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Bright Objects
A young woman grapples with the arrival of a once-in-a-lifetime comet and its tumultuous consequences in a debut novel that blends mystery, astronomy, and romance, perfect for fans of Tracey Lien, Emma Cline, and Mireille Juchau.
January 1997: In the small town of Jericho, New South Wales, Sylvia Knight is losing hope that the person who killed her husband will ever face justice. Since the night of the hit-and-run, her world has been shrouded in hazy darkness—until she meets Theo St John, the discoverer of a rare comet soon to be visible above Jericho.
As the comet begins to brighten, visitors flock like pilgrims into town. Supermarkets run out of canned goods; campgrounds fill to capacity. And more and more people are drawn into the orbit of Joseph Evans, an enigmatic local who believes the comet's arrival is nothing short of a divine message. But Sylvia will soon realize that she isn't the only one haunted by the past. While everyone else is looking to the night sky for answers, her quest to uncover her husband's killer will unearth long-held secrets with far-reaching consequences.
A novel about the search for meaning in a bewildering world, the loyalty of love and the dangerous lengths people go to in pursuit of the truth, Bright Objects is a luminous, masterfully crafted literary thriller.
'A novel written with immense grace, beauty, and depth, Bright Objects plumbs the farthest reaches of one widow's grief, ultimately revealing the brilliance of our humanity in the face of immense loss—the will to fight for what's right, the will to hope, and most importantly, the will to love again. A surprising, thrilling, and seductively dangerous comet of a book.' Chelsea Bieker, author of Godshot and Madwoman
January 1997: In the small town of Jericho, New South Wales, Sylvia Knight is losing hope that the person who killed her husband will ever face justice. Since the night of the hit-and-run, her world has been shrouded in hazy darkness—until she meets Theo St John, the discoverer of a rare comet soon to be visible above Jericho.
As the comet begins to brighten, visitors flock like pilgrims into town. Supermarkets run out of canned goods; campgrounds fill to capacity. And more and more people are drawn into the orbit of Joseph Evans, an enigmatic local who believes the comet's arrival is nothing short of a divine message. But Sylvia will soon realize that she isn't the only one haunted by the past. While everyone else is looking to the night sky for answers, her quest to uncover her husband's killer will unearth long-held secrets with far-reaching consequences.
A novel about the search for meaning in a bewildering world, the loyalty of love and the dangerous lengths people go to in pursuit of the truth, Bright Objects is a luminous, masterfully crafted literary thriller.
'A novel written with immense grace, beauty, and depth, Bright Objects plumbs the farthest reaches of one widow's grief, ultimately revealing the brilliance of our humanity in the face of immense loss—the will to fight for what's right, the will to hope, and most importantly, the will to love again. A surprising, thrilling, and seductively dangerous comet of a book.' Chelsea Bieker, author of Godshot and Madwoman
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First published April 30, 2024
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About the author
Ruby Todd
3 books95 followersRuby Todd is an Australian writer with a PhD in writing and literature. She is the recipient of the 2019 Ploughshares Emerging Writer's Contest award for Fiction and the inaugural 2020 Furphy Literary Award, among others. Shortlisted for the 2023 Victorian Premier's Unpublished Manuscript Award, her debut novel, Bright Objects, is forthcoming through Allen & Unwin (ANZ), Simon & Schuster (US), and Éditions Gallmeister (France).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 260 reviews
July 24, 2024
This beautifully written debut literary mystery masterfully blends astronomy with mysticism, a tragic accident, a love story and a man with a shocking plan.
Sylvia is a young Australian widow, still reeling from the death of her husband Christopher in a hit and run accident two years ago. She was resuscitated and brought back from the dead, but her grief at losing Christopher, a young man with so much life still to live, has left her with thoughts of killing herself. The driver of the car was never found, although Sylvia has her suspicions of who it is and has become obsessed with proving it and bringing him to justice.
Sylvia works at a funeral parlour where she helps people with kindness and compassion to choose the type of funeral they want for their loved ones. One of her customers, Joseph Evans, a local mystic, becomes obsessed with the news that a newly discovered comet will soon be visible to the naked eye in the southern skies and believes there must be a connection between his mother’s death and the coming of the comet. He gradually draws in other believers in the comet’s power for change into a cultish group, including Sylvia’s mother-in-law, who is also still grieving Christopher’s untimely death.
At the funeral parlour Sylvia also meets Theo St John, the astronomer who discovered the comet, which has been named after him. Theo’s sadness evokes a feeling of an affinity with this man. She discovers he is monitoring the comet’s progress as it approaches Earth at the nearby observatory and asks if he will show her the comet through the telescope there. Once the comet becomes visible in the night skies, everyone in town is drawn to it and comet fever infects them all. A festival on Joseph’s farm is planned for August when the comet will reach its apex and Joseph and his group plan a special ritual for the end of the night.
Humanity has always regarded comets as something mystical and unworldly, bearing messages from outer space, and tried to instil meaning into their appearance. Todd’s writing is cool and objective which suits the subject matter very well, with its themes of grief, loss, loneliness and obsession. There is a splash of romance as well and while it took a while to warm to the characters and their flaws, by the end of the book I was deeply invested in their futures. This unusual, well crafted literary debut, with a mystery underlying its’ major themes, is both immersive and thought provoking, resulting in a compelling read.
With thanks to Simon & Schuster for a copy to read. This original review was first published in Mystery & Suspense Magazine https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/br...
Sylvia is a young Australian widow, still reeling from the death of her husband Christopher in a hit and run accident two years ago. She was resuscitated and brought back from the dead, but her grief at losing Christopher, a young man with so much life still to live, has left her with thoughts of killing herself. The driver of the car was never found, although Sylvia has her suspicions of who it is and has become obsessed with proving it and bringing him to justice.
Sylvia works at a funeral parlour where she helps people with kindness and compassion to choose the type of funeral they want for their loved ones. One of her customers, Joseph Evans, a local mystic, becomes obsessed with the news that a newly discovered comet will soon be visible to the naked eye in the southern skies and believes there must be a connection between his mother’s death and the coming of the comet. He gradually draws in other believers in the comet’s power for change into a cultish group, including Sylvia’s mother-in-law, who is also still grieving Christopher’s untimely death.
At the funeral parlour Sylvia also meets Theo St John, the astronomer who discovered the comet, which has been named after him. Theo’s sadness evokes a feeling of an affinity with this man. She discovers he is monitoring the comet’s progress as it approaches Earth at the nearby observatory and asks if he will show her the comet through the telescope there. Once the comet becomes visible in the night skies, everyone in town is drawn to it and comet fever infects them all. A festival on Joseph’s farm is planned for August when the comet will reach its apex and Joseph and his group plan a special ritual for the end of the night.
Humanity has always regarded comets as something mystical and unworldly, bearing messages from outer space, and tried to instil meaning into their appearance. Todd’s writing is cool and objective which suits the subject matter very well, with its themes of grief, loss, loneliness and obsession. There is a splash of romance as well and while it took a while to warm to the characters and their flaws, by the end of the book I was deeply invested in their futures. This unusual, well crafted literary debut, with a mystery underlying its’ major themes, is both immersive and thought provoking, resulting in a compelling read.
With thanks to Simon & Schuster for a copy to read. This original review was first published in Mystery & Suspense Magazine https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/br...
May 13, 2024
Sylvia, the narrator, tells the story of her life between two deaths that coincide with the discovery of a comet and then its appearance when it approaches earth. Her first death was in a car accident where her husband was killed,and she is revived. So the novel is about coming to terms with grief and loss, and because the car that caused the accident drove off, Sylvia is also obsessed with finding the other driver. She works at a funeral parlour and one of their customers, a local landowner becomes obsessed with the comet after his mothers death and starts a meditation group that attracts followers. Other major characters are Sylvia’s motherinlaw and the astronomer who discovered the comet who works at a nearby observatory.
This was a surprisingly absorbing read. Cosmic events like the appearance of a comet lead to many people finding or wanting find greater meaning. The book is also about loneliness and forgiveness and finding a way to go on living after major life changing events.
This was a surprisingly absorbing read. Cosmic events like the appearance of a comet lead to many people finding or wanting find greater meaning. The book is also about loneliness and forgiveness and finding a way to go on living after major life changing events.
Read
August 3, 2024DNF No rating. The style and voice go on and on and on. Way too precious and long winded for me. With woo woo added yet. Nope. Plot goes in circles around and around too.
March 31, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley, Ruby Todd, and Simon & Schuster Publishing for this arc of Bright Objects, out July 16, 2024!
This literary fiction novel weaves in astronomy and mystical features, as well as tastes of mystery. A unique take on all of these genres.
When we first meet Sylvia, she is a newly widowed wife, working at a funeral home. May sound weird to some, but the quirky quietness and calm of the parlor soothes her.
Then she runs into Theo, a possible new client, who is studying a rare comet that’s on its way to Earth. Theo comet is stirring up many feelings in the scientific world, as well as everyday people, trying to find meaning in this space phenomena. Just as she felt the universe pulsing when her and her late husband Christopher met, she feels the draw from the universe for something else… for maybe a new romance? A friend?
