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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for Goodreads
Fram's debut novel resonates on a personal level. My hometown nestled in the Sierra Nevada Foothills had an unhealthy obsession with High School football. Our small-town community rallied around anything and everything having to do with the football team, but little else.
Playing for the team was like a badge of honor; an instant boost into the popular-kids sub-culture at school. All the other extracurricular activities were shadowed by the eclipsing glory of football.
Fram captured the essence of this kind of atmosphere perfectly in his book, THE BRIGHT LANDS.
The main character, Joel Whitley is a former high school quarterback who left his old stomping grounds to pursue a career a little less 'sports-oriented'.
He becomes increasingly concerned about his younger brother who is following in his footsteps back home, after receiving some cryptic text messages.
I struggled with this book in the very beginning. There was a lot going on in a short amount of time. A lot of characters come in and out which is confusing for readers trying to hold on to the important cast members in their minds. I found myself wondering about certain people only to realize they weren't coming back to the story.
There was something about the writing, especially the dialog, that felt like one of those stylized teen drama sitcoms on network television-think PRETTY LITTLE LIARS or something like it, where everything is a little too "on the nose". You know how when you watch those shows and you think to yourself, "Nobody really talks/acts like that in real life."
Yeah, that.
It took a good hundred pages before I settled into the pacing and started investing in main characters.
But once I did, the story became more compelling and interesting. Fram introduces some unexpected elements that lift this book beyond stereotypical, YA genre labeling and into a fresh, contemporary horror novel with thoughtful, social commentary on bullying and homophobia.
Fram's debut novel resonates on a personal level. My hometown nestled in the Sierra Nevada Foothills had an unhealthy obsession with High School football. Our small-town community rallied around anything and everything having to do with the football team, but little else.
Playing for the team was like a badge of honor; an instant boost into the popular-kids sub-culture at school. All the other extracurricular activities were shadowed by the eclipsing glory of football.
Fram captured the essence of this kind of atmosphere perfectly in his book, THE BRIGHT LANDS.
The main character, Joel Whitley is a former high school quarterback who left his old stomping grounds to pursue a career a little less 'sports-oriented'.
He becomes increasingly concerned about his younger brother who is following in his footsteps back home, after receiving some cryptic text messages.
I struggled with this book in the very beginning. There was a lot going on in a short amount of time. A lot of characters come in and out which is confusing for readers trying to hold on to the important cast members in their minds. I found myself wondering about certain people only to realize they weren't coming back to the story.
There was something about the writing, especially the dialog, that felt like one of those stylized teen drama sitcoms on network television-think PRETTY LITTLE LIARS or something like it, where everything is a little too "on the nose". You know how when you watch those shows and you think to yourself, "Nobody really talks/acts like that in real life."
Yeah, that.
It took a good hundred pages before I settled into the pacing and started investing in main characters.
But once I did, the story became more compelling and interesting. Fram introduces some unexpected elements that lift this book beyond stereotypical, YA genre labeling and into a fresh, contemporary horror novel with thoughtful, social commentary on bullying and homophobia.
dark
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The first 25% of this book, I wasn’t too sure if I would like it, but I kept on pushing. It doesn’t start out slow necessarily, I just wasn’t into it. I am glad that I kept reading. I say that the cast being diverse is complicated because while there is representation for people of color (minimal -1 or 2), and people (specifically men) in the LGBTQIA+ community, the setting is a small conservative town in Texas, so for the most part, people are hiding and are scared to truly be themselves. I don’t want to give anything away because it is hard to explain without spoiling something. This book deals very heavily with homophobia, racism, and sexual assault - so please be warned. I think it was written very well and I did enjoy all of the different character’s POV’s. What kind of threw me off guard was this added sort of “supernatural” element. It wasn’t, bad I just didn’t expect it. I understand why it was in there, but I also think this could have been an excellent book if the supernatural wasn’t there.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
There are a lot of trigger warnings for this book. I wasn’t too sure where to put the warning for “adult/minor relationship” because it isn’t gone into a lot of detail. There are however, mentions of figures of authority and students being in a (primarily sexual) relationship. I can’t say much else without giving it away.
What a debut! This small town mystery with supernatural undercurrents is intriguing from the start and slowly winds its way to a climax that could be characterized as thrilling, bombastic, frenzied, and/or balls-to-the-wall. I couldn't decide!
I was deeply invested in this engaging and exciting reading experience (hence the 4 stars). The mystery is set up elegantly with a few odd occurrences, some natural and some supernatural, and several important characters in the town of Bentley. The opening section gives us a sense of the town, its reverence for God and football (a la Friday Night Lights), and the problems that lie just below the surface. From there, it proceeds rather like a police procedural as Joel, acting as amateur sleuth, teams up with Officer Starsha Clark, his ex-girlfriend from before he was out of the closet. Joel is a sympathetic hero as the city boy who returns to his tiny hometown, carrying regrets about disconnecting from the family he left behind. Our sympathy grows as we learn more about the scandal that plagued him in Bentley and the way his old insecurities haunt him.
