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Bright's Passage
“Bright’s Passage shines with a compressed lyricism that recalls Ray Bradbury in his prime…This is the work of a gifted novelist…” – Stephen King, The New York Times Book Review Josh Ritter’s first novel is a wondrous, suspenseful, and uniquely affecting story of the journey taken by a father and his infant son.
Henry Bright is newly returned to West Virginia from the battlefields of the First World War. Grief struck by the death of his young wife and unsure of how to care for the infant son she left behind, Bright is soon confronted by the destruction of the only home he’s ever known. His only hope for safety is the angel who has followed him to Appalachia from the trenches of France and who now promises to protect him and his son.
Together, Bright and his newborn, along with a cantankerous goat and the angel guiding them, make their way through a landscape ravaged by forest fire toward an uncertain salvation, haunted by the abiding nightmare of his experiences in the war and shadowed by his dead wife’s father, the Colonel, and his two brutal sons.
At times harrowing, at times funny, and always possessed by the sheer gorgeousness and unique imagination that have made Josh Ritter’s songs beloved to so many, this is the debut of a virtuoso fiction writer.
Henry Bright is newly returned to West Virginia from the battlefields of the First World War. Grief struck by the death of his young wife and unsure of how to care for the infant son she left behind, Bright is soon confronted by the destruction of the only home he’s ever known. His only hope for safety is the angel who has followed him to Appalachia from the trenches of France and who now promises to protect him and his son.
Together, Bright and his newborn, along with a cantankerous goat and the angel guiding them, make their way through a landscape ravaged by forest fire toward an uncertain salvation, haunted by the abiding nightmare of his experiences in the war and shadowed by his dead wife’s father, the Colonel, and his two brutal sons.
At times harrowing, at times funny, and always possessed by the sheer gorgeousness and unique imagination that have made Josh Ritter’s songs beloved to so many, this is the debut of a virtuoso fiction writer.
193 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
199 people are currently reading
2611 people want to read
About the author
Josh Ritter
12 books379 followersJosh Ritter is a songwriter from Moscow, Idaho. His albums include The Animal Years and So Runs the World Away. Bright’s Passage was his first novel. He lives in New York.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 481 reviews
July 6, 2011
My spoiler-free review:
Henry Bright talks to his horse. That wouldn't be so unusual, except that his horse is the one who started the conversation. Or so Henry believes. He's convinced he brought an angel back with him from the war in France, and now it's guiding his life and communicating through his horse. Now, that might not sound so bad if you believe in angels, but this one is directing Henry to do things that are dangerous and destructive. He kidnaps a girl, has a child with her, and after she dies, he sets a fire that quickly spreads across West Virginia. Blame it on the horse. Now Henry is on the run, and "the Colonel" is hot on his trail, determined to avenge the kidnapping and death of his daughter. ((The foregoing may sound like spoilers, but have no fear. These things are all presented at the start of the book.)
The chapters mostly alternate between Henry's experiences as a World War I soldier and his current journey as he flees the fire with his infant son, with a few chapters of backstory about Henry's boyhood. The horrors he experienced in the war go a long way toward explaining his unusual behaviors after returning to civilian life.
Josh Ritter has the gift of story. His writing really captivated me and drew me into Henry Bright's world. There's a confidence in Ritter's style that gives it a literary quality surpassing pop fiction. I especially appreciated the author's skill as a "noticer." He's a man who really sees, and he knows all the right things to tell you so you can see it too, without getting bogged down in detail.
This is a first novel, so there are faltering steps, self-conscious moments, and little hiccups in the plot that distracted me at times and left me wanting more information. Some of the characters have interesting quirks and affectations, but at times those qualities feel like contrivances without a history to make them believable. The plot has an unusual structure that required me to trust the author a little more than was comfortable. It would have been helpful to know certain things earlier in the narrative so I could relax into the story without worrying about being left hanging at the end.
Happily, the novel does have a strong finish, and I felt satisfied with the conclusion. Fans of Josh Ritter's music know he's a fine storyteller, and they'll enjoy the book for that alone. If you like to look a little deeper, Bright's Passage can be an exploration of the lingering effects of war trauma, and a young man's journey toward learning to trust himself. (3.5 stars)
Henry Bright talks to his horse. That wouldn't be so unusual, except that his horse is the one who started the conversation. Or so Henry believes. He's convinced he brought an angel back with him from the war in France, and now it's guiding his life and communicating through his horse. Now, that might not sound so bad if you believe in angels, but this one is directing Henry to do things that are dangerous and destructive. He kidnaps a girl, has a child with her, and after she dies, he sets a fire that quickly spreads across West Virginia. Blame it on the horse. Now Henry is on the run, and "the Colonel" is hot on his trail, determined to avenge the kidnapping and death of his daughter. ((The foregoing may sound like spoilers, but have no fear. These things are all presented at the start of the book.)
The chapters mostly alternate between Henry's experiences as a World War I soldier and his current journey as he flees the fire with his infant son, with a few chapters of backstory about Henry's boyhood. The horrors he experienced in the war go a long way toward explaining his unusual behaviors after returning to civilian life.
Josh Ritter has the gift of story. His writing really captivated me and drew me into Henry Bright's world. There's a confidence in Ritter's style that gives it a literary quality surpassing pop fiction. I especially appreciated the author's skill as a "noticer." He's a man who really sees, and he knows all the right things to tell you so you can see it too, without getting bogged down in detail.
This is a first novel, so there are faltering steps, self-conscious moments, and little hiccups in the plot that distracted me at times and left me wanting more information. Some of the characters have interesting quirks and affectations, but at times those qualities feel like contrivances without a history to make them believable. The plot has an unusual structure that required me to trust the author a little more than was comfortable. It would have been helpful to know certain things earlier in the narrative so I could relax into the story without worrying about being left hanging at the end.
Happily, the novel does have a strong finish, and I felt satisfied with the conclusion. Fans of Josh Ritter's music know he's a fine storyteller, and they'll enjoy the book for that alone. If you like to look a little deeper, Bright's Passage can be an exploration of the lingering effects of war trauma, and a young man's journey toward learning to trust himself. (3.5 stars)
October 9, 2011
I wanted to love this book. I wanted it to ooze emotion and ambiance in the same way that Ritter's songs do. I wanted each chapter to be a finely polished jewel like so many of his songs. I will say that for all of those high hopes I was disappointed. But really, if this had been any other first time author of whom I had no preconceived notions, I would have probably been happier.
As I read through the book I certainly found myself compelled by the personalities of the characters, the plots and the settings. The pacing of the book was mostly brisk and didn't leave the reader waiting too long for more. There were a few scenes from the war timeline that may be too much for squeamish readers, but they are not the norm for the book.
Ritter seems to spend most of the book developing your curiosity about the relationship between Bright and his "advisor", as well as Bright's relationship to the antagonists and in my opinion he did a good job. By the end of the book I was truly curious about how the threads were going to come together and what the ultimate resolution was going to be. When I had finished I was satisfied but was left wondering about what I considered anfea loose ends. I would wager that other readers will also feel that Ritter could have offered a more satisfying conclusion.
Because this book is a quick read and has some interesting characters qnd story lines, I would feel comfortable recommending it to friends, but I would recommend they borrow it or check it out from the library; I would be surprised if they needed amcopy in their permanent collection.
As I read through the book I certainly found myself compelled by the personalities of the characters, the plots and the settings. The pacing of the book was mostly brisk and didn't leave the reader waiting too long for more. There were a few scenes from the war timeline that may be too much for squeamish readers, but they are not the norm for the book.
Ritter seems to spend most of the book developing your curiosity about the relationship between Bright and his "advisor", as well as Bright's relationship to the antagonists and in my opinion he did a good job. By the end of the book I was truly curious about how the threads were going to come together and what the ultimate resolution was going to be. When I had finished I was satisfied but was left wondering about what I considered anfea loose ends. I would wager that other readers will also feel that Ritter could have offered a more satisfying conclusion.
Because this book is a quick read and has some interesting characters qnd story lines, I would feel comfortable recommending it to friends, but I would recommend they borrow it or check it out from the library; I would be surprised if they needed amcopy in their permanent collection.