After the hit and run two years ago, her husband’s case got cold and with no new leads available, she promises to find the person who killed her husband. She wants the justice he deserves, even if no one will help…
Then she meets Joseph, a new client who is trying to plan a funeral for his mother. [ One thing he said that stuck with me is that when something as deep feeling as losing someone you love is, how many monumental decisions do you have to make almost immediately. ]
He is torn between doing what she would want, and what he thinks she deserves. And that made me think… After losing someone that you love, you are in a deep, dark place, and then are forced to make so many big life decisions almost immediately.
Joseph is a quirky man, who is deeply influenced by the comet and all its wonder. He believes that this is showing him something pure and divine, and she gets wrapped up in his world, along with Sandy, her mother in law.
After getting involved with Joseph and his cult-ish ways regarding life, death, superstitions, and the oncoming comet… She finds herself entwined in a world with Theo, the astronomer who is studying this approaching comet, the one that’s named after him. In almost perfect timing, new leads are brought to the surface, she has to start worrying about her mother in law and their stance on Joseph’s meditations, the approaching comet and its cosmic consequences, and stay on track to find her husband’s killer. As months go by until the arrival of the comet, her life is full of discoveries, questioning of celestial coincidence, and finding herself.
Overall, this was a unique take on a novel about astronomy, and it’s influences on human behaviors, romance, grief, and a splash of mystery. It took me a little to really dig in, but once it started unraveling, I was excited to get to the end. The story flows nicely and ties together pieces of the puzzle!
*Trigger warning : suicidal thoughts*
This literary fiction novel weaves in astronomy and mystical features, as well as tastes of mystery. A unique take on all of these genres.
When we first meet Sylvia, she is a newly widowed wife, working at a funeral home. May sound weird to some, but the quirky quietness and calm of the parlor soothes her.
Then she runs into Theo, a possible new client, who is studying a rare comet that’s on its way to Earth. Theo comet is stirring up many feelings in the scientific world, as well as everyday people, trying to find meaning in this space phenomena. Just as she felt the universe pulsing when her and her late husband Christopher met, she feels the draw from the universe for something else… for maybe a new romance? A friend?
After the hit and run two years ago, her husband’s case got cold and with no new leads available, she promises to find the person who killed her husband. She wants the justice he deserves, even if no one will help…
Then she meets Joseph, a new client who is trying to plan a funeral for his mother. [ One thing he said that stuck with me is that when something as deep feeling as losing someone you love is, how many monumental decisions do you have to make almost immediately. ]
He is torn between doing what she would want, and what he thinks she deserves. And that made me think… After losing someone that you love, you are in a deep, dark place, and then are forced to make so many big life decisions almost immediately.
Joseph is a quirky man, who is deeply influenced by the comet and all its wonder. He believes that this is showing him something pure and divine, and she gets wrapped up in his world, along with Sandy, her mother in law.
After getting involved with Joseph and his cult-ish ways regarding life, death, superstitions, and the oncoming comet… She finds herself entwined in a world with Theo, the astronomer who is studying this approaching comet, the one that’s named after him. In almost perfect timing, new leads are brought to the surface, she has to start worrying about her mother in law and their stance on Joseph’s meditations, the approaching comet and its cosmic consequences, and stay on track to find her husband’s killer. As months go by until the arrival of the comet, her life is full of discoveries, questioning of celestial coincidence, and finding herself.
Overall, this was a unique take on a novel about astronomy, and it’s influences on human behaviors, romance, grief, and a splash of mystery. It took me a little to really dig in, but once it started unraveling, I was excited to get to the end. The story flows nicely and ties together pieces of the puzzle!
*Trigger warning : suicidal thoughts*
August 16, 2024
Repetitious. Wordy. Science wrapped up with a boring romance. I kept saying: get to the point, get to the point! Wasted words - too many words! You meet a new character and it just goes on and on before new character says or does anything even remotely interesting. I never felt any of this was real, and that's one thing I need to do when I read. Whether it's mystery, fantasy, literary, thriller, whatever, I need to feel that these are real people doing real things. A woman loses her husband. Works in a funeral home. Meets a new guy. He found a comet. There's a mystery here, sort of, but not at all compelling. And police corruption, also sort of dull. Things are drawn out endlessly, tediously. And seriously, did no one edit this? Say, tighten things up! You don't need ten pages to tell something that works better in six!
Two stars.
Two stars.
July 25, 2024
I'm... disappointed. I held off on reading this because I was on vacation and I wanted to give it my full attention. A mystery wrapped up in astronomy and the arrival of a comet! Exciting stuff! But unfortunately it's all overwhelmed with a generic and predictable Hallmark romance plot. It's the kind of story where just saying "there's a twist" is enough for most people to figure out what the shocking reveal is going to be.
