Ethan Hawke has returned to the literary world with a new novel.
The actor’s A Bright Ray of Darkness, releasing Feb. 2 from Knopf, centers on a young man struggling amid the aftermath of the collapse of his marriage. Though holding on to hope for a reconciliation while still losing his way, soon a role in the Broadway production of Shakespeare’s Henry IV gives him a sense of salvation.
“Searing and raw, A Bright Ray of Darkness is a novel about shame and beauty and faith, and the moral power of art,” Knopf describes of the four-time Oscar nominee’s novel, also referring to the novel as “a bracing meditation on fame and celebrity, and the redemptive, healing power of art.”
A Bright Ray of Darkness marks Hawke’s first novel in nearly 20 years. Hawke’s previous works include The Hottest State, Ash Wednesday and Rules for a Knight. He received two Oscar nominations for his writing in 2005’s Before Sunrise and 2014’s Before Midnight.
In addition to writing, Hawke also narrates the audiobook production of A Bright Ray of Darkness. The production includes musician Freddie Khaw’s rendition of the Scott Joplin song “Great Crush Collision March,” that is mixed throughout many of the title sequences.
Below, The Hollywood Reporter exclusively shares an audio clip of Hawke narrating A Bright Ray of Darkness.
