate the ambiguity regarding the supernatural—which leaves the horror open for metaphorical interpretation...
... And what horror! It's hard to describe what happened without entering into spoiler territory, as the synopsis is pretty tight-lipped about its ultimate path. But it is definitely sexually explicit, psychologically disturbing and relentlessly violent. The finale circles around the loss of innocence, generational corruption, and crooked personal struggle disguised as rite of passage for all.
The Bright Lands's complexity is both its strength as well as its shortcoming; with so many subplots and forking paths, it ends up obscuring its central message. Nevertheless, The Bright Lands remains a daring accomplishment, leaning into the demonization of homosexuality in a ultra-conservative society, to paint a psychological Hell on Earth where inner demons thrive.
The Bright Lands is A LOT, at times on the verge of drowning in its own excess. But once you crack through its shell, this Gothic-supernatural-American-small town thriller is an incredible emotional roller coaster that goes to some extremely unexpected places.
In a less-assured hand, this could've easily turned into a cheap Wattpad paranormal erotica.
I sometimes describe novels as 'cinematic', but The Bright Lands reads like a television series, due to its extensive cast (has to be somewhere close to 15+ recurring characters), multiple story arcs with different POVs, and a dialog-forward writing style evoking the format of a screenplay. Without the benefit of a visual presentation, the beginning of The Bright Lands was definitely a struggle; new characters show up without introduction, leaving readers to piece together relationship/connection contextually as the story progresses. If you need your character relationship clearly mapped out, taking note is a must.
The Bright Lands is immensely atmospheric, interjecting the main story with unexplained violence and unsettling imagery. John Fram really captured the apocalyptic dread that is looming over this small Texan town. I also appreciate the ambiguity regarding the supernatural—which leaves the horror open for metaphorical interpretation...
... And what horror! It's hard to describe what happened without entering into spoiler territory, as the synopsis is pretty tight-lipped about its ultimate path. But it is definitely sexually explicit, psychologically disturbing and relentlessly violent. The finale circles around the loss of innocence, generational corruption, and crooked personal struggle disguised as rite of passage for all.
The Bright Lands's complexity is both its strength as well as its shortcoming; with so many subplots and forking paths, it ends up obscuring its central message. Nevertheless, The Bright Lands remains a daring accomplishment, leaning into the demonization of homosexuality in a ultra-conservative society, to paint a psychological Hell on Earth where inner demons thrive.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes