Bright Objects

By: Ruby Todd

Narrated by: Casey Withoos

One of The New York Times 10 Best Thrillers of the Year | One of The New Yorker's and Publishers Weekly’s Best Books of the Year

A “luminous, unusual, unexpected” (The New York Times) debut novel blending mystery, psychological suspense, astronomy, and romance, in which a young widow faces the life-altering arrival of a rare comet, perfect for fans of Emma Cline’s The Girls and Ottessa Moshfegh’s Death in Her Hands.

Sylvia Knight is losing hope that the person who killed her husband will ever face justice. Since the night of the hit-and-run, her world has been shrouded in hazy darkness—until she meets Theo St. John, the discoverer of a rare comet soon to be visible to the naked eye.

As the comet begins to brighten, Sylvia wonders what the apparition might signify. She is soon drawn into the orbit of local mystic Joseph Evans, who believes the comet’s arrival is nothing short of a divine message. Finding herself caught between two conflicting perspectives of this celestial phenomenon, she struggles to define for herself where the reality lies. As the comet grows in the sky, her town slowly descends further and further into a fervor over its impending apex, and Sylvia’s quest to uncover her husband’s killer will push her and those around her to the furthest reaches of their very lives.

A “smart, propulsively readable” (Los Angeles Times) debut about the search for meaning in a bewildering world, the loyalty of love, and the dangerous lengths people go to in pursuit of obsession, Bright Objects is a luminous, masterfully crafted literary thriller.

Critic reviews

"Withoos does a remarkable job of creating distinctive characters and capturing the story’s setting as Sylvia contends with grief and the complexities of moving on."

Science and romance…

… make for a very interesting conjunction in this astronomy-laced tale. I was drawn to the book for the science; but I found myself pulled instead into the emotions and relationships that crossed paths with a comet.

A wonderful book

Exceptionally well written and interesting from beginning to end. The book totally exceeded my expectations! I can’t read more by this author in the future, when she writes it!

what an incredible read

With well developed plot and characters, this is such a wonderful story. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a gripping narrative with characters move you

Creative scientific premise

Ruby Todd created a complex psychological drama within a well constructed mystery. The fictional bright object, St. John’s comet was a character in itself.

Good book, use of comets drew me in

I must start this off by saying, I usually do not get these types of drama books. I would not call it a mystery/thriller.

The use of comets so prevalent in the story drew me in, given the comets we have so much in astronomy and main news in 2025.

I enjoyed the book quite a bit, The narrator was wonderful. The writer kept the story moving along and included a few surprises.
I must say, I was not thrilled about the cult, but I see why it was written this way.