So yeah. I almost decided to just skip the last 19% but I powered through hoping maybe it could nail the landing. But unfortunately by that point I just didn't care about the characters or what happened to them.
So yeah. I almost decided to just skip the last 19% but I powered through hoping maybe it could nail the landing. But unfortunately by that point I just didn't care about the characters or what happened to them.
March 9, 2024
A thoroughly enjoyable novel about the journey through life. Read it and weep.
July 29, 2024
Bright Objects follows Sylvia Knight, a young widow on a uniquely believable journey. Two years after her husband's unresolved hit-and-run death, Sylvia’s grief coincides with the arrival of a rare comet. Intrigued by the comet’s timing, she meets Theo St. John, its discoverer, and is drawn into the beliefs of local mystic Joseph Evans, who sees the comet as a divine message.
As the comet grows brighter, emotions heighten in her town, and Sylvia's quest to uncover her husband's killer deepens. Todd brings this chaos to life in a blend of mystery, romance, and a healthy dose of astronomy and science. The comet, a celestial object whose very existence throughout history inspires assignations of meaning, reflects the fleeting nature of life. In and out of our lives these bright objects — people, events, places — arrive, leaving behind lasting impressions or brief flashes before fading away.
The only downside for me, preventing a 5-star rating, was the overlay of real-life events from 1997, which I found distracting. I had a similar issue with Euphoria by Lily King ("too similar to Margaret Mead to be anyone else, yet too dissimilar to be a biography"), though Todd handled it better, so it didn't impact my reading quite as much.
Bright Objects is one of those gorgeous debuts that has you repeatedly reminding yourself it's a debut. Between the excellent writing, the beautifully paced, careful unfolding of the plot, and the characterizations that strikingly balance the benign and the extreme, Todd already has me on board with whatever she publishes next.
I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This affected neither my opinion of the book nor the content of my review.
As the comet grows brighter, emotions heighten in her town, and Sylvia's quest to uncover her husband's killer deepens. Todd brings this chaos to life in a blend of mystery, romance, and a healthy dose of astronomy and science. The comet, a celestial object whose very existence throughout history inspires assignations of meaning, reflects the fleeting nature of life. In and out of our lives these bright objects — people, events, places — arrive, leaving behind lasting impressions or brief flashes before fading away.
The only downside for me, preventing a 5-star rating, was the overlay of real-life events from 1997, which I found distracting. I had a similar issue with Euphoria by Lily King ("too similar to Margaret Mead to be anyone else, yet too dissimilar to be a biography"), though Todd handled it better, so it didn't impact my reading quite as much.
Bright Objects is one of those gorgeous debuts that has you repeatedly reminding yourself it's a debut. Between the excellent writing, the beautifully paced, careful unfolding of the plot, and the characterizations that strikingly balance the benign and the extreme, Todd already has me on board with whatever she publishes next.
I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This affected neither my opinion of the book nor the content of my review.
January 16, 2024
(4.5 stars) This book was promoted as appropriate for fans of Emma Cline’s The Girls and Ottessa Moshfegh’s Death in Her Hands. I’ve read and liked both of these, so I quick-requested Bright Objects from NetGalley. What I found was that, unlike the two books for which it is billed as similar, in my opinion, it is more for fans of Martin MacInnes’ In Ascension, which I loved. In Ascension has not yet published (it goes on sale February 27), but it was longlisted for the 2023 Booker Prize, so big shoes to fill at least for me.
I thoroughly enjoyed Bright Objects. It reads like a literary thriller, with elements of mystery, astronomy and even a touch of romance. The story centers around Sylvia Knight, a young woman who was made a widow by a mysterious hit-and-run accident. Sylvia thinks she knows who is responsible – none other than the local sheriff – but cannot prove it. Into Sylvia’s dark world comes a newly-discovered comet and its discoverer, the astronomer Theo St. John. The comet, which will soon be closest to earth in the Australian city in which Silvia lives, is the subject of much speculation. Chief among this is the belief by a local mystic that the comet brings with it a divine message.
Bright Objects is an entertaining read, with something for everyone. The book is full of mysteries that need solving – who was the hit-and-run driver, what does the comet and its path bode for society, and what does the appearance of astronomer Theo St. John mean in Silvia’s life? I was kept interested in all these questions and more, as I raced to finish the book. And I was not disappointed by the answers. I was only left wanting by the fact that the Comet St. John is fictional. Recommended.
Much thanks to Edelweiss and Simon & Schuster for providing me with this e-ARC.
