The bright years A novel

Damoff's debut is tender and heartbreaking, but ultimately hopeful. In 1979 Fort Worth, Texas, Lillian Wright is starting anew. One day in the public library, Ryan Brighton, who knows her from her job at the bank, approaches her. They fall in love, and life becomes a picture-perfect dream. But after Lillian gives birth to Georgette, whom they call Jet, Ryan slides into alcoholism. His father had been afflicted by the same condition, and Lillian is shocked that Ryan would follow that same path. Lillian forges through the years on her own, becoming close with a neighbor and staying close to Ryan's mother. But she's also living with her own secret: she has a son she gave up for adoption years ago. Ryan comes into their lives now and then, but his addiction and Lillian's past keep him from truly connecting with his wife and child. This novel moves through many themes, with grief, family, and forgiveness among them. Not only do the characters find family in unique places, but they contend with the pain that circulates through their blood relations. The close points of view for Lillian, Ryan, and Jet will make the reader feel like they are actually living through it all alongside the characters.

Social worker Damoff's heartfelt debut focuses on the impact of alcohol addiction on a family over four generations. In 1979 Fort Worth, Tex., 20-something bank teller Lillian Wright meets artist Ryan Brighton. Ryan proposes after a three-year courtship, during which Lillian learns little about his family, and she accepts. Eventually, Ryan reveals that his alcoholic father was physically abusive, but Lillian never imagines Ryan might follow in his footsteps, even as his drinking worsens. After a crushing miscarriage, Lillian gives birth to their daughter, Georgette, and reveals to Ryan that before they met, she had a son and gave him up for adoption. In chapters from Lillian's and Georgette's alternating points of view, Lillian struggles to accept that no matter how many chances she gives her husband, he won't choose family over liquor, while Georgette learns her father can't be counted on. Though Ryan tries sporadically throughout his daughter's young life to be there for her, Georgette remains ambivalent toward him after she grows up. Late in the novel, the reader hears the story from Ryan's point of view in letters to his granddaughter, a delayed attempt at character development that feels a bit too sentimental. Still, the author elicits empathy for all the ravaged characters. This family drama rings true. (Apr.)