August 8, 2011
This is the first novel by singer/songwriter Josh Ritter, the story of a WWI veteran who returns home to the hills of West Virginia, marries the girl he knew as a child and has a baby who is to be the next King of Heaven. A tall tale, shell shock, myth, a little of all...the novel is a post war fable of love and hate, good and evil, talking animals, and ultimately good people.
It does move back and forth in time, which some might find troublesome but I actually came to look forward to these moves in time for more answers to my developing questions. The more I slowly learned at each stage, the more I wanted to know of each part of Henry Bright's life.
A very good first effort.
It does move back and forth in time, which some might find troublesome but I actually came to look forward to these moves in time for more answers to my developing questions. The more I slowly learned at each stage, the more I wanted to know of each part of Henry Bright's life.
A very good first effort.
July 8, 2011
I was hesitant about reading this novel. I love Josh Ritter's songwriting and musicianship dearly and was afraid that this novel would be an overambitious disappointment. It wasn't. I love this book. Josh Ritter proves that a good writer is a good writer in any medium.
August 6, 2011
Debut Author Josh Ritter believes angels are far from being benign characters. This might explain why he made an angel so much a character of his book, Bright's Passage. Michael Kindness of Books on the Nightstand raved about this book back in Episode 135, Writing So Good It Will Scare You". Michael described the plot as the story of Henry Bright who returns from World War I with an angel on his side. The opening scene begins with Henry holding his infant son, mourning the death of his wife, Rachel, who has died during childbirth. Father and son must leave their home to escape the revenge of his wife's father and two brothers who feel Henry stole their daughter/sister from them. Henry does flee with his son but not before he starts a fire that destroys his home and threatens life for miles around, a fire that he has been told to start by his angel. The story continues and moves rapidly as flashbacks fill in Henry's life during the war in France, and his childhood.
I think readers will each take something different from this story. For me, it is a story of faith and just who or what God is and what is the truth of angels. It comes in just under 200 pages, but packs so much into its brevity. It was a beautiful read with a story that will stay with me and a message to consider. The lyrical quality of the writing reminds me a bit of my feelings when reading Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier, though tighter and sparse.
Josh Ritter is a singer/songwriter in his own right. I am not familiar with his work but after reading Bright's Passage I'm eager to hear his vocal voice. I plan to listen to some of his songs soon.
I think readers will each take something different from this story. For me, it is a story of faith and just who or what God is and what is the truth of angels. It comes in just under 200 pages, but packs so much into its brevity. It was a beautiful read with a story that will stay with me and a message to consider. The lyrical quality of the writing reminds me a bit of my feelings when reading Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier, though tighter and sparse.
Josh Ritter is a singer/songwriter in his own right. I am not familiar with his work but after reading Bright's Passage I'm eager to hear his vocal voice. I plan to listen to some of his songs soon.
December 17, 2012
I like Josh Ritter a lot. A weird lot. I've seen him in concert a few times, I've driven from Idaho to Seattle while listening to his albums as a sort of sympathetic magic, I've tried to turn on various friends to various songs. So I really wanted to like this book.
I didn't, though. I listened to the book on tape version, narrated by Josh himself and intercut with musical interludes by his buddy and bassist. I heard that he wrote the book after starting out with this story as a song, and I can see why he wanted to develop it more. There are lots of interesting elements: a damaged war veteran, an evil older war veteran, the interregnum, and a not-particularly-bright angel.
The elements are there. But it just didn't really come together for me. The characters tend to be a bit wooden, especially outside of Bright himself. It's more of an individual within a scene than a whole fully fleshed out world.
It read a lot like a brilliant guy's first book. Which is, I guess, precisely what it is. But I kept on finding myself pushing off reading it rather than dying to get to the end. I just didn't have much enthusiasm for the story at all. I wasn't hooked in because I didn't really care what happened next and didn't want to see more of the world Ritter created.
I really wanted to like this book. But I didn't. But I'd still give Ritter's second book (if he makes a second book) a shot.
I didn't, though. I listened to the book on tape version, narrated by Josh himself and intercut with musical interludes by his buddy and bassist. I heard that he wrote the book after starting out with this story as a song, and I can see why he wanted to develop it more. There are lots of interesting elements: a damaged war veteran, an evil older war veteran, the interregnum, and a not-particularly-bright angel.
The elements are there. But it just didn't really come together for me. The characters tend to be a bit wooden, especially outside of Bright himself. It's more of an individual within a scene than a whole fully fleshed out world.
It read a lot like a brilliant guy's first book. Which is, I guess, precisely what it is. But I kept on finding myself pushing off reading it rather than dying to get to the end. I just didn't have much enthusiasm for the story at all. I wasn't hooked in because I didn't really care what happened next and didn't want to see more of the world Ritter created.
I really wanted to like this book. But I didn't. But I'd still give Ritter's second book (if he makes a second book) a shot.
April 10, 2013
I have mixed feelings about this debut novel by Josh Ritter called BRIGHT'S PASSAGE.
As I sit here in recall mode, I am surprised that my memory thinks it has just watched a movie. Vivid scenes are popping up one after the other: many include a scrawny young man (Henry Bright) in a uniform --with eyes veiled in suffering, fear, loss, bewilderment -- while some include a tattered old Colonel whose falsely grand manner cannot hide a crazed meanness of purpose.
Other images include a girl in white; a wood cabin with doomed hens and rabbits; a decaying, formerly grand house hinting of sinister secrets; hand-dug graves hurriedly made; a tormented, skittish horse trapped in a belfry; World War I trenches; a sacrificial goat, a talking horse, death-wielding firearms, life-needing water (naked boys swimming in a river, the still surface of a poisoned animal trough, empty canteens, an infant submerged in a pond in symbolic rebirth )
and dangerous fire -- the glow of a cigarette; the flicker of a dynamite fuse-lighting match; the crackling of crumpled pages of a Bible aflame; a spreading, hellish blaze from an apocalyptic-like wildfire.
Staying with the cinematic theme, a prolonged chase scene creates what momentum there is. The protagonist Henry Bright is being chased : literally, by his father-in-law and two male cousins, Duncan and Corwin. Then, of course, there is that wildfire. Is that wildfire meant to be chasing Henry Bright himself -- or is it meant to be a hellfire and brimstone-style threat to those who are chasing Henry, or perhaps something else?
More invisibly, Henry Bright is also being chased by both his traumatic family history and his personal experiences in World War I warfare.
Both the visual and invisible "chase" themes need wrapping up before the book can end. However, although the author resolved the first Colonel-led chase satisfactorily enough (apart from the awkwardness of a dangling Duncan-- what purpose did that serve?), he did not resolve the invisible chase theme -- the inner struggles of an understandably traumatized Bright-- convincingly enough. The author rushed the ending and left me puzzled: what had happened inside H. Bright that would suddenly shift his response to the angel? Without more detail or better preparation, it is hard for me to believe in the resolution author Ritter clearly wanted me to accept.
Finally, I wanted more development of the characters. What were their back stories? For a starter, I don't feel I understood Bright's mother's relationship with the Colonel. Why did she insist that Henry as a boy train a rifle constantly on the Colonel during the visit to the big house? They were neighbors after all, so the Colonel presumably could have inflicted harm upon Bright's mother whenever he had wanted, right? The relationship with the sisters also needed more elaboration in order to interpret their final-meeting scene more clearly.
Sometimes ambiguity enhances a reading experience, but this time I sensed the author manipulating the story too deliberately. So, for me it was a pretty fair read, but it contains the hint of lost opportunity that might have made it pretty good -- or even better than pretty good.
I guess my response is a bit less favorable than most. Perhaps after the book group discussion, I will hear some other perspectives that may soften my views.
As I sit here in recall mode, I am surprised that my memory thinks it has just watched a movie. Vivid scenes are popping up one after the other: many include a scrawny young man (Henry Bright) in a uniform --with eyes veiled in suffering, fear, loss, bewilderment -- while some include a tattered old Colonel whose falsely grand manner cannot hide a crazed meanness of purpose.