I thoroughly enjoyed Bright Objects. It reads like a literary thriller, with elements of mystery, astronomy and even a touch of romance. The story centers around Sylvia Knight, a young woman who was made a widow by a mysterious hit-and-run accident. Sylvia thinks she knows who is responsible – none other than the local sheriff – but cannot prove it. Into Sylvia’s dark world comes a newly-discovered comet and its discoverer, the astronomer Theo St. John. The comet, which will soon be closest to earth in the Australian city in which Silvia lives, is the subject of much speculation. Chief among this is the belief by a local mystic that the comet brings with it a divine message.
Bright Objects is an entertaining read, with something for everyone. The book is full of mysteries that need solving – who was the hit-and-run driver, what does the comet and its path bode for society, and what does the appearance of astronomer Theo St. John mean in Silvia’s life? I was kept interested in all these questions and more, as I raced to finish the book. And I was not disappointed by the answers. I was only left wanting by the fact that the Comet St. John is fictional. Recommended.
Much thanks to Edelweiss and Simon & Schuster for providing me with this e-ARC.
July 20, 2024
I am seriously in the minority about this book. I even tried to think how I could make it 2 stars, and I just can't do it. Perhaps the author set out to write 4 books and realized she didn't know how to make a full story out of each book and so merged them all into one book. Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood for this book. Whatever the reason, this book was a waste of time for me.
Book one, the section entitled Dark Skies, it really about dealing with grief. There is one sentence that stood out to me: "For grief is a kind of rational madness, and new grief an alien planet. . ." Poetic and also insightful. But this section goes on, and on, and on, and becomes the main character's navel-gazing ad nauseum.
Book two is the section entitled Closer. More navel-gazing and also the introduction of some plot twists.
Book three is the section entitled Arrival. It's more development of the plot twists, including the cult. Now the book really shifts into more of a thriller/mystery. Gone is the excessive navel-gazing. This section, combined with what I'm calling Book Four, could have made a nice standalone book with proper editing.
Finally, book four is Departures. I could hardly wait to be done - I was ready to depart!! I saw the contrived denouement coming, and, for me, it was a classic example of "deus ex machina."
Book one, the section entitled Dark Skies, it really about dealing with grief. There is one sentence that stood out to me: "For grief is a kind of rational madness, and new grief an alien planet. . ." Poetic and also insightful. But this section goes on, and on, and on, and becomes the main character's navel-gazing ad nauseum.
Book two is the section entitled Closer. More navel-gazing and also the introduction of some plot twists.
Book three is the section entitled Arrival. It's more development of the plot twists, including the cult. Now the book really shifts into more of a thriller/mystery. Gone is the excessive navel-gazing. This section, combined with what I'm calling Book Four, could have made a nice standalone book with proper editing.
Finally, book four is Departures. I could hardly wait to be done - I was ready to depart!! I saw the contrived denouement coming, and, for me, it was a classic example of "deus ex machina."
April 2, 2024
A story of grief, new beginnings, betrayal set with a back drop of an asteroid's journey past the earth.
I really enjoyed this, and did not see the ending coming.
I just reviewed Bright Objects by Ruby Todd. #NetGalley
I really enjoyed this, and did not see the ending coming.
I just reviewed Bright Objects by Ruby Todd. #NetGalley
December 21, 2024
The comet could hit these people and I couldn't care less about them.
June 27, 2024
2.75
Widow battling with grief makes a lot of questionable choices with a side plot of vehicular manslaughter and koolaid cults.
At first it felt like a litfic. I loved the writing style and the parts focused on grief had me in tears. But Sylvia was not a sympathetic or warm character. The book then feels like a mystery but then quickly escalates to thriller. It just went in such an over the top wacky direction that made no sense. Like seriously Sylvia?! All those years of wanting justice?!? No bro.
Widow battling with grief makes a lot of questionable choices with a side plot of vehicular manslaughter and koolaid cults.
At first it felt like a litfic. I loved the writing style and the parts focused on grief had me in tears. But Sylvia was not a sympathetic or warm character. The book then feels like a mystery but then quickly escalates to thriller. It just went in such an over the top wacky direction that made no sense. Like seriously Sylvia?! All those years of wanting justice?!? No bro.
October 22, 2024
I found this book very annoying. The pacing was off for a thriller, and it definitely was trying to be too much. The writing is so florid, using a million words to say one simple thing- it's just not my taste.
