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The year is 1997. In the small Australian town of Jericho, excitement is building for the arrival of newly discovered comet St John, named for its discoverer.
Sylvia Knight, recently widowed at a young age, finds difficulty sharing the excitement. She is seeking justice, and the identification of the hit-and-run driver whose carelessness caused the death of her husband less than two years before. All evidence points to a member of the local police department, yet apparent reluctance by law enforcement to indict one of their own has brought her increasing frustration.
Her employment at a local funeral home brings her into contact with two men who will influence her life. Joseph, the son of a recently deceased local luminary, seeks her assistance in crafting an imperial funeral for his mother. And Theo, an American astronomer working under a one-year contract with an Australian university, visits her workplace under the guise of arranging a funeral for a distant relative.
Australian author Ruby Todd’s first novel, “Bright Objects,” follows Knight’s ever-changing relationship with these two men. Joseph is not merely a grieving son, but also the charismatic leader of a growing cult convinced that the comet’s approach is a cosmic omen. Theo, the discoverer of the comet bearing his name, is portrayed as scientifically cold, aloof and distant, but his relationship with the young widow evolves as the story unfolds.
Author Todd patiently employs effective, rich, yet not overly florid prose to guide the reader through the novel’s multiple twists and turns. Not a thriller in the classic sense, there is enough of the genre to keep the pages turning. And not a romance in the classic sense, readers who enjoy such fiction will finish the book with a feeling of satisfaction.
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