Other images include a girl in white; a wood cabin with doomed hens and rabbits; a decaying, formerly grand house hinting of sinister secrets; hand-dug graves hurriedly made; a tormented, skittish horse trapped in a belfry; World War I trenches; a sacrificial goat, a talking horse, death-wielding firearms, life-needing water (naked boys swimming in a river, the still surface of a poisoned animal trough, empty canteens, an infant submerged in a pond in symbolic rebirth )
and dangerous fire -- the glow of a cigarette; the flicker of a dynamite fuse-lighting match; the crackling of crumpled pages of a Bible aflame; a spreading, hellish blaze from an apocalyptic-like wildfire.
Staying with the cinematic theme, a prolonged chase scene creates what momentum there is. The protagonist Henry Bright is being chased : literally, by his father-in-law and two male cousins, Duncan and Corwin. Then, of course, there is that wildfire. Is that wildfire meant to be chasing Henry Bright himself -- or is it meant to be a hellfire and brimstone-style threat to those who are chasing Henry, or perhaps something else?
More invisibly, Henry Bright is also being chased by both his traumatic family history and his personal experiences in World War I warfare.
Both the visual and invisible "chase" themes need wrapping up before the book can end. However, although the author resolved the first Colonel-led chase satisfactorily enough (apart from the awkwardness of a dangling Duncan-- what purpose did that serve?), he did not resolve the invisible chase theme -- the inner struggles of an understandably traumatized Bright-- convincingly enough. The author rushed the ending and left me puzzled: what had happened inside H. Bright that would suddenly shift his response to the angel? Without more detail or better preparation, it is hard for me to believe in the resolution author Ritter clearly wanted me to accept.
Finally, I wanted more development of the characters. What were their back stories? For a starter, I don't feel I understood Bright's mother's relationship with the Colonel. Why did she insist that Henry as a boy train a rifle constantly on the Colonel during the visit to the big house? They were neighbors after all, so the Colonel presumably could have inflicted harm upon Bright's mother whenever he had wanted, right? The relationship with the sisters also needed more elaboration in order to interpret their final-meeting scene more clearly.
Sometimes ambiguity enhances a reading experience, but this time I sensed the author manipulating the story too deliberately. So, for me it was a pretty fair read, but it contains the hint of lost opportunity that might have made it pretty good -- or even better than pretty good.
I guess my response is a bit less favorable than most. Perhaps after the book group discussion, I will hear some other perspectives that may soften my views.
August 10, 2011
"Bright's Passage" is a beautifully told narrative (one that reads quickly as more a short story than a novel) about a World War I veteran from West Virginia named Henry Bright whose wife has died in childbirth, leaving him in charge of caring for his infant son. When his cabin goes up in flames, Bright must make his way through Appalachian wilderness in search of salvation, escaping a father-in-law with a vendetta and entrusting his fate to a guardian angel who's followed him home from the trenches of France.
It's not a perfect novel——the resolution Henry reaches with the angel in its final pages felt rushed and incomplete—but at the same time, it's a hell of a debut and I found it hard to believe this is Josh's first foray into fiction writing.
I have the utmost respect for an artist who can merge this seamlessly from being an incredibly talented musician to being such a promising novelist whose talent shines most in his lyrical prose.
Artist crush officially cemented :)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
True story: Josh Ritter is my favorite musical artist. From a musicphile like myself, that's a BIG statement. But Josh's storytelling in his lyrics has always made me love him so much.
Consider a few of his songs if you've never heard of him:
The Curse (about a mummy and the woman who keeps him -- it's odd, yes, but SO beautiful): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXBI2_...
Girl in the War (THIS SONG. Seriously, every time I hear it, cells inside me just melt): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bdobff...
(And seriously, GO BUY HIS MUSIC ALREADY).
So, yeah, I have a creative crush on Mr. Ritter. I've been dying to see him again live (the one time I have I was smitten). I was hesitant to read his novel because I'm always dubious about multi-talented people. But everywhere I've looked, Bright's Passage has gotten fabulous reviews.
Am I surprised? Maybe a little. But not to hear the good things. Just at myself. I mean, this is Josh. Why should I suspect anything less than magic from him, regardless of the outlet?
Can't wait to jump in.
It's not a perfect novel——the resolution Henry reaches with the angel in its final pages felt rushed and incomplete—but at the same time, it's a hell of a debut and I found it hard to believe this is Josh's first foray into fiction writing.
I have the utmost respect for an artist who can merge this seamlessly from being an incredibly talented musician to being such a promising novelist whose talent shines most in his lyrical prose.
Artist crush officially cemented :)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
True story: Josh Ritter is my favorite musical artist. From a musicphile like myself, that's a BIG statement. But Josh's storytelling in his lyrics has always made me love him so much.
Consider a few of his songs if you've never heard of him:
The Curse (about a mummy and the woman who keeps him -- it's odd, yes, but SO beautiful): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXBI2_...
Girl in the War (THIS SONG. Seriously, every time I hear it, cells inside me just melt): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bdobff...
(And seriously, GO BUY HIS MUSIC ALREADY).
So, yeah, I have a creative crush on Mr. Ritter. I've been dying to see him again live (the one time I have I was smitten). I was hesitant to read his novel because I'm always dubious about multi-talented people. But everywhere I've looked, Bright's Passage has gotten fabulous reviews.
Am I surprised? Maybe a little. But not to hear the good things. Just at myself. I mean, this is Josh. Why should I suspect anything less than magic from him, regardless of the outlet?
Can't wait to jump in.
May 18, 2017
This was fine.
As words, this does everything you want them to. The text evokes scenes, colors, images... there is a whole mood of dark rusts, burning golds, and uncertainty which carries through the jumpy timeline. The language is simple but moody and evocative. It's dirty like the characters, simple like the characters. Rustic. The ambiance is pretty spot on, and like the fire which starts early, the action burns slow. Or as slowly as under 200 pages can.
The issue, if there is one, is that the story doesn't resolve really. I often defend books that do this: a book can be about mood and not really have strong plot or motion. But the problem is, Bright's Passage DOES have a plot. We just never really "get" it. The Angel is never resolved... the Angel who is the driving force behind the action is abandoned at the end without any certainty of it being real or delusion, without any knowledge of what this means for the New King of Heaven. Bright's pursuers, also, seem unresolved. We never really know where the animosity between the two families comes from, and while the Colonel isn't a great dude, there is a pre-history which never really is unwrapped. The final stroke with his sons is interesting, but even this is unresolved. To some degree, we don't even know if the fire is to be resolved. These final scenes could end up moot as the flames gather and destroy the last defenses of the hotel. We have a scene of hope and future, but nothing that has been promised really has happened. This isn't bad, per se, but it does make the feeling of the ending a complicated one. While it's arguable that no question posed here might have a truly satisfying answer that could have been given, those questions still remain.
Ultimately, though, this was worth the risk, and it makes me want to go deeper into Ritter's own music... music owes the listener less in story arc, and other elements here make a solid argument for the folk singer's other talents.
As words, this does everything you want them to. The text evokes scenes, colors, images... there is a whole mood of dark rusts, burning golds, and uncertainty which carries through the jumpy timeline. The language is simple but moody and evocative. It's dirty like the characters, simple like the characters. Rustic. The ambiance is pretty spot on, and like the fire which starts early, the action burns slow. Or as slowly as under 200 pages can.
The issue, if there is one, is that the story doesn't resolve really. I often defend books that do this: a book can be about mood and not really have strong plot or motion. But the problem is, Bright's Passage DOES have a plot. We just never really "get" it. The Angel is never resolved... the Angel who is the driving force behind the action is abandoned at the end without any certainty of it being real or delusion, without any knowledge of what this means for the New King of Heaven. Bright's pursuers, also, seem unresolved. We never really know where the animosity between the two families comes from, and while the Colonel isn't a great dude, there is a pre-history which never really is unwrapped. The final stroke with his sons is interesting, but even this is unresolved. To some degree, we don't even know if the fire is to be resolved. These final scenes could end up moot as the flames gather and destroy the last defenses of the hotel. We have a scene of hope and future, but nothing that has been promised really has happened. This isn't bad, per se, but it does make the feeling of the ending a complicated one. While it's arguable that no question posed here might have a truly satisfying answer that could have been given, those questions still remain.