November 15, 2024
This is an excellent debut novel from Australia. It creates a new comet, kind of like the Halle-Bopp, and the action pretty much revolves around it. The protagonist, Sylvia, lost her husband a couple of years ago in a car accident that was caused by an unknown motorist who was speeding and then fled the scene. She presently works for a funeral home and meets two men there who become important figures in her life. The first is Joseph, who is arranging to bury his mother. The other is Theo whose business with the funeral home is a mystery. He is an American man who discovered the comet that is coming soon. It only appears every 4000 years or so and will be the brightest comet ever seen.
Joseph ends up being a Heaven's Gate sort of cult leader, while Theo is an enigmatic and compelling man in Sylvia's life, but he is obviously holding on to a major secret. There is a twist in this novel, which I suspected very early on. So it wasn't really so much of a twist for me. However, I still really enjoyed the narrative structure, and the prose is very-well expressed. At times, this could have become melodramatic or overdone, but the author managed to intelligently rein it in to tell a very lovely novel of grief and our role as humans in the universe.
Joseph ends up being a Heaven's Gate sort of cult leader, while Theo is an enigmatic and compelling man in Sylvia's life, but he is obviously holding on to a major secret. There is a twist in this novel, which I suspected very early on. So it wasn't really so much of a twist for me. However, I still really enjoyed the narrative structure, and the prose is very-well expressed. At times, this could have become melodramatic or overdone, but the author managed to intelligently rein it in to tell a very lovely novel of grief and our role as humans in the universe.
August 28, 2024
This was unexpected & a book that found me when I needed it.
I was pulled forward into a few questions that slowly burned a pace that kept me coming back. Is it the cosmos or consequence that outlast one or other? Is it the reality we see or what we make?
This was an enticing blend of literary meets slight mystery slight spiritual and satisfyingly scientific (to a layman like me) and has wrapped a warm hug around me as I viewed a comet hurtling through space.
I was pulled forward into a few questions that slowly burned a pace that kept me coming back. Is it the cosmos or consequence that outlast one or other? Is it the reality we see or what we make?
This was an enticing blend of literary meets slight mystery slight spiritual and satisfyingly scientific (to a layman like me) and has wrapped a warm hug around me as I viewed a comet hurtling through space.
February 5, 2024
Gripping, wise and beatifully written. More please.
May 7, 2024
In a world where so much is unknown, it's only natural to want to search for answers and find meaning. The meaning behind your own life and events, and the meaning of life in general. This book is about that.
Sylvia is struggling with the death of her husband and wants answers. She wants to know how someone could leave the scene of the crime while her husband lay dying, and she wants retribution for this. She knows it won't bring Christopher back, but she's desperate for something to make herself feel better somehow.
In her profession working in a funeral home, she helps others to find the peace she can't get for herself, and in doing so, forms a kinship of sorts with some of their clientele. Two of those wind up having an impact in her life in more ways than one. One is Theo, the man who discovered St John's comet, currently heading on a path past Earth, and coming close enough to be seen with the natural eye over a period of time. The other is Joseph, the man who is seeking meaning from this phenomenon.
This story covers some intense topics; death, loneliness, grief, unworthiness. And even though that sounds as though it is full of heartache, it is also full of love and acceptance. It's a story that will make you think, and, if you're like me, you'll be surprised by the turn of events that takes place in the last third. I did have my suspicions, but I wasn't completely correct and it shocked me.
A well written story that touches the emotions.
Sylvia is struggling with the death of her husband and wants answers. She wants to know how someone could leave the scene of the crime while her husband lay dying, and she wants retribution for this. She knows it won't bring Christopher back, but she's desperate for something to make herself feel better somehow.
In her profession working in a funeral home, she helps others to find the peace she can't get for herself, and in doing so, forms a kinship of sorts with some of their clientele. Two of those wind up having an impact in her life in more ways than one. One is Theo, the man who discovered St John's comet, currently heading on a path past Earth, and coming close enough to be seen with the natural eye over a period of time. The other is Joseph, the man who is seeking meaning from this phenomenon.
This story covers some intense topics; death, loneliness, grief, unworthiness. And even though that sounds as though it is full of heartache, it is also full of love and acceptance. It's a story that will make you think, and, if you're like me, you'll be surprised by the turn of events that takes place in the last third. I did have my suspicions, but I wasn't completely correct and it shocked me.
A well written story that touches the emotions.
October 24, 2024
I would call this a slow burner. It took a while to get into, but maybe 50 pages in I was hooked. I'm not sure I've read much else like it. According to the book jacket, this is a thriller. I would disagree. It felt a little bit like Gilmore Girls with more death (small town cast of characters, light romance, cozy interiors). Humble brag alert: I guessed the twist about halfway through. The writing was really beautiful. I like the celestial themes. My only qualm is that it was a little drawn out in the end, like the last 100 pages when there's some drama could've been reduced. The strength of this book is in the language, not the action. Ultimately it is an original exploration of grief, fate and forgiveness.
