Four generations of a Texas family grapple with tragedy, addiction and love.
The Bright Years, Sarah Damoff’s debut novel, begins in 1958 and continues through 2019. The family saga is divided into three parts and told by three different narrators. Over the years, they struggle to reconcile and risk estrangement for good.
“It was our pain that pulled us together like magnets, that medicinal click of solidarity between two hurting people. But as powerful as pain might be, it was never going to keep us together.”
Ryan and Lillian are deeply in love and are living the love story many envy when they welcome a beautiful baby girl, Jet, into their family. But. Lillian is keeping a secret. Then when life does what life does – throws obstacles in the way – Ryan begins keeping a secret, his dependency on alcohol. He attempts to drown the sorrow and fear he feels, and his addiction eventually rips his family apart.
Jet spends much of her childhood watching her parents repeatedly come together and fall apart. When tragedy strikes, she pulls away in an act of self protection. Secrets are never truly secrets, and Lillian’s long held secret is revealed. What does that mean for Jet and her future? Will this new information about her family be healing?
Sarah Damoff wrote a very realistic heart-wrenching story about a family many of us can relate to. Make sure to have a box of tissues nearby.
triggers: grief, death, alcoholism, abandonment, domestic abuse, miscarriage
Look for these recommendations and other books at Knox County Online Library or your local independent book store each week.
Linda Sullivan is an avid reader and wants to make you one, too. For more recommendations or just to talk books, reach out to her at thebookwhisperertn@gmail.com. She can also be found @thebookwhisperertn on Instagram.
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