Book Review: "The Bright Afters" by Sadie McCarney

I have a Bookstagram friend to thank for putting this powerfully emotional book on my radar. I don’t think I would have found this otherwise.

The Bright Afters is a book of verse monologues set in Nova Scotia. When the book opens, it’s just before another school year begins, which sparks excitement and anxiety among the students.

“First-day hair matters. But something else gets tucked in with Aqua Net and bobby pins: you hide your secrets in your hair. And if you listen, you can hear the chorus of follicles whisper: this will be, this will be, this will be our year.”

On the first day of school, Colton, a gay student, is brutally attacked in the bathroom by another student. The reactions of everyone—from Colton, his sister Christine, and his best friend Annie, to his attacker, teachers, even the school janitor—compose a Greek chorus of sorts. There are secrets and confessions, rants and laments.

Obviously, the attack is disturbing and many of the reactions are unsurprising. But their being told in this type of narrative adds impact and power. I don’t read a lot of poetry—and the book doesn’t quite read like poetry—but this will remain in my mind for some time to come.