"But it's the vision of St. John that still waits behind my eyes: blue-white and ablaze, streaming in the darkness like a cathedral veil. I had my hopes for what its brightest point might bring, but I never guessed it would become a key, revealing the truth to me at last, reversing my blindness, my instinct for grievance and self-punishment and in the heat of re-birth, pointing the way to an unlikely freedom."
"But my voice always sounded hollow, as all the while, a beady-eyed part of me held out, performing secret sums, longing to place all my bets on the same roulette wheel of quantum possibility. Like many in Jericho and beyond, I was learning that there is a point beyond which we are all superstitious."
"But it's the vision of St. John that still waits behind my eyes: blue-white and ablaze, streaming in the darkness like a cathedral veil. I had my hopes for what its brightest point might bring, but I never guessed it would become a key, revealing the truth to me at last, reversing my blindness, my instinct for grievance and self-punishment and in the heat of re-birth, pointing the way to an unlikely freedom."
"But my voice always sounded hollow, as all the while, a beady-eyed part of me held out, performing secret sums, longing to place all my bets on the same roulette wheel of quantum possibility. Like many in Jericho and beyond, I was learning that there is a point beyond which we are all superstitious."
May 17, 2024
Thank you NetGalley, Simon & Schuster, and Ruby Todd for the ARC.
Sylvia, the protagonist, is caught up in a hit-and-run that claims the life of her husband. Despite her conviction about the identity of the culprit, no one has been held accountable, leaving her on edge. The story delves into themes of mystery, thriller, and grief, intertwined with a compelling cast of characters and an eerie Heaven’s Gate vibe. This book is a compelling must-read!
Sylvia, the protagonist, is caught up in a hit-and-run that claims the life of her husband. Despite her conviction about the identity of the culprit, no one has been held accountable, leaving her on edge. The story delves into themes of mystery, thriller, and grief, intertwined with a compelling cast of characters and an eerie Heaven’s Gate vibe. This book is a compelling must-read!
July 20, 2024
BRIGHT OBJECTS is the kind of novel one wants to read at least twice: on the first read, to bask in the glow, to follow the protagonist and also to follow the progress of the fabled and rarely-appearing Comet St. John. A second read is to immerse in the literary and metaphysical aspects, to savor the prose of this debut novel.
BRIGHT OBJECTS, as well as being Literary, Metaphysical, and Astronomical, is also a deeply human novel of emotions and grief and wonder.
BRIGHT OBJECTS, as well as being Literary, Metaphysical, and Astronomical, is also a deeply human novel of emotions and grief and wonder.
September 19, 2025
I restarted this multiple times and should have just DNF’d early on. While I appreciate the lyrical writing style, it’s not my personal favorite. When each sentence uses 4 or more commas, the pacing feels disjointed and incredibly slow for being labeled as a ‘thriller’.
If you’re wanting a slow-paced contemporary literary work with a mixture of science and magical realism and a hint of a twist, I’m sure you’ll enjoy Bright Objects a lot more than I did.
If you’re wanting a slow-paced contemporary literary work with a mixture of science and magical realism and a hint of a twist, I’m sure you’ll enjoy Bright Objects a lot more than I did.
January 30, 2024
I absolutely loved this book! It works on so many levels - a thriller that satisfies my literary inclinations with an epic Hollywood story arc - and it's wickedly funny too. No spoliers here, but I did not see the ending coming. I cannot wait to read the follow up.
January 4, 2025
This book has phenomenal prose, and defies genre. While classified as a literary thriller, it has elements of other fields: romance, historical fiction, and science fiction. All of this combines into a book uniquely its own. This is Todd's debut novel. If we've started this powerfully, I'm along for the rest of the ride.
This book touches on grief, retribution, obsession, the surprise of love, and small town politics. For those that binge thrillers, this one has that base while expanding into other cool genres. For people that enjoy well-written plot and a smoldering love story, this has that along with more philosophical veins. I'd recommend this book to anyone---I purposefully made it the first book I finished this year so I could start off with a bang. Thank you to my local public library for having it so I could read it!
Favorite Quote:
"For some without faith, and for mongrels like me, I supposed it would always be like this---a bereft and stumbling feeling, grasping now and then in the dark, but always returning to the conclusion that nothing about being here, alive in the world, would ever quite make sense." (Page 116)
Book Club Questions:
This book touches on grief, retribution, obsession, the surprise of love, and small town politics. For those that binge thrillers, this one has that base while expanding into other cool genres. For people that enjoy well-written plot and a smoldering love story, this has that along with more philosophical veins. I'd recommend this book to anyone---I purposefully made it the first book I finished this year so I could start off with a bang. Thank you to my local public library for having it so I could read it!
