Bright and Tender Dark

by Joanna Pearson Narrated by Mara Wilson

Overview

Bloomsbury presents Bright and Tender Dark by Joanna Pearson, read by Mara Wilson. For readers of Notes on an Execution and I Have Some Questions for You, a wire-taut literary debut about a murder on a college campus and its aftermath twenty years later. "Bright and Tender Dark . . . will sweep you away." -Julia Phillips, author of Disappearing Earth "A haunting and lyrical read" -Becky Cooper, author of We Keep the Dead Close Days after the dawn of Y2K, beautiful, charismatic nineteen-year-old Karlie Richards is found brutally murdered in her campus apartment. Two decades later, those who knew Karlie-and those who just knew of her-remain consumed by her death. Among them is her freshman-year roommate, Joy, now middle-aged and mid-divorce, living in the same college town and desperate for a new beginning. When she stumbles upon a twenty-year-old letter from Karlie, Joy becomes convinced the man in prison for her murder was wrongfully convicted. Soon she is diving deep into the dark world of internet conspiracy theorists and amateur sleuth blogs and bouncing off others touched by the long, sensational aftermath of this crime. They include KC, the trans night manager at the building where Karlie was killed; Sheri, the mother of the man serving time; and Jacob Hendrix, the charming professor with whom, Joy knows all too well, Karlie was romantically entangled before her death. Jumping between 2019 and 1999, Bright and Tender Dark takes us from the era of Reddit threads and online obsession to the evangelism-infused culture of the late '90s to reveal what really happened to Karlie. It is a compulsively readable, prismatic literary debut that brilliantly mines the mythology of murder, the power of urban legend, and the psychological urge to both protect and exploit what you love but cannot have.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Like any good whodunit, Pearson seeds the story with many fertile leads (a prowling cult, an affair with a married professor), but the book's real mystery is one that won't be resolved in the final twist: Where do we draw the line between devotion and obsession?” —Oprah Daily

“Pearson bursts onto the scene with gripping murder mystery fueled by the craziness of the internet. Through dual timelines, the mystery unfolds in unexpected ways and truly captures how crime makes us obsessive but also sheds a light on how murders affect those around it who don't make the headlines.” —Debutiful, best June debuts

“Character-driven and deliberately paced . . . crafted with uncommon depth.” —Toronto Star

“Gripping . . . Pearson's observations-particularly about girlhood, social anxiety, and millennium-era evangelical culture-will stay with you for a long time.” —Indyweek

“Bright and Tender Dark is so propulsive that I couldn't stop reading it, but so beautifully and perceptively observed that I wanted to slow down and linger over every sentence. There are many mysteries in this book - most obviously, there's the decades-ago murder of a charismatic college student-but Pearson is also interested in the things we do, and don't, know about the people closest to us, and how we are sometimes strangers to ourselves. Anyone who's ever been obsessed by a crime story will find a facet of themselves in this wise, compelling, and gripping book.” —Rachel Monroe, author of SAVAGE APPETITES

“Sensitive, aching, and far-reaching, Bright and Tender Dark explores one death and so many altered lives. Joanna Pearson is an exquisite writer. Her novel will sweep you away.” —Julia Phillips, author of DISAPPEARING EARTH

“Bright and Tender Dark is a haunting and lyrical read with the pace of a whodunnit that examines true crime fandom without succumbing to the genre's temptations. Joanna Pearson masterfully intercuts between 1999 and 2019, taking us through the egos of academia, the pull of organized religion, and the possibility of miscarried justice to ask: how and when does a woman's life become a ghost story?” —Becky Cooper, author of WE KEEP THE DEAD CLOSE

“Pearson deftly moves between time periods and perspectives. Smart, assured, and absorbing.” —Booklist, Starred Reveiw

“Pearson's rich debut murder mystery gathers potency from its portrait of middle-aged millennial angst and Y2K-era misogyny . . . Where Pearson shines is in her palpable evocation of both decades, and her rendering of the challenges Joy and Karlie face as women. Pearson's gift for texture and emotional resonance mark her as a talent to watch.” —Publishers Weekly

“[An] intricate debut novel . . . This is a perfect choice for true-crime readers.” —Shelf Awareness

Kirkus Reviews

2024-04-05
A spiraling divorcée becomes obsessed with solving the decades-old murder of her college roommate.

Though they had lived together as freshmen at UNC Chapel Hill, by sophomore year Joy Brunner and Karlie Richards barely spoke thanks to Karlie’s affair with the married sociology professor Joy had a crush on. In December of that year, Karlie mailed Joy a letter, which Joy didn’t open. In January, someone strangled Karlie to death in her off-campus apartment. Police arrested the person who found her body—a developmentally disabled young man named Toby who worked at a restaurant Karlie frequented—but many questioned his guilt. Now, nearly 20 years later, in 2019, Joy is reeling from her soon-to-be-ex-husband’s decision to trade her in for a happier, more fertile model when her son discovers Karlie’s unread letter tucked in a book. To Joy’s surprise, the missive contains both an apology for hurting her and clues suggesting the wrong person is in prison for Karlie’s homicide. Joy latches onto the notion like a life raft, determined to give her lonely days meaning. Pearson’s debut is less a thriller than a loosely woven web of character sketches, several of which are only minimally related to either Karlie’s demise or Joy’s investigation. While this approach allows Pearson to paint nuanced portraits of would-be bit players—such as Joy’s teenage son, Karlie’s lover’s wife, and the present-day night manager of Karlie’s old apartment complex—it also leaves Joy and Karlie somewhat underdeveloped, diminishing the book’s stakes and throttling its drive. An abrupt, almost arbitrary ending does further disservice, neutralizing the emotional impact and precluding any sense of catharsis. A little more attention to plot would have gone a long way.

Artful but unsatisfying.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940195052027
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	06/04/2024
Edition description:	Unabridged

Videos