The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff
Book Blurb:
Ryan and Lillian Bright are deeply in love, recently married, and now parents to a baby girl, Georgette. But Lillian has a son she hasn’t told Ryan about, and Ryan has an alcohol addiction he hasn’t told Lillian about, so Georgette comes of age watching their marriage rise and fall.
When a shocking blow scatters their fragile trio, Georgette tries to distance herself from reminders of her parents. Years later, Lillian’s son comes searching for his birth family, so Georgette must return to her roots, unearth her family’s history, and decide whether she can open up to love for them—or herself—while there’s still time.
My Review: 4.5 stars
The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff will knock your socks off if you like incredibly beautiful writing and diving headfirst into a highly dysfunctional family.
This book is told from three points of view: Lillian, her husband Ryan, and their daughter Jet. What starts as a loving start to their relationship, ends up with a complete dismantling filled with secrets, abuse and betrayals. The story is a perfect example of generational trauma and familial abusive behavior. There were so many times I wanted to slam the book closed and scream at the characters. It was often heartbreaking.
There is a huge secret that Lillian has kept from Ryan which unleashes a whole series of events, which shows the significant weight she’s been carrying. I think secrets always carry weight and this part of the story was well portrayed. I really enjoyed the depth that these characters had with their flaws apparent throughout the novel. Lillian’s mother was an interesting character as she had escaped her life with an abuser, so her wisdom spoke volumes.
What shone even brighter than the story (no pun intended) was Damoff’s exquisite use of language that made me stop and reflect on a sentence. She shows undeniable mastery of the written word! I must have highlighted half the book with quotes I wanted to remember. I have no doubt that I’ll be running to get her next book.
Quotes I liked:
People always say not to forget because then history will repeat itself. But maybe history will repeat itself anyway, and forgetting is how we bear it.”
“Time can wash dirt off of a memory until it is revealed as something else entirely.”
“The next morning the air is stock still. But my chest howls, like I’ve eaten the wind.”
“Holding on eventually becomes more painful than letting go.”