Ultimately, though, this was worth the risk, and it makes me want to go deeper into Ritter's own music... music owes the listener less in story arc, and other elements here make a solid argument for the folk singer's other talents.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 17, 2011
Fire both purges and destroys. The same can be said of war. As the American Civil War swept across the land, it purged the country from an insidious practice, nearly destroying it in the process.
Ritter's novel is a reminder to us that dressing a man up in a military uniform does not necessarily make him a man worthy of honor and respect, and that at times, draping a military action in the guise of honorable intentions issues an unrestricted license for brutal acts of cruelty and carnage.
And yet... there are those who will lay down their lives for the sake of family and country. Henry Bright, the protagonist in this debut novel, is such a man.
I love the lyrical quality of the prose in this first offering by Josh Ritter. There are resonant echoes of Faulkner here, though the writing style is fresh and authentic. This is a literary novel that pulls the reader in from the first pages. I read it in one day as I simply could not put it down after reading the opening lines.
Highly recommended for those who love literary fiction.
Ritter's novel is a reminder to us that dressing a man up in a military uniform does not necessarily make him a man worthy of honor and respect, and that at times, draping a military action in the guise of honorable intentions issues an unrestricted license for brutal acts of cruelty and carnage.
And yet... there are those who will lay down their lives for the sake of family and country. Henry Bright, the protagonist in this debut novel, is such a man.
I love the lyrical quality of the prose in this first offering by Josh Ritter. There are resonant echoes of Faulkner here, though the writing style is fresh and authentic. This is a literary novel that pulls the reader in from the first pages. I read it in one day as I simply could not put it down after reading the opening lines.
Highly recommended for those who love literary fiction.
March 14, 2016
I'm totally biased...the man can do no wrong
“a windstorm that made the trees bow to one another like ballroom dancers.” - astounding
“a windstorm that made the trees bow to one another like ballroom dancers.” - astounding
July 4, 2020
Henry Bright is instructed to flee by an angel with his newborn son after the death of his wife in childbirth. The angel insists his son is the Future King of Heaven, who will displace the current one responsible for the atrocities of the Great War.
At this point I would define myself as a Josh Ritter fan (it's my girlfriend who has been the huge lifelong Ritter fan). His ability to succinctly tell a story in music is, at this point, pretty unparalleled. However, I don't think it truly translates well into novel writing, which is an entirely different animal. Where Ritter thrives is in the compression of lines, syllables, and rhymes. In a novel he doesn't seem to know what to do with the space given to him. The story had the makings of a longer Odyssey in thee vein of Cold Mountain but instead was a fast 190 or so pages where I felt shut off from Henry Bright's history and character as well as the characters of his enemies which, ultimately, come across as stereotype plants at best and cartoon villains at worst.
I can see this story playing out in a song and I wonder if it fit best there. Or perhaps in a short story format where there would not be this tug of war between filling pages and moving quickly thought events. The premise is interesting (and uniquely Ritter) but comes across as incredibly on the nose and lacking the sincere emotional depth he is capable of. I liked the story, I'd like to see more of it, to pick apart the questions it brings up: was the angel ever real? what exactly is Henry's son if it's true?
Ultimately the story's ending is fairly nonconsequential. There are consequences, but for a select few and even less people truly feel those consequences or care. I could see reading this story as a metaphor for post-traumatic stress in the wake of pandemic and World War as well as a personal loss, an entirely psychological reality to try and make sense of events and circumstances. But I don't think the text fully supports that or agrees.
At this point I would define myself as a Josh Ritter fan (it's my girlfriend who has been the huge lifelong Ritter fan). His ability to succinctly tell a story in music is, at this point, pretty unparalleled. However, I don't think it truly translates well into novel writing, which is an entirely different animal. Where Ritter thrives is in the compression of lines, syllables, and rhymes. In a novel he doesn't seem to know what to do with the space given to him. The story had the makings of a longer Odyssey in thee vein of Cold Mountain but instead was a fast 190 or so pages where I felt shut off from Henry Bright's history and character as well as the characters of his enemies which, ultimately, come across as stereotype plants at best and cartoon villains at worst.
I can see this story playing out in a song and I wonder if it fit best there. Or perhaps in a short story format where there would not be this tug of war between filling pages and moving quickly thought events. The premise is interesting (and uniquely Ritter) but comes across as incredibly on the nose and lacking the sincere emotional depth he is capable of. I liked the story, I'd like to see more of it, to pick apart the questions it brings up: was the angel ever real? what exactly is Henry's son if it's true?
Ultimately the story's ending is fairly nonconsequential. There are consequences, but for a select few and even less people truly feel those consequences or care. I could see reading this story as a metaphor for post-traumatic stress in the wake of pandemic and World War as well as a personal loss, an entirely psychological reality to try and make sense of events and circumstances. But I don't think the text fully supports that or agrees.
August 17, 2018
This is part of one of my stranger lists, the "read-alikes" suggest by NoveList. I took my top ten lists from each of the last five years, and picked one book from the recommendations for each. In many cases, I haven't loved the read-alike, for reasons I'll go into, but once, just once, a read-alike for a book on one year's Top Ten list made it on to the following year's Top Ten list. So I persist.
Note: The rest of this review has been withheld due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.
In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook
Note: The rest of this review has been withheld due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.
In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook
July 6, 2011
I think if you asked me, I would tell you that 'war stories' are not my thing. Reading Josh Ritter's debut novel, Bright's Passage reminded me that I would be lying to you. Some of the most beautiful stories come out of terrible wars, and I cannot deny their effect on me: surprise at my reaction toward them ("But, I don't like war stories!"), sadness for the tragedy and horror, too... But, they are also books that stay with me. You know, the good kind of literature that follows you around and doesn't let you forget it. And, why, so often are they so lyrically beautiful?
When I was younger, my relatives undoubtedly viewed me some kind of book-reading-anomoly-child. Having never read books themselves, they didn't ask what kind of books I liked or wanted to read, but they bought me books just the same: they just bought me books that they found in dollar stores and at Walmart for 2/$1.00. I appreciated the effort, but rarely read those things. At one point, I had three copies of The Red Badge Of Courage . But, I said..."Blah, blah, blah, a young soldier? Ew. I read about baby-sitters with dangling parrot earrings!"
So, I didn't read RBoC until I was twenty-six. And when I did... I was floored. It was a gorgeous, gorgeous teeny tiny book. Stephen Crane, who was so young when he wrote RBoC, was also an accomplished painter. And I could tell: RBoC was f*cking artwork. It was a beautiful pile of saturated descriptions and well-turned phrases on a goddamn canvas. I shook my head, thinking of all the copies of RBoC that sat in my bedroom as a kid, collecting dust. Well, whatever, I was an idiot.
The entire time that I was reading Bright's Passage, I was reminded of The Red Badge of Courage. Like RBoC, Bright's Passage is a teeny book (barely 200 pages). Bright's Passage is a book about WWI, RBoC is a book about The Civil War - but, they are both books about naive, wide-eyed American country boys who are given guns and told to kill for their country, and then left dumbfounded by the chaotic, frightening din of actual battle. Like the protagonist of RBoC, Ritter's main character is named Henry, and he is a mere nineteen or twenty years old after he returns from The First World War. And like RBoC, Bright's protagonist undergoes a somewhat frightening spiritual awakening.
Like Stephen Crane, Josh Ritter was/is a primarily different type of artist (songwriter), and the writing reflects, at times, a lyrical poetic style. It's just pretty, you know? Some really beautiful writing. So, it reads a little more gimmicky than RBoC. But, I felt Ritter's language and story unfold just as wonderfully as Crane's.
I mean - I'm comparing Bright's Passage to one of the greatest works of American Literature, here. And, for the most part, I really mean it! Josh Ritter, that indie-songwriter-guy, is not just a novelist - he is a great writer!
The plot of the story unfolds (fairly) masterfully. The narration moves from the novel's present-day (West Virginia, 1918/19), back in time through the trenches in France and the yucky-pretty tales of the battlefield, and it traces the protagonist through his homecoming from WWI to the birth of his child, and the flight to save him from some evil creepy-Appalachia-style in-laws.
