The Brighter the Light
Told in dual timelines, one in 2022 and the other in 1950, The Brighter the Light tells the story of the women who run the Seaside Resort on Nag’s Head, North Carolina. In 2022, Ruth is an old woman who dies just after a hurricane ravages her resort. Ruth’s granddaughter Ivy inherits the remaining cottage, and returns from New York City to clean things up and put it on the market after her grandmother’s death. Looking to do anything but settle back in Nag’s Head where Ruth raised her, Ivy ponders about a new start after spending twelve years in a fast-paced NYC kitchen. As a child, Ivy spent every moment at the Seaside Resort, cooking as soon as she was able to stir a pot. Ruth was tight-lipped and pragmatic, keeping her secrets to herself, but doling out kindness to whoever needed it. In 1950, Ruth is twelve years old, and her adoptive mother’s secrets are starting to leak out during the summer vacation when the Seaside Resort is packed with guests. Ruth resents her mother for keeping so many things private, since twelve years old seems old enough to learn the truth.
For all this book’s dual timeline-ness, this had far more contemporary period than historical. I much preferred the 1950 timeline, as the contemporary Ivy and her cohorts did not read as 29-year-olds, especially when it came to their worldly wisdom and their notable lack of internet use and texting. Some of the dialogue comes across as stilted and leading, and the interpersonal relationships never feel genuine in the modern setting.
It’s a gentle read, and one that doesn’t require a large amount of focus. The nostalgia of the glamor of a 1950s summer vacation is palpable in those sections, which I enjoyed immensely.
