“Happy-sad. Happy-sad. He feels like he’s sinking. It’s not simply waves that are battering him; it’s an avalanche of water, hitting him in the face each time he comes up for air.”
Gerard is a 12-year-old boy who’s just trying to survive. He’s got his younger siblings to take care of and a mother who is, at best, checked out. So one day, when the power goes out and he and his siblings are starving, he makes a decision. One that will change the course of his young life.
He steals an elderly woman’s purse and, in doing so, knocks her to the ground. Margaret is a total stranger to him, but their brief altercation will leave more than just physical wounds. She’s a lonely widow who not only lost her husband, her relationship with her family, and now, she’s lost her mobility and confidence too.
Claire steps in to help Margaret as she’s lying on the floor fighting for breath. When she turns Gerard in, she thinks it’s her civic duty. Claire is a lawyer who believes in the justice system but knows its overwhelming complexities; she also likes to use her job as an excuse to keep people at a distance. But soon she finds herself looking out for Margaret and an unlikely friendship blossoms.
This Bright Life takes turns pulling the threads of these characters together, weaving an intricate portrait of how a random act of violence can ripple across so many lives. And how, when you start unraveling those threads, it doesn’t seem so random after all. The writing is as crushing as it is wry; these characters have an air of wit about them, even in the face of such hardship. Its style cements you in their world and fluctuates in its intensity based on whose perspective it is.
Through Gerard, we see the trauma of being a child who’s misunderstood and rarely listened to; after the theft, he and his siblings are split up into foster care and he’s forced to toe the line between grateful and hurt. As we unwrap layer after layer of his understanding of the world, it’s heartbreaking to witness his struggle not to fall through the cracks. Gerard is an endearingly tough little boy whose lens is often blurred but never not youthfully honest. The adults around him, from his foster parents to his caseworkers, try their best but can’t possibly understand what he’s been through and how his mind protects him. And the friends and family connections that come in and out of Gerard’s life aren’t always looking out for him—but perhaps there are some who might just save him.
Through Margaret, we see a lifetime of regret; her hard-headed strength is both commendable and often holds her back from truly living. And through Claire, we see a woman unsure of her place in the world; together, they help each other take their first steps back into finding community. I wasn’t as invested in their stories as I was in Gerard’s at first but all three grew on me over time.
Getting three generations of life all coiled around one another is dynamic and keeps the story fresh, allowing us to see each distinct angle and how emotions and empathy can transcend all barriers and backgrounds. It can be heavy-going at times while the pacing flows in and out, but the characters propel the narrative forward with every unsure step they take. This Bright Life is immensely vivid and raw, beautifully illustrating how resilience can be an act of hope—and how sometimes, we all need a little help to keep us going.