Through all of this, Henry Bright is being led by his talking horse, who is possessed by a presence he calls Angel. Whether Angel is an angel, sent to protect Henry and his son, or a serious form of shell-shock (ahem, PTSD), the author does not say. But, Ritter has done a remarkable job of capturing the desperate sense of urgency and displacement that our protagonist soldier feels.
Read a little of this awesome-ness: But, I hate war stories!
And a little of this amazing-ness: I'm sure I'll hate war poetry even more!
And you will find Josh Ritter's Bright's Passage in good company.
F*cking well done!
The rating: (BTW - disclosure: I got this for free from a Goodreads giveaway.). However, this did not affect my review in the slightest. I decided to give this book four stars. I thought about giving it five, at first. But, I think the surprise of Ritter being so talented at novel-writing wore off enough for me to give it a well-deserved four. I mean, this could be someone's five-star book, for sure. But, the only books I give five stars to are the books that I personally want to marry and have babies with. So, you know... I'll go with four.
When I was younger, my relatives undoubtedly viewed me some kind of book-reading-anomoly-child. Having never read books themselves, they didn't ask what kind of books I liked or wanted to read, but they bought me books just the same: they just bought me books that they found in dollar stores and at Walmart for 2/$1.00. I appreciated the effort, but rarely read those things. At one point, I had three copies of The Red Badge Of Courage . But, I said..."Blah, blah, blah, a young soldier? Ew. I read about baby-sitters with dangling parrot earrings!"
So, I didn't read RBoC until I was twenty-six. And when I did... I was floored. It was a gorgeous, gorgeous teeny tiny book. Stephen Crane, who was so young when he wrote RBoC, was also an accomplished painter. And I could tell: RBoC was f*cking artwork. It was a beautiful pile of saturated descriptions and well-turned phrases on a goddamn canvas. I shook my head, thinking of all the copies of RBoC that sat in my bedroom as a kid, collecting dust. Well, whatever, I was an idiot.
The entire time that I was reading Bright's Passage, I was reminded of The Red Badge of Courage. Like RBoC, Bright's Passage is a teeny book (barely 200 pages). Bright's Passage is a book about WWI, RBoC is a book about The Civil War - but, they are both books about naive, wide-eyed American country boys who are given guns and told to kill for their country, and then left dumbfounded by the chaotic, frightening din of actual battle. Like the protagonist of RBoC, Ritter's main character is named Henry, and he is a mere nineteen or twenty years old after he returns from The First World War. And like RBoC, Bright's protagonist undergoes a somewhat frightening spiritual awakening.
Like Stephen Crane, Josh Ritter was/is a primarily different type of artist (songwriter), and the writing reflects, at times, a lyrical poetic style. It's just pretty, you know? Some really beautiful writing. So, it reads a little more gimmicky than RBoC. But, I felt Ritter's language and story unfold just as wonderfully as Crane's.
I mean - I'm comparing Bright's Passage to one of the greatest works of American Literature, here. And, for the most part, I really mean it! Josh Ritter, that indie-songwriter-guy, is not just a novelist - he is a great writer!
The plot of the story unfolds (fairly) masterfully. The narration moves from the novel's present-day (West Virginia, 1918/19), back in time through the trenches in France and the yucky-pretty tales of the battlefield, and it traces the protagonist through his homecoming from WWI to the birth of his child, and the flight to save him from some evil creepy-Appalachia-style in-laws.
Through all of this, Henry Bright is being led by his talking horse, who is possessed by a presence he calls Angel. Whether Angel is an angel, sent to protect Henry and his son, or a serious form of shell-shock (ahem, PTSD), the author does not say. But, Ritter has done a remarkable job of capturing the desperate sense of urgency and displacement that our protagonist soldier feels.
Read a little of this awesome-ness: But, I hate war stories!
And a little of this amazing-ness: I'm sure I'll hate war poetry even more!
And you will find Josh Ritter's Bright's Passage in good company.
F*cking well done!
The rating: (BTW - disclosure: I got this for free from a Goodreads giveaway.). However, this did not affect my review in the slightest. I decided to give this book four stars. I thought about giving it five, at first. But, I think the surprise of Ritter being so talented at novel-writing wore off enough for me to give it a well-deserved four. I mean, this could be someone's five-star book, for sure. But, the only books I give five stars to are the books that I personally want to marry and have babies with. So, you know... I'll go with four.
July 7, 2012
In singer/songwriter Josh Ritter's debut novel, grit and beauty come together in paradoxically close proximity.
Set in post-WWI Appalachia, the novel unfolds the implications of war and, perhaps, the mania of PTSD caused by it. The narrator toggles between scenes of the main character, Henry Bright, at war in France and fighting to save his life back in post-bellum America. His life during peacetime is infinitely complicated by three other characters: his newborn baby boy, his vengeful father-in-law, and (here it is) a nameless angel that inhabits his horse. This yells PTSD at the reader, but Ritter does well to keep the angel believable and unpsychologized per the era.
Ritter has done his homework. His knowledge of Appalachian flora and fauna is not only impressive - it is poetic. Example: in one scene, a nefarious character stares at Henry and his mother. As Henry's mother says hello, the other "said nothing in reply" while "swaying slightly like a pitcher plant in the stillness" (110). Not only is the image arresting, but the symbolism is even deeper: pitcher plants sway in the wind, but they are also carnivorous plants, intimating the character's ravenous desire to destroy and even consume Henry, his mother, and their livelihood.
As always, Ritter is the "Odysseus" of theodicy, if I may tinker with the homonym. Ironically, in "Bright's Passage" it's the angel that brings in the best conversation of the seeming contradiction of a loving, powerful God in world gone askew. At a crux in the story, the angel-horse stares at Henry and pushes his faith around:
"Answer me, Henry Bright: Is Jesus Christ the King of everything that you've seen?"
"Maybe he is."
"Why do you suppose a good King would let all those things happen? Doesn't a King have the power to stop them?"
"Why are you making me say all these things? I don't know why he does what he does-"
"Nor do I," the horse said. "Nor do I. The cruelty I've seen is beyond my understanding. So I've decided we need a new King of Heaven." (p. 177)
Ritter sets up the theodical problem well. In the face of WWI (here I'm thinking especially of Wilfred Owen's poem "Dulce et decorum est"), who could unwaveringly believe in a good, powerful God? As a Christian, I recognize this and hope that I am in solidarity with those who lament, in Wordsworth's words, "what man has made of man." But is this not also the lament of the disciples on Saturday night of Holy Week, or of the faithful women, spice-laden on their way to the tomb Sunday morning? We live in a world that is, in the words of Paul in Romans, groaning for redemption - yes. Precisely. And this is the reason we long for the day when Christ will come and aright the tipped over chairs of the universe; when he will come to wipe every tear away "and death will be no more."
To which Ritter will reply, "But you need faith for the same reasons that it's so hard to find."
Yes. Which is exactly why we need faith - trusting that the world will one day look different because Christ has dealt with death; trusting in this so much that we begin to live with the grain of the new creation.
Set in post-WWI Appalachia, the novel unfolds the implications of war and, perhaps, the mania of PTSD caused by it. The narrator toggles between scenes of the main character, Henry Bright, at war in France and fighting to save his life back in post-bellum America. His life during peacetime is infinitely complicated by three other characters: his newborn baby boy, his vengeful father-in-law, and (here it is) a nameless angel that inhabits his horse. This yells PTSD at the reader, but Ritter does well to keep the angel believable and unpsychologized per the era.
Ritter has done his homework. His knowledge of Appalachian flora and fauna is not only impressive - it is poetic. Example: in one scene, a nefarious character stares at Henry and his mother. As Henry's mother says hello, the other "said nothing in reply" while "swaying slightly like a pitcher plant in the stillness" (110). Not only is the image arresting, but the symbolism is even deeper: pitcher plants sway in the wind, but they are also carnivorous plants, intimating the character's ravenous desire to destroy and even consume Henry, his mother, and their livelihood.
