The blistering story of a young man making his Broadway debut in Henry IV just as his marriage implodes—a "witty, wise, and heartfelt novel" ( Washington Post ) about art and love, fame and heartbreak from the acclaimed actor/writer/director. A bracing meditation on fame and celebrity, and the redemptive, healing power of art; a portrait of the ravages of disappointment and divorce; a poignant consideration of the rites of fatherhood and manhood; a novel soaked in rage and sex, longing and despair; and a passionate love letter to the world of theater, A Bright Ray of Darkness showcases Ethan Hawke's gifts as a novelist as never before. Hawke's narrator is a young man in torment, disgusted with himself after the collapse of his marriage, still half hoping for a reconciliation that would allow him to forgive himself and move on as he clumsily, and sometimes hilariously, tries to manage the wreckage of his personal life with whiskey and sex. What saves him is theater: in particular, the challenge of performing the role of Hotspur in a production of Henry IV under the leadership of a brilliant director, helmed by one of the most electrifying—and narcissistic—Falstaff's of all time. Searing, raw, and utterly transfixing, A Bright Ray of Darkness is a novel about shame and beauty and faith, and the moral power of art. “Explores the demands of acting and the delusions of manhood with tremendous verve and insight...the work of an author who knows every aspect of the profession from the inside... Hawke is a genius at conjuring the hush of the auditorium, the thrill of live actors, the magical sense of a performance moving through time. He’s written a witty, wise, and heartfelt novel... a deeply hopeful story... Bravo.” —Ron Charles, The Washington Post "Ethan Hawke pens a Valentine to theatre in  A Bright Ray of Darkness . His new novel is also a prayer for the stage and a reminder of the healing power of performance." — The Austin Chronicle "[Hawke's] writing evokes both the beauty and tawdriness of New York. And he teaches the reader a lot about theater... an engaging book for those who love theater and Shakespeare." — The Christian Science Monitor “Ethan Hawke is a true writer and his duality as an artist is skillfully reflected in A Bright Ray of Darkness . Hawke circles, descends, and crawls into his characters skin. Grimy shadows pass over the footlights, into the bowels of the theatre, where a struggling actor, perhaps mirroring the writer, seeks the vine of redemption, and claws his way into becoming. Bright Ray is a riveting work.” —Patti Smith   “A brilliant insider's account of the joys and terrors of acting, the trials of celebrity, and the secrets of  Henry IV .” — Kirkus Reviews A four-time Academy Award nominee, twice for writing and twice for acting, ETHAN HAWKE has starred in the films Dead Poets Society, Reality Bites, Gattaca , and Training Day , as well as Richard Linklater's Before Sunrise trilogy and Boyhood. He is the author of Rules for a Knight , The Hottest State , and Ash Wednesday . He lives in Brooklyn with his four children and his wife. Our director, J. C. Callahan, stood up in front of us. He was in his early sixties with a shaved, balding head, a bow tie, and a custom-made tweed suit. He was an elegant and powerful man with large, kind, teary blue eyes. His formidable confidence was a mystery. He stood before us, five feet, six inches tall, like an Irish Buddha. Underneath his feet and sprawling out beneath all our tables, chairs, and shoes were reams of tape, probably ten different colors laid out in odd geometric designs of the various floor plans of the set. Red for scene one; yellow for scene two; green marked the battle; et cetera. It looked like a map of our future. Times Square loomed silently, blinking its mad lights through the immaculately clean windows around us.   “All right, here we are,” J.C. began, taking an extraordinarily long and uncomfortable pause before he continued. “I know what you all are expecting—the generic ‘Let’s get started’ speech.” He barely moved as he spoke. “But I don’t have time to tell you all to take it easy. I don’t have time to say, ‘Let’s get to know each other’; ‘Let’s get more comfortable.’ I simply don’t have time.” He reminded me of a lion with its eyes fixed, body completely still, but its tail swishing back and forth behind him.   “I have six weeks to prepare this play. I don’t want you to take it easy. I don’t want you to relax. Today we are going to read through the play . . . and I know what good directors say: ‘Let’s familiarize ourselves with the text’; ‘If you stumble . . . just take it back.’ But I am not a ‘good’ director. I say, Do not stumble . I say you should already be ‘familiar with the text.’ Six weeks. That is nothing. I want us to begin today by grabbing this play by its very significant balls and squeezing them so tight that the world hears its cry. You understand me?” Hi