Favorite Quote:
"For some without faith, and for mongrels like me, I supposed it would always be like this---a bereft and stumbling feeling, grasping now and then in the dark, but always returning to the conclusion that nothing about being here, alive in the world, would ever quite make sense." (Page 116)
Book Club Questions:
January 3, 2025
“I thought, instead, about the differences between conjecture and evidence, and about the ways fear and desire, like silkworms, spin their filaments to create substance where there is none.” - p. 189
I feel as though Bright Objects was made up of two different books, both of which I would have liked to read separately, but that ultimately did not fit together as one coherent whole. The first was an introspection on grief with minimal plot that allowed for great believability and emotionality. The second was a psychological thriller about the collision between mysticism, fanaticism, and science, with a pinch of murder mystery tossed on top. While I enjoyed the book and anticipate that aspects of the story will stick with me for some time, the dissonance between the two halves of the story and the inconsistency in pacing kept it from being a great read for me.
3.5 stars, rounded up.
I feel as though Bright Objects was made up of two different books, both of which I would have liked to read separately, but that ultimately did not fit together as one coherent whole. The first was an introspection on grief with minimal plot that allowed for great believability and emotionality. The second was a psychological thriller about the collision between mysticism, fanaticism, and science, with a pinch of murder mystery tossed on top. While I enjoyed the book and anticipate that aspects of the story will stick with me for some time, the dissonance between the two halves of the story and the inconsistency in pacing kept it from being a great read for me.
3.5 stars, rounded up.
February 28, 2025
What a beautifully written debut by this young Australian author. I never expected the twist at the end but it certainly sets you reeling!
Set in 1997 in Jericho NSW the main character Sylvia is obsessed by bringing her husband killer to face his crime.
A hit and run accident caused his death and critically injured her.
There is talk about a new comet arriving and the person who discovered and named it is arriving for its big debut in the solar system. Sylvia’s mother in law is blinded by the local guy running meditation classes and introducing people to the solar system and the coming of the new comet. This is where it becomes sinister and the story picks up to something you could never comprehend nor imagine. So many twists of how a type of cult can suck in so many people.
Will Sylvia ever find her husband’s killer from that fateful night? The answers are all there in the end and it will shock and sadden you with the outcome.
Set in 1997 in Jericho NSW the main character Sylvia is obsessed by bringing her husband killer to face his crime.
A hit and run accident caused his death and critically injured her.
There is talk about a new comet arriving and the person who discovered and named it is arriving for its big debut in the solar system. Sylvia’s mother in law is blinded by the local guy running meditation classes and introducing people to the solar system and the coming of the new comet. This is where it becomes sinister and the story picks up to something you could never comprehend nor imagine. So many twists of how a type of cult can suck in so many people.
Will Sylvia ever find her husband’s killer from that fateful night? The answers are all there in the end and it will shock and sadden you with the outcome.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 18, 2025
Dark, dreamy, and unsettling in the best way! A rare comet, a grieving widow, and a town on edge. This debut blends mystery, obsession, and cosmic wonder. Totally had me hooked from page one!
November 22, 2024
This writing style + narrator = perfect match.
I found myself so very uncomfortable at the end because it dragged onnn (unnecessarily.. we’re already here babe, get on with it), but otherwise I liked it.
Rando thoughts:
Can’t say I was blown away by the plot twist.
I fux hard with romance plots so no complaints from me on that front.
Either you get the writing style or you don’t- as a daydreamer this book reads beautifully.
All of these characters are flawed and make terrible, life altering choices- bravo.
I found myself so very uncomfortable at the end because it dragged onnn (unnecessarily.. we’re already here babe, get on with it), but otherwise I liked it.
Rando thoughts:
Can’t say I was blown away by the plot twist.
I fux hard with romance plots so no complaints from me on that front.
Either you get the writing style or you don’t- as a daydreamer this book reads beautifully.
All of these characters are flawed and make terrible, life altering choices- bravo.
May 19, 2025
The novel is set in Australia in the late 1990's and centers on the arrival of a comet and a young widow's grief. The bright objects in this captivating novel is a comet and the juxtaposition of competing forces such as science and the supernatural, death and rebirth, despair and hope. The author's realistic description of grief after loss and burgeoning self-discovery takes the reader along on a gripping bittersweet journey. This is one of the better books I've read recently.
January 10, 2025
Good ideas, but the writing desperately needed another editing pass or two
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