Burning Bright

Ron Rash has long been a critically acclaimed writer but his novel, Serena, catapulted him to new heights garnering rave reviews across Australia and becoming a New York Times bestseller. The New Yorker said ‘Rash’s evocative rendering of the blighted landscape and the tough characters who inhabit it recalls both John Steinbeck and Cormac McCarthy.’

Burning Bright is a richly woven collection of short stories that melds the dark with the beautiful in deftly painted portraits of Appalachia, ranging from the Civil War to present day. The personalities that come alive in Rash’s storytelling find their downfalls in different ways. Tied together by a common thread, they are people in desperate situations, searching for a glimmer of happiness, whether real or a delusion. As each story unfolds, Rash quietly builds suspense to reveal harrowing realities and the raw emotions of human nature.

With simple and engaging prose, Rash brilliantly captures the essence of the region he knows best, leading his readers deep into the lives of his characters, empathising with them in the most unexpected ways.

You can hear Ron discuss Burning Bright on Radio National’s The Book Show here.

Praise for Burning Bright:

‘A gorgeous, brutal writer.’

Richard Price

‘A searing collection of short fiction from critically acclaimed Rash. A nicely varied feast from a master of the form.’

Kirkus Reviews

‘With a mastery of dialogue, Rash has written a tribute and a pre-emptive eulogy for the hardworking, straight-talking farmers of the Appalachian Mountains.’

Publishers Weekly

‘[The stories] display a universality that goes beyond time or place…There is a purity and precision in Rash’s prose reminiscent of his poetry, that makes these stories deceptively easy to read as they are hard to forget. This is memorable and unflinching short fiction.’

Booklist

‘Rash tells great stories, raw and powerful, but he is above all, an instinctive writer. These narratives, whether told in his laconic first person, or in a detached third-person voice, are well served by his flawless use of language. Every word carries meaning and intent…’

Irish Times

‘A dark, yet dazzling small collection, that has you exclaiming aloud with revulsion and admiration.’

NZ Weekend Herald