A review by pcastleton
A Bright Ray of Darkness by Ethan Hawke

5.0

Incredible! Hawke is a gifted writer. This "novel" loosely tracks with Hawke's performance of Henry IV at Lincoln Center in 2003, while he was separating from his first wife Uma Thurman. Hawke is one of my favorite theater actors and while this novel may remind you of the movie Birdman, this novel is not fantastical, more about the author, and even more insightful about the relationships and dynamics behind the curtain. It also reminds me of Martin Amis' recent semi-autobiographical novel, Inside Story. This form of writing can be gut-wrenching because the author uses the freedom of fiction to probe and exorcise deeply personal experiences.