As always, Ritter is the "Odysseus" of theodicy, if I may tinker with the homonym. Ironically, in "Bright's Passage" it's the angel that brings in the best conversation of the seeming contradiction of a loving, powerful God in world gone askew. At a crux in the story, the angel-horse stares at Henry and pushes his faith around:
"Answer me, Henry Bright: Is Jesus Christ the King of everything that you've seen?"
"Maybe he is."
"Why do you suppose a good King would let all those things happen? Doesn't a King have the power to stop them?"
"Why are you making me say all these things? I don't know why he does what he does-"
"Nor do I," the horse said. "Nor do I. The cruelty I've seen is beyond my understanding. So I've decided we need a new King of Heaven." (p. 177)
Ritter sets up the theodical problem well. In the face of WWI (here I'm thinking especially of Wilfred Owen's poem "Dulce et decorum est"), who could unwaveringly believe in a good, powerful God? As a Christian, I recognize this and hope that I am in solidarity with those who lament, in Wordsworth's words, "what man has made of man." But is this not also the lament of the disciples on Saturday night of Holy Week, or of the faithful women, spice-laden on their way to the tomb Sunday morning? We live in a world that is, in the words of Paul in Romans, groaning for redemption - yes. Precisely. And this is the reason we long for the day when Christ will come and aright the tipped over chairs of the universe; when he will come to wipe every tear away "and death will be no more."
To which Ritter will reply, "But you need faith for the same reasons that it's so hard to find."
Yes. Which is exactly why we need faith - trusting that the world will one day look different because Christ has dealt with death; trusting in this so much that we begin to live with the grain of the new creation.
June 1, 2012
I'm very skeptical of artists/celebrities who dabble in mediums beside the one in which they made their name. I'm a big fan of Josh Ritter's music and decided to check out his book not only because I think he is a skilled lyricist, but also because I think he is a great storyteller.
I have to admit, I was a little disappointed in the novel. It wasn't horrible, however. I think the story was interesting a the plot was strong, but I was about halfway through the book before I really started caring about how it would end.
The most immediate drawback in Ritter's literary style was the lack of depth in his characters. There wasn't a character in the book that I could begin to identify with or understand. The bad guys are bad because plots need bad guys. The Colonel, the central antagonist, is never given much of a backstory. We get hints of past familial turmoil, but nothing that explains why he is such a rotten person. We are unable to see anything from his point of view because we are never told why he is the way he is. Also, if he has any redeeming characteristics, as virtually everyone does, we don't get to discover what they are. The problem is the same with Henry Bright, the protagonist. We see more of his background, and we get a little more to explain his motivations, but he seems primarily to be a cipher, a placeholder in the protagonist role. He never comes alive for the reader. Every character in the book comes across in this way, flat and underdeveloped.
There was a lack of specificity in the writing that drove me crazy. Several times actions are ascribed to "something", though we don't know what that something is. "Something" never makes anything do anything, it's just a catchall writers use when they don't want to puzzle a passage out as they're writing. Something doesn't knock over a bag of flour, an agent of the writer's does.
All these complaints aside, I think Ritter has what it takes to be a good writer. The plot was good, the organization was well-done. I felt like all the elements of the plot coalesced in a sense of carefully guided chaos, a transcendent feeling many artists aspire toward, but few achieve. Stylistically, the conclusion reminded me of the conclusion of Nathaniel West's Day of the Locust. All the shortcomings I found with the book are things that I think writers generally improve upon with practice, experience, and effort. In other words, I think Ritter has the knack for writing, he just needs to refine it.
I have to admit, I was a little disappointed in the novel. It wasn't horrible, however. I think the story was interesting a the plot was strong, but I was about halfway through the book before I really started caring about how it would end.
The most immediate drawback in Ritter's literary style was the lack of depth in his characters. There wasn't a character in the book that I could begin to identify with or understand. The bad guys are bad because plots need bad guys. The Colonel, the central antagonist, is never given much of a backstory. We get hints of past familial turmoil, but nothing that explains why he is such a rotten person. We are unable to see anything from his point of view because we are never told why he is the way he is. Also, if he has any redeeming characteristics, as virtually everyone does, we don't get to discover what they are. The problem is the same with Henry Bright, the protagonist. We see more of his background, and we get a little more to explain his motivations, but he seems primarily to be a cipher, a placeholder in the protagonist role. He never comes alive for the reader. Every character in the book comes across in this way, flat and underdeveloped.
There was a lack of specificity in the writing that drove me crazy. Several times actions are ascribed to "something", though we don't know what that something is. "Something" never makes anything do anything, it's just a catchall writers use when they don't want to puzzle a passage out as they're writing. Something doesn't knock over a bag of flour, an agent of the writer's does.
All these complaints aside, I think Ritter has what it takes to be a good writer. The plot was good, the organization was well-done. I felt like all the elements of the plot coalesced in a sense of carefully guided chaos, a transcendent feeling many artists aspire toward, but few achieve. Stylistically, the conclusion reminded me of the conclusion of Nathaniel West's Day of the Locust. All the shortcomings I found with the book are things that I think writers generally improve upon with practice, experience, and effort. In other words, I think Ritter has the knack for writing, he just needs to refine it.
October 14, 2011
I am a huge fan of Josh Ritter’s music and was very excited to read his first novel, “Bright’s Passage.” I am in awe of Ritter’s talent for writing lyrics, that I set the bar high for this book. I think the book was great on many levels, but it took a long time to grab my attention. I read the first half of the book in small chunks, a few chapters at a time, as it failed to grab me. I read the second half this evening and the last part of the book made me appreciate the foundation built in the first half.
Ritter picked the perfect way to have the story unfold. He writes very short chapters that alternate between three different time periods and two different sets of characters. The protagonist is Henry Bright, a very muddled man who has returned home to West Virginia after fighting in WW1. Henry is plagued by his uncle/father-in-law, who is seeking revenge. Elements of the story made me think of Shakespeare, specifically “Titus Andronicus” or maybe Cormac McCarthy’s “No Country for Old Men”.
The main theme of the story is faith. Henry is followed by an angel who alternates between saving his life and making demands. His faith is tested over and over again. However, it is never clear if the angel is a real thing or maybe the creation of a very confused man. Henry has PTSD from incidents before the war and it is only magnified when in the battlefield. In the end, I don’t think it matters if the angel is real or not. Assuming the angel is not real, then Henry is still having his faith tested, but it turns to his faith that he has with following his own gut.
I liked how Ritter set the stakes high between Henry and the Colonel and as their most dramatic moments are being played out a majority of the town is oblivious. It was creepy giving a feeling that unsuspecting victims could be caught up in the crossfire. I liked how this juxtaposed with the other two sections of the book..child abuse taking place and no one intervening and then the war, where people are living their lives back at home, safe. Henry’s life has never been safe, he is always in peril.
The primary reason to read this book is Ritter’s beautiful way with words. He is a gifted writer, where it be songs or novels.
Ritter picked the perfect way to have the story unfold. He writes very short chapters that alternate between three different time periods and two different sets of characters. The protagonist is Henry Bright, a very muddled man who has returned home to West Virginia after fighting in WW1. Henry is plagued by his uncle/father-in-law, who is seeking revenge. Elements of the story made me think of Shakespeare, specifically “Titus Andronicus” or maybe Cormac McCarthy’s “No Country for Old Men”.
The main theme of the story is faith. Henry is followed by an angel who alternates between saving his life and making demands. His faith is tested over and over again. However, it is never clear if the angel is a real thing or maybe the creation of a very confused man. Henry has PTSD from incidents before the war and it is only magnified when in the battlefield. In the end, I don’t think it matters if the angel is real or not. Assuming the angel is not real, then Henry is still having his faith tested, but it turns to his faith that he has with following his own gut.
I liked how Ritter set the stakes high between Henry and the Colonel and as their most dramatic moments are being played out a majority of the town is oblivious. It was creepy giving a feeling that unsuspecting victims could be caught up in the crossfire. I liked how this juxtaposed with the other two sections of the book..child abuse taking place and no one intervening and then the war, where people are living their lives back at home, safe. Henry’s life has never been safe, he is always in peril.
