The Bright Lands
A Library Journal Best Winter/Spring Debut 2020
"Marks the debut of an already accomplished novelist." — John Banville
“Absolutely enthralling.” — Josh Malerman
“John Fram delivers with his mix of Southern Texas humidity, mystery and dread — along with police corruption and toxic masculinity…[The Bright Lands] gives us the queer thriller in the age of Grindr we’ve been waiting for.” –Rolling Stone
“John Fram hasn’t just revolutionized a genre with his delicious and diabolical debut novel…He may have invented a totally new one all his own.” — Interview Magazine
The town of Bentley holds two things dear: its football, and its secrets. But when star quarterback Dylan Whitley goes missing, an unremitting fear grips this remote corner of Texas.
Joel Whitley was shamed out of conservative Bentley ten years ago, and while he’s finally made a life for himself as a gay man in New York, his younger brother's disappearance soon brings him back to a place he thought he'd escaped for good. Meanwhile, Sheriff's Deputy Starsha Clark stayed in Bentley; Joel's return brings back painful memories—not to mention questions—about her own missing brother. And in the high school hallways, Dylan’s friends begin to suspect that their classmates know far more than they’re telling the police. Together, these unlikely allies will stir up secrets their town has long tried to ignore, drawing the attention of dangerous men who will stop at nothing to see that their crimes stay buried.
But no one is quite prepared to face the darkness that's begun to haunt their nightmares, whispering about a place long thought to be nothing but an urban legend: an empty night, a flicker of light on the horizon—The Bright Lands.
Shocking, twisty and relentlessly suspenseful, John Fram’s debut is a heart-pounding story about old secrets, modern anxieties and the price young men pay for glory.
Selected Reviews and Interviews
Check out my Upcoming Events HERE
Enjoy this STARRED REVIEW in Bookpage, along with a lovely interview here
Interview Magazine says I “revolutionized a genre.” I told them about the 5 Works of Art that Warped Me HERE.
Rolling Stone calls The Bright Lands “the queer thriller in the age of Grindr we’ve been waiting for.” Read about it HERE
Read an exclusive excerpt of The Bright Lands in Poets & Writers HERE (and pick up a print copy for an amazing interview with Sarah Gailey)
Had an incredible chat with Janelle Janson for TOR Nightfire HERE
What an honor to introduce the great new book podcast THIS BOOK WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE. We talked about Texas, queer power and the origins of “Stephen Queen” - LISTEN HERE
Casey Barrett and I discussed The Bright Lands, the role of crime fiction in justifying police brutality and the future of the genre for Booktrib. You can watch it here and read his glowing review of The Bright Lands here.
Texas Monthly raved about the book HERE
Library Journal said some very kind things about The Bright Lands HERE
Publisher’s Weekly is also very into The Bright Lands HERE
Had the pleasure of speaking to Adam Vitcavage for the Debutiful podcast HERE
I wrote for Crimereads about queerness, Texas and the British master Barabara Vine HERE
“Absolutely enthralling. Written with the rhythm of the game Fram writes of. A mystery to get the skin crawling even as you unbury the secrets of those trying to solve it. Despite its nature, there is a warmth to this thriller, and you