Bright and Tender Dark: Book summary and reviews of Bright and Tender Dark by Joanna Pearson

Reader Reviews

Write your own review

Mary P, NY

great debut!
This book did not go where I thought it would go - it starts out with Joy, a woman whose college friend was murdered 20 years ago. Joy believes the man convicted is falsely imprisoned and she sets out to figure out what really happened. There are many of Joy's flashbacks but much of the book also focuses on other characters whose lives have been affected by the murder. The writing is very good, very descriptive of the characters thoughts, feelings and memories of events around the time of he murder. The plot does not go where you expect, which I think is a good thing. It kept me interested the whole way, and that is one of the most crucial aspects of a good book for me.

Deborah G. (Black Mountain, NC)

Bright and Tender Dark by Joanna Pearson
Joanna Pearson's first novel, Bright and Tender Dark, focuses on the January 2000 murder of college student Karlie. Part mystery and part commentary on generational change, we hear the story first from the perspective of Joy, Karlie's freshman year roommate, and others—often strangers—who, in 2019, are obsessed with solving her murder—believing the man convicted is innocent. Then Pearson returns to 1999, revealing more about Karlie, her relationships with her family, religion, and several friends and acquaintances. Karlie's inner life is expertly portrayed, partly through her writings, including poetry. Pearson ends the novel with a return to 2019 and additional details that might resolve the murder mystery.

The writing is wonderful, but some of the characters seem cast primarily as red herrings or to represent diverse groups. This is an engaging read for anyone interested in academia, evangelism, and how we deal with love and rejection.

Mary O. (Boston, MA)

Twists and turns
This is a good mystery that bounces back and forth from time of murder to twenty years later when still unsolved. The murder continues to haunt those who knew the victim. It is very engaging and hard to put down. If you love mysteries definitely a good read!

Sara F. (Rocky Point, NY)

A decades old murder continues to haunt those who loved the victim and the killer
This lyrical, slow burn character study examines the haunting aftershocks of a murder that continues to resonate years after the killer has supposedly been brought to justice. The reader sees the death of one bright young woman through the eyes of strangers who are united by one terrible moment in time that changes the course of all of their lives in shocking, predictable, and tragic ways. Rather than grip the reader with thrilling moments or terrifying bad guys Pearson elects to drown us in an all too relatable grief that must surely grip anyone who survives a tragedy like this. This is a devastating, beautiful read.

Henry W. (Lake Barrington, IL)

Is it a mystery?
If you are looking for the classical who dun it, this is not the book for you . If you are interested in learning about the people in anyway touched by the death of a peer over two decades this is your book. As you become familiar with the various players you are entrapped into wanting to know what happens to them. At time the flipping back and forth between the year of the murder and its resolution 20 years later gets confusing at time as the relationships. In the end we find out the murderer in a complicated death scene. In the end an engaging read and a puzzle.

Barbara W. (Bethlehem, PA)

Bright and Tender Dark
It took me a long time to finish this book as I had a difficult time trying to "get into it". I find I can't even put into words a worthwhile review. The character development of Karlie and Joy left me without any real connection to them. I was constantly re-reading portions trying to find the direction of the story. There were divergent story lines but it was not interesting enough writing to weave them all together. In re-reading the back cover synopsis of the book, I was expecting much more than I felt I received.

...9 more reader reviews