The primary reason to read this book is Ritter’s beautiful way with words. He is a gifted writer, where it be songs or novels.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 19, 2016
“Bright’s Passage” is a short, quick read of a novel that at times is so lyrical you can hear the music underscoring it. That is no surprise since its author is Josh Ritter a singer/songwriter whose work I have a fleeting familiarity with. However, the novel has a strength in being written by a songwriter as there are numerous times in the text when there are lines that are packed with layers of meaning, like the best poetry.
The novel takes place in West Virginia immediately following WW I, and it is structured so that the chapters alternate between the present moment and two distinct past events. In this manner the gaps and unexplained elements of the “present tense” chapters are slowly explained and filled in. It is an effective device, complimented by the short chapters which keep the writing and pace of the novel fluid and quick.
Without giving too much away I will say that as a writer Ritter is quite talented, as a person who develops plots that propel the reader along, not so much. What kept me the most engaged, besides the writing style, was the ambiguous nature of the text. It is hard to categorize and it can easily be placed in a few different genres, depending on your interpretation. That ambiguity is a joy of the book.
“Bright’s Passage” is a text that holds up under scrutiny and I think it would be an excellent choice for book clubs as it touches upon a lot of good topics of discussion. All told I’m not dying for another novel by Mr. Ritter, but I would certainly not ignore it if he produced another.
The novel takes place in West Virginia immediately following WW I, and it is structured so that the chapters alternate between the present moment and two distinct past events. In this manner the gaps and unexplained elements of the “present tense” chapters are slowly explained and filled in. It is an effective device, complimented by the short chapters which keep the writing and pace of the novel fluid and quick.
Without giving too much away I will say that as a writer Ritter is quite talented, as a person who develops plots that propel the reader along, not so much. What kept me the most engaged, besides the writing style, was the ambiguous nature of the text. It is hard to categorize and it can easily be placed in a few different genres, depending on your interpretation. That ambiguity is a joy of the book.
“Bright’s Passage” is a text that holds up under scrutiny and I think it would be an excellent choice for book clubs as it touches upon a lot of good topics of discussion. All told I’m not dying for another novel by Mr. Ritter, but I would certainly not ignore it if he produced another.
September 4, 2011
This novel tells the story of Henry Bright, a soldier who has recently returned from World War I, who is grieving the loss of his bride and trying to take care of his newborn son, all while trying to escape the wrath of his father-in-law, who is not so happy about recent events. Oh, and the whole time Bright is taking instructions from conversations with his horse, who (he believes) is an angel that followed him back from Europe.
Now, this isnt really the type of novel I typically enjoy. I'm not a big fan of military novels or historical fiction, and this novel has both. It also has lots of magical realism (as in the aforementioned horse) which is not normally my cup of tea. And the structure of the book, jumping around in time and narrator without much help to the reader, is one that I think authors need to earn more than perhaps Ritter had. But Ritter is so good at setting a tone, and his words so often capture a great turn of phrase, that I did enjoy this book. Neither of these things will be a surprise to people who are fans of Ritter's music, and I am certainly a big fan of his. In the end, I agree with most of Stephen King's review of this book in the NY Times that Brights Passage is certainly a good read, and better yet gives indication that Ritter has some truly exceptional novels in him if he keeps writing. (I just hope it doesnt slow down his musical output)
Now, this isnt really the type of novel I typically enjoy. I'm not a big fan of military novels or historical fiction, and this novel has both. It also has lots of magical realism (as in the aforementioned horse) which is not normally my cup of tea. And the structure of the book, jumping around in time and narrator without much help to the reader, is one that I think authors need to earn more than perhaps Ritter had. But Ritter is so good at setting a tone, and his words so often capture a great turn of phrase, that I did enjoy this book. Neither of these things will be a surprise to people who are fans of Ritter's music, and I am certainly a big fan of his. In the end, I agree with most of Stephen King's review of this book in the NY Times that Brights Passage is certainly a good read, and better yet gives indication that Ritter has some truly exceptional novels in him if he keeps writing. (I just hope it doesnt slow down his musical output)
August 19, 2013
Disclaimer: I'm a fan of Josh Ritter's music. I've always loved the way he writes songs, and now I guess I love the way he writes books. Reading this felt like listening to one long country ballad story, albeit with more big words... I do wonder (like another reviewer) if he kept a thesaurus by his side at all times while writing. The story kept me hooked, the book is short and the way it is arranged, with small chapters, makes it a quick read - if you're not bothered by the big words that is. The intertwined storylines made it very interesting for me.
My edition of the book comes with a conversation between Josh and Neil Gaiman at the end, and anyway I think Neil said it best: "One of the things about Bright's Passage that's like the best of your songs is that, all the way through, you've answered so many questions but you've left so much open, in a way that's haunting, in a way the reader is just left wondering about (...) For instance, how the reader interprets the angel helps them elect which genre they're reading. You can read the novel and say the angel is this, and you're reading a horror novel, or you can say it's another thing and you're reading a fantasy. Or you can say it's all in Bright's head and you're reading a historical novel about post-war trauma, post-traumatic stress, shell-shock disorder..."
My edition of the book comes with a conversation between Josh and Neil Gaiman at the end, and anyway I think Neil said it best: "One of the things about Bright's Passage that's like the best of your songs is that, all the way through, you've answered so many questions but you've left so much open, in a way that's haunting, in a way the reader is just left wondering about (...) For instance, how the reader interprets the angel helps them elect which genre they're reading. You can read the novel and say the angel is this, and you're reading a horror novel, or you can say it's another thing and you're reading a fantasy. Or you can say it's all in Bright's head and you're reading a historical novel about post-war trauma, post-traumatic stress, shell-shock disorder..."
June 8, 2012
While Bright's Passage feels like Charles Frazier's elegiac style or Lief Enger's spiritual tale Peace Like a River, it is an underdeveloped story.
While Henry Bright is fighting in the first World War he meets an angel in a church in an abandoned village in France. The Angel protects him for the rest of his time there. She shoes up as a voice emanating from his horse after he returns home. She then directs him to take the woman he was in love with the ominous character, The Colonel. Rachel dies in the act of giving birth to their child. The Angel then directs Henry to pack up all their stuff to leave and burn their house down, which he does after some arguing.
The book does a good job of creating the atmosphere and suspense. But it leaves a lot of things unanswered. For instance why is the colonel such an ominous and villainous character and why the animosity between Henry and himself? Henry ultimately rejects the Angel and her directives and walks away, but it leaves a feeling of things being unresolved since the Angel said that his child would be the next king of heaven.
The book should have been fleshed out better than it was so the reader would have a sense that things at least resolved.
While Henry Bright is fighting in the first World War he meets an angel in a church in an abandoned village in France. The Angel protects him for the rest of his time there. She shoes up as a voice emanating from his horse after he returns home. She then directs him to take the woman he was in love with the ominous character, The Colonel. Rachel dies in the act of giving birth to their child. The Angel then directs Henry to pack up all their stuff to leave and burn their house down, which he does after some arguing.
The book does a good job of creating the atmosphere and suspense. But it leaves a lot of things unanswered. For instance why is the colonel such an ominous and villainous character and why the animosity between Henry and himself? Henry ultimately rejects the Angel and her directives and walks away, but it leaves a feeling of things being unresolved since the Angel said that his child would be the next king of heaven.
The book should have been fleshed out better than it was so the reader would have a sense that things at least resolved.
February 20, 2019
I can't ever say anything bad about Josh Ritter. I mean c'mon, he is one of the finest singer-songwriters ever, a genuine and engaging performer, a downright pleasant person to talk to, and then he writes a book that largely takes place in West Virginia (a state I have a strong connection to). You'd almost think he was pandering directly to me.
Long review short, I loved this book.
However, with that said, I had to step back from this book after finishing it to determine, did I enjoy it because it is a well written novel or did I enjoy it because I just love Josh Ritter?
Maybe a little of both. I would have enjoyed the novel regardless of my connection to the author, but my knowledge of the man behind the book enhanced the reading of it.