I was deeply invested in this engaging and exciting reading experience (hence the 4 stars). The mystery is set up elegantly with a few odd occurrences, some natural and some supernatural, and several important characters in the town of Bentley. The opening section gives us a sense of the town, its reverence for God and football (a la Friday Night Lights), and the problems that lie just below the surface. From there, it proceeds rather like a police procedural as Joel, acting as amateur sleuth, teams up with Officer Starsha Clark, his ex-girlfriend from before he was out of the closet. Joel is a sympathetic hero as the city boy who returns to his tiny hometown, carrying regrets about disconnecting from the family he left behind. Our sympathy grows as we learn more about the scandal that plagued him in Bentley and the way his old insecurities haunt him.
Fram does a masterful job at holding our attention by revealing bits of the mystery through the ever changing points of view.
What the...
This book is pretty crazy and wild. The ending was the most riveting part.
4/5
This book is pretty crazy and wild. The ending was the most riveting part.
4/5
The more I think about this book the more I want to rave about this book. I finished this a few days ago now and I've been trying to figure out how to voice my thoughts on this. This is a horror/mystery/thriller novel about a gay man named Joel who is currently living in New York when he hears news of his younger brother going missing in the small conservative town in Texas where he is from. He decides to go back to this small town, and when he does, the horror begins.
I loved the tone of this book, it felt like a thriller novel because you spend a lot of time trying to figure out what happened to Dylan and there's a lot of mystery there. You are following many POV's which could get overwhelming but I kept a list of characters in my notebook to keep track of who was who. One of the main characters is a female sheriff and you follow along with her as she tries to find out exactly what happened to Dylan. I also love the atmosphere in this book it has these creepy small town claustrophobic vibes and all the main characters are football players and cheerleaders and it's very high school but not in the juvenile way that I usuallu can't stand. Each POV was so compelling and interesting.
I was surprised by the amount of social commentary in this book about many important things like toxic masculinity in sports, especially sports like football, and the corruption of the local police and how they are cruel and unfair to gay people or Black people. I love when a horror book can feel extra scary because of how real it feels, and how much it mirrors our own society and this book definitely does that. Each one of these characters felt real to me, and the horror they experience really jumps off the page.
The ending of this book is where it started to lose me a bit as I was reading it. It feels like a completely different book to be honest, and I was having a hard time getting on board with it and I was mostly confused. However, after I finished this book I looked up a bunch of interviews with the author and theories other people have on the ending (and you know I love a book that provokes discussion) and I was AMAZED by what I found. It honestly just made me love the book even more to be able to discuss the ending with other people and figure out what they think it all means. I found a comment from the author about the ending that blew my mind, it said:"Bosheth is a metaphor for the atavistic horror of our current President, a monster that a group of aging white elites think they can use to maintain their abusive power only to watch it consume them." I literally never thought of it that way and now I feel like I need to reread the ending to discover a whole new meaning. I love that so much, and it's totally true, because since Trump became President it has allowed people to think it's okay to spew their hatred and racism because he does it and he is literally the vessel of hate that needs to be severed so it stops infecting everyone. I just thought that was so deep and impressive. I also found this comment from Wendy Walker, nother thriller author who I like and she said this about the ending: "The ending is metaphorical, the dark hole that swallows everyone represents to me the darkness inside of us that grows when we repress who we truly are, or oppress others with our positions of power and authority" and I was pretty shook by that as well. I love a good metaphor and the ending is one giant metaphor and I am here for it.
So after some more thought, I'm giving this book 5 stars. I haven't been able to stop thinking about this book since I finished reading it, and I love that. A lot of people are saying this is like Stephen King but gay, and I mostly agree with that. It definitely has that Stephen King horror kind of vibe going. But I wish there were more books like this, an ownvoices gay horror book! I can't wait to see what John Fram writes in the future, he is a super talented writer and I am obsessed with this debut novel.
I loved the tone of this book, it felt like a thriller novel because you spend a lot of time trying to figure out what happened to Dylan and there's a lot of mystery there. You are following many POV's which could get overwhelming but I kept a list of characters in my notebook to keep track of who was who. One of the main characters is a female sheriff and you follow along with her as she tries to find out exactly what happened to Dylan. I also love the atmosphere in this book it has these creepy small town claustrophobic vibes and all the main characters are football players and cheerleaders and it's very high school but not in the juvenile way that I usuallu can't stand. Each POV was so compelling and interesting.
I was surprised by the amount of social commentary in this book about many important things like toxic masculinity in sports, especially sports like football, and the corruption of the local police and how they are cruel and unfair to gay people or Black people. I love when a horror book can feel extra scary because of how real it feels, and how much it mirrors our own society and this book definitely does that. Each one of these characters felt real to me, and the horror they experience really jumps off the page.
