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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
One sentence summary: It's like a Stephen King novel if Stephen King was a more contemporary writer and had been reading Brene Brown to examine how much shame shapes both individuals and cultures, with a dash of football.
It's hard to talk about this book without giving too many spoilers, but this was definitely a story where the reader is reminded that all too often, the worst monsters are nothing supernatural, but human beings full of hate.
I felt like I enjoyed the book the most when I was just along for the ride, following each clue at the same pace as the characters, not trying to spend so much time guessing outcomes and what would happen next. It was a page-turner, watching Joel and Clark in particular try to tease out the puzzles of their pasts and presents, but I have to admit that as I got to the final chapters of the book I was occasionally perplexed. It felt like there was a lot of deaths for very little change, and for a town to never address their own motivations and shame. But maybe that was the point- how shame can keep the same cyclical nature of hate and crime alive because no one wants to talk about it. It's not okay for a couple to live together unmarried, but it's acceptable for man to beat his wife.
There were also a few details here and there that I was a little confused by, or rather, I wish I had gotten even more information about what happened next, but I'm looking forward to watching interviews with John Fram to learn more.
It's hard to talk about this book without giving too many spoilers, but this was definitely a story where the reader is reminded that all too often, the worst monsters are nothing supernatural, but human beings full of hate.
I felt like I enjoyed the book the most when I was just along for the ride, following each clue at the same pace as the characters, not trying to spend so much time guessing outcomes and what would happen next. It was a page-turner, watching Joel and Clark in particular try to tease out the puzzles of their pasts and presents, but I have to admit that as I got to the final chapters of the book I was occasionally perplexed. It felt like there was a lot of deaths for very little change, and for a town to never address their own motivations and shame. But maybe that was the point- how shame can keep the same cyclical nature of hate and crime alive because no one wants to talk about it. It's not okay for a couple to live together unmarried, but it's acceptable for man to beat his wife.
There were also a few details here and there that I was a little confused by, or rather, I wish I had gotten even more information about what happened next, but I'm looking forward to watching interviews with John Fram to learn more.
medium-paced
Part mystery, part horror, THE BRIGHT LANDS is a very strong debut.
It reads like watching TV in your head - it's straightforward in style, fast-paced, precise. Modern Southern Gothic with a queer twist, an attention to social justice issues such as homophobia, racism, corruption, the opioid crisis, the ills of small-town life.
THE BRIGHT LANDS is more of an events-led narrative than the character-driven ones I usually go for. While characters are well defined, sometimes even in a tongue in cheek way, we do not felve too deeply in characterization.
The 'horror' element was, I thought, very original. It subtly creeps through in as the story unfolds, keeping the reader guessing its nature. Is it supernatural? Bentley, a small Texas town and the main theatre of the action, is full of secrets. I always love the "town with a secret" trope!
Where it loses a star, to me, is in the very last chapters. Fram's subtelty is what intrigued me most, the slow build-up of horror, the mystery, the looming. The ending, I felt, was jarringly "n your face", a bit too literal to plausibly fit in with the rest.
It reads like watching TV in your head - it's straightforward in style, fast-paced, precise. Modern Southern Gothic with a queer twist, an attention to social justice issues such as homophobia, racism, corruption, the opioid crisis, the ills of small-town life.
THE BRIGHT LANDS is more of an events-led narrative than the character-driven ones I usually go for. While characters are well defined, sometimes even in a tongue in cheek way, we do not felve too deeply in characterization.
The 'horror' element was, I thought, very original. It subtly creeps through in as the story unfolds, keeping the reader guessing its nature. Is it supernatural? Bentley, a small Texas town and the main theatre of the action, is full of secrets. I always love the "town with a secret" trope!
Where it loses a star, to me, is in the very last chapters. Fram's subtelty is what intrigued me most, the slow build-up of horror, the mystery, the looming. The ending, I felt, was jarringly "n your face", a bit too literal to plausibly fit in with the rest.
I think 2020 will do down as the year of not rating and reviewing books. I listened to this back in July or so. It's a small town supernatural thriller with a healthy dose of high school football and LGBTQ+ representation. I don't think the author quite stuck the ending, but I enjoyed the ride and look forward to what Fram writes next.