'Bright's Passage' is a lot like its author. Well-written, engaging, genuine, and just downright pleasant at times. (Who else loves happy(ish) endings!?) And the fact that when I read the book I hear the familiar sound of the author's voice, whose song writing style and lyrics I am quite well acquainted with. I love Josh's voice as a songwriter and now as a novelist.
Long review short, I loved this book.
However, with that said, I had to step back from this book after finishing it to determine, did I enjoy it because it is a well written novel or did I enjoy it because I just love Josh Ritter?
Maybe a little of both. I would have enjoyed the novel regardless of my connection to the author, but my knowledge of the man behind the book enhanced the reading of it.
'Bright's Passage' is a lot like its author. Well-written, engaging, genuine, and just downright pleasant at times. (Who else loves happy(ish) endings!?) And the fact that when I read the book I hear the familiar sound of the author's voice, whose song writing style and lyrics I am quite well acquainted with. I love Josh's voice as a songwriter and now as a novelist.
September 7, 2011
Josh Ritter has rested within my top 5 list of contemporary musicians since I first listened to him in college. His songs are packed with symbolism and deep meaning and a beautiful, poetic way of delivering to the listener his story. It was comforting (but also not surprising) that these talents were well reflected in this novel. It was almost like a fable, with the angel and everything; I'm glad that he didn't feel the need to explain things, such as why is a horse talking to this man? It just is, and that's what the story is. So if you are the kind of reader that would say "Well, WHY does this angel talk to him, WHY can't anyone else hear him, is the angel REAL?" then seriously just don't even consider reading this book. You will miss the point completely.
I feel like I always give 5 stars to everything I read, but I'm okay with that, because I always find myself reading great books. For a first time novelist, this was an excellent story; solid and smooth pacing, a great ambiguously creepy 'villain', and lyrical writing that turns the sentences into pictures that jump off the page.
I feel like I always give 5 stars to everything I read, but I'm okay with that, because I always find myself reading great books. For a first time novelist, this was an excellent story; solid and smooth pacing, a great ambiguously creepy 'villain', and lyrical writing that turns the sentences into pictures that jump off the page.
December 21, 2011
I wanted to like this book, because I wanted to give kudos to Josh for stepping outside his songwriting comfort zone and creating within a new genre. However, from the very beginning, even aside from the requirement to suspend disbelief that the first chapter demanded of the reader, I had the uncomfortable impression that he wrote the entire tale with an open Thesaurus beside him. The word choices were frequently stilted and overly self-conscious for the thing being described.
I spent half the book trying to decide whether the central character had experienced a dissociative episode in his appalling experience of trench warfare in WWI or whether there was an element of fantasy/supernatural to the story with which the reader was meant to engage. By the time I'd reached the end of the mercifully short 193 pages I'd landed firmly on the side of option A - the effects of unspeakable trauma on the psyche.
As much as I am but a humble armchair critic, I would encourage Mr. Ritter to revisit the effort to write fiction. He has the potential to hone the craft, I believe.
I spent half the book trying to decide whether the central character had experienced a dissociative episode in his appalling experience of trench warfare in WWI or whether there was an element of fantasy/supernatural to the story with which the reader was meant to engage. By the time I'd reached the end of the mercifully short 193 pages I'd landed firmly on the side of option A - the effects of unspeakable trauma on the psyche.
As much as I am but a humble armchair critic, I would encourage Mr. Ritter to revisit the effort to write fiction. He has the potential to hone the craft, I believe.
February 19, 2013
I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did, which is always dangerous.
I like Josh Ritter's music. I give out free stars to books featuring horses, especially if they're on the cover. But I didn't enjoy the book.
The premise is that an angel followed Henry Bright (great name, by the way) back from the War and is on a quest to help Bright birth and raise the Future King of Heaven. For convenience's sake, the angel inhabits Bright's horse. So the book really isn't so much about a horse as about an entity that's possessing the horse.
The story is grim and flat. The denouement was trite and fairly obvious. The whole situation was sad. I kept wondering where Bright was getting all these diapers he kept changing the baby into. I could have handled all that if the writing had been especially beautiful or lyrical, and it was OK, but it wasn't the caliber I expected. I usually trust Stephen King's judgment, but here I was just left wishing I could have asked him precisely what he liked about the book, as I clearly missed it.
Perhaps it would have worked better as a song.
I like Josh Ritter's music. I give out free stars to books featuring horses, especially if they're on the cover. But I didn't enjoy the book.
The premise is that an angel followed Henry Bright (great name, by the way) back from the War and is on a quest to help Bright birth and raise the Future King of Heaven. For convenience's sake, the angel inhabits Bright's horse. So the book really isn't so much about a horse as about an entity that's possessing the horse.
The story is grim and flat. The denouement was trite and fairly obvious. The whole situation was sad. I kept wondering where Bright was getting all these diapers he kept changing the baby into. I could have handled all that if the writing had been especially beautiful or lyrical, and it was OK, but it wasn't the caliber I expected. I usually trust Stephen King's judgment, but here I was just left wishing I could have asked him precisely what he liked about the book, as I clearly missed it.
Perhaps it would have worked better as a song.
August 13, 2011
If you love Josh Ritter's songs you won't be surprised that he could also write a lyrical balad in the form of a novel like this one. For a first attempt at writing prose Josh has made nearly a home run. A few of his sentences seemed a bit flowery or too self conscious but I loved the story of Bright's passage through the trials of growing up dirt poor, surviving a horrendous war and especially his sassy angel. Josh says he was influenced by reading Flannery O'Connor and I sensed that. I also sensed some Mark Twain in there too. I look forward to reading and listening to Josh for a long time. 3 1/2 stars.
September 2, 2013
Love, love, love, this man's ability to play with language in a way that leaves me reeling with beautiful images and strong emotion. His songwriting is smart, astute, entertaining, and personable. In person, he is a rollicking good time. For all of these reasons, I loved reading Ritter's novel. Almost an addendum to his music, this book is rich with motifs that play out in his song: war, love, loss, angels, god, and a simple image of life that is as gritty as it is romantic. I can't say what I would rate this book if I were not a fan of his music. The ending is blah, but, like a fantastic Ritter show, I felt moved, entertained, understood, and enlightened.
September 20, 2011
I nearly gave up on this book at page ten but returned the next day to give it another try. If you can get past a rather slow start and the odd premise of a man conversing with an angel in the guise of a horse, then you will find that the story flows quickly and is rather compelling. As Henry Bright and his newborn son seek safety from a raging fire, the story shifts in time between Henry Bright's childhood and his wartime experiences that have left him traumatized. It is ultimately the story of a man seeking redemption and the chance to start anew.
November 2, 2011
Part historical fiction, part fantasy. I am not familiar with the author, who is apparently an established singer/songwriter, but is is beautifully written. Each chapter reads like a short story, chronicling Henry Bright's life during the war in France, his childhood in rural WV and life returning after the war. The author gives you just enough details without getting you bogged down. It is quite suspenseful up to the very end. If you can suspend disbelief and allow the story to be told, it is quite beautiful. A little reminiscent of mccarthy's The Road but fortunately less bleak.
June 2, 2021
4.5 stars.
"If what's loosed on earth will be loosed up on high. It's a Hell of a Heaven we must go to when we die." - Josh Ritter ("Thin Blue Flame")
Similar to his music, Josh Ritter's fiction is familiar, yet singular, accessible, yet challenging, comforting yet harrowing. "Bright's Passage" is a story about trauma, innocence, faith and reconciliation. And even if it occasionally evokes names like Stephen Crane and Robert Olmstead, it reads like a thing of inspired necessity. Josh Ritter writes with compassion and a beautiful sense of wonder. "Bright's Passage" is a wonderful debut.
"If what's loosed on earth will be loosed up on high. It's a Hell of a Heaven we must go to when we die." - Josh Ritter ("Thin Blue Flame")
Similar to his music, Josh Ritter's fiction is familiar, yet singular, accessible, yet challenging, comforting yet harrowing. "Bright's Passage" is a story about trauma, innocence, faith and reconciliation. And even if it occasionally evokes names like Stephen Crane and Robert Olmstead, it reads like a thing of inspired necessity. Josh Ritter writes with compassion and a beautiful sense of wonder. "Bright's Passage" is a wonderful debut.
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