The ending of this book is where it started to lose me a bit as I was reading it. It feels like a completely different book to be honest, and I was having a hard time getting on board with it and I was mostly confused. However, after I finished this book I looked up a bunch of interviews with the author and theories other people have on the ending (and you know I love a book that provokes discussion) and I was AMAZED by what I found. It honestly just made me love the book even more to be able to discuss the ending with other people and figure out what they think it all means. I found a comment from the author about the ending that blew my mind, it said:
So after some more thought, I'm giving this book 5 stars. I haven't been able to stop thinking about this book since I finished reading it, and I love that. A lot of people are saying this is like Stephen King but gay, and I mostly agree with that. It definitely has that Stephen King horror kind of vibe going. But I wish there were more books like this, an ownvoices gay horror book! I can't wait to see what John Fram writes in the future, he is a super talented writer and I am obsessed with this debut novel.
“Kimbra had been around football long enough to understand that its players weren’t just boys throwing a ball: they were everything the men of this town used to be, or never were, the walking realization of every frustrated hope and squandered opportunity and dream.”
I was pitched this book as Friday Night Lights (which I adore) meets Stephen King, and I was ready for it. I'm not sure that pitch is wrong, but this just didn't grab me in the way that I thought it would. Honestly, I should have probably DNF'd this, but I have a hard time doing it. (Not that there's anything wrong with DNF-ing books, it is the better and more healthy thing, I just seem to be incapable of doing so). I really wanted to find out what was happening in the "the Bright Lands" and to know what had happened to Joel and so I kept plowing through. And, in some ways, that reveal doesn't disappoint. That shit is messed up.
But also, because of the roving POV here I don't feel like I got to know any of the characters very well. Why does Joel, who seems to have ignored his brother for so long in favor of a lot of drugs and sex jump on a plane after a single text message? To set off the plot, but since it happens too early it's hard to connect to either character and then Joel stays and makes a bunch of decisions and it would be good to have a better handle on him as a person? Same with most of the other characters too. Anyway, that reveal is bananas, and a lot of other people liked this way more than me, so it might have just been a time/place/focus thing for me.
I was pitched this book as Friday Night Lights (which I adore) meets Stephen King, and I was ready for it. I'm not sure that pitch is wrong, but this just didn't grab me in the way that I thought it would. Honestly, I should have probably DNF'd this, but I have a hard time doing it. (Not that there's anything wrong with DNF-ing books, it is the better and more healthy thing, I just seem to be incapable of doing so). I really wanted to find out what was happening in the "the Bright Lands" and to know what had happened to Joel and so I kept plowing through. And, in some ways, that reveal doesn't disappoint. That shit is messed up.
But also, because of the roving POV here I don't feel like I got to know any of the characters very well. Why does Joel, who seems to have ignored his brother for so long in favor of a lot of drugs and sex jump on a plane after a single text message? To set off the plot, but since it happens too early it's hard to connect to either character and then Joel stays and makes a bunch of decisions and it would be good to have a better handle on him as a person? Same with most of the other characters too. Anyway, that reveal is bananas, and a lot of other people liked this way more than me, so it might have just been a time/place/focus thing for me.
Wow - so if this is a debut novel then sign me up for whatever comes next! In this nearly-500 page book, John Fram delivers a dark and gritty thriller akin to Gillian Flynn with supernatural horror elements resembling something we might see from Stephen King. This story explores a small town that, on the outside, is obsessed with their high school football team (I can relate with that upbringing - so much that even alumni in their 60s are raging mad on Facebook groups that there is even talk about changing our mascot name in light of current situations). But beneath the surface, literally and figuratively, there is a seductive and dark power. It seems everyone has secrets in this town, both past and current. And many are trying as hard as they can to protect these secrets. But what are the secrets - how dark and terrible are these secrets? What happened to the star quarterback? What are the Bright Lands?
This book is completely intoxicating and you may find it hard to put down. The chapters alternate between different POVs and are pretty quick which helps keep the flow and pace moving along quite nicely. The Bright Lands perfectly blends crime fiction, horror, thriller, supernatural, and suspense! 5 stars!
This book is completely intoxicating and you may find it hard to put down. The chapters alternate between different POVs and are pretty quick which helps keep the flow and pace moving along quite nicely. The Bright Lands perfectly blends crime fiction, horror, thriller, supernatural, and suspense! 5 stars!
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
How do I rate a book that ended on such a high but didn’t hold my attention for the remainder of the story? If I hadn’t known there were supernatural elements and a crazy ending, I probably would’ve DNFd this one.
By the time I reached the point where the pacing accelerated, I didn’t care enough and only wanted to know if it would marginally live up to the hype and honestly, it did, but I wish it didn’t take so long to get there. If I were just rating the last 100 pages, it would be 5 stars, but I wanted more supernatural elements interspersed throughout instead of just mostly packed into the end and I wish it was 50-100 pages shorter.
3.4 stars for now because I don’t think I want to round up to 4 but might come back and change it later.
By the time I reached the point where the pacing accelerated, I didn’t care enough and only wanted to know if it would marginally live up to the hype and honestly, it did, but I wish it didn’t take so long to get there. If I were just rating the last 100 pages, it would be 5 stars, but I wanted more supernatural elements interspersed throughout instead of just mostly packed into the end and I wish it was 50-100 pages shorter.
3.4 stars for now because I don’t think I want to round up to 4 but might come back and change it later.