I'll be honest with you...I've slept on this since finishing it yesterday and have downgraded it to 3* and here's why: although the book stays with you, it's not for the right reasons. The more I've thought about the novel and its characterisations, the crosser I've become. On reflection, I knew very little about the (countless) characters in The Bright Lands other than the events that were happening at that moment. Two characters, Brittany and Kimbra, are particularly wasted until the last quarter of the novel (merely acting as plot devices up until that point) when all of a sudden they have personality, bravado, and super-human strength. Our main protagonists, Clark - a one-note small-town cop, and Joel (who seems to spend the entire novel in a guilt-ridden sulk) do very little to get you on their side, and I feel that at times Fram didn't know how to balance the narratives between the expansive character roster.
What lifted the novel for me was the atmosphere; Fram has a deft touch with tension, scene-setting, and building up towards the explosive finale. The town of Bently comes at you without remorse, and you are sucked into every grimy, superficial, and relentlessly awful aspect of it. Yes, the 'small-town and it's secrets' trope is a well-worn one in all media, but here it's ramped up to 11. Again, it can be hard to keep track of who's who, especially as Fram has a tendency to switch between first names and surnames when referring to peripheral characters, but trust me when I say that by the end of The Bright Lands, very few of Bentley's residents come out bathed in glory.
A word of warning: the novel is not for the faint-hearted. Depictions of graphic sex, homophobia, drug use, extreme language, and violence are constant so proceed with caution.
Will I seek out Fram's future novels? Probably. He does have a touch of King, Layman, and Herbert in him when it comes to the horrors of the supernatural and the real world, and let's face it, their early works were character hell as well so there is hope.
What lifted the novel for me was the atmosphere; Fram has a deft touch with tension, scene-setting, and building up towards the explosive finale. The town of Bently comes at you without remorse, and you are sucked into every grimy, superficial, and relentlessly awful aspect of it. Yes, the 'small-town and it's secrets' trope is a well-worn one in all media, but here it's ramped up to 11. Again, it can be hard to keep track of who's who, especially as Fram has a tendency to switch between first names and surnames when referring to peripheral characters, but trust me when I say that by the end of The Bright Lands, very few of Bentley's residents come out bathed in glory.
A word of warning: the novel is not for the faint-hearted. Depictions of graphic sex, homophobia, drug use, extreme language, and violence are constant so proceed with caution.
Will I seek out Fram's future novels? Probably. He does have a touch of King, Layman, and Herbert in him when it comes to the horrors of the supernatural and the real world, and let's face it, their early works were character hell as well so there is hope.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I can respect that this is an own voices thriller/horror and appreciate it for that, but this wasn't for me. I understand the commentary on toxic masculinity, especially in sports and in the south. However, the "horror" in this book was not actually scary. I really thought I was getting a horror book and instead I got a murder mystery. I know this is an own voices book with a gay main character, but the use of queer slurs and homophobia was too rampant for me. Which is not to say it's not a reality, but I didn't want to read it....especially with the direction the book went!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Gaslighting
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What a wild ride! I think I was expecting more thriller than horror but then I wasn’t mad about it. That last 1/3rd though! I loved that the depravity in this boon was actually all about exploitation others and repression of true self.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Sexual violence, Murder
3.25 ⭐️
Joel Whitley left his small, conservative, football obsessed hometown after high school, and never looked back. When a strange text message from his younger brother pops up, Joel is left feeling guilty enough to take a trip back home. He wasn’t prepared to face his painful past, to find his brother missing, and to become part of a murder investigation that unearths something horrific.
Crime fiction meets horror. I like this combo. It was definitely unique. There are a number of relevant topics touched on in this book, such as: toxic masculinity, corruption, race & LGBTQ+ struggles.
It’s hard for me to put my thoughts and feelings fully into words without spoiling things. The book is heavy with small town stereotypes- which were almost too much- but they definitely drove home their point.
I really like how the author tied together real life horror with supernatural horror. The end was twisted and downright horrifying, and that’s what I was here for!
Joel Whitley left his small, conservative, football obsessed hometown after high school, and never looked back. When a strange text message from his younger brother pops up, Joel is left feeling guilty enough to take a trip back home. He wasn’t prepared to face his painful past, to find his brother missing, and to become part of a murder investigation that unearths something horrific.
Crime fiction meets horror. I like this combo. It was definitely unique. There are a number of relevant topics touched on in this book, such as: toxic masculinity, corruption, race & LGBTQ+ struggles.
It’s hard for me to put my thoughts and feelings fully into words without spoiling things. The book is heavy with small town stereotypes- which were almost too much- but they definitely drove home their point.
I really like how the author tied together real life horror with supernatural horror. The end was twisted and downright horrifying, and that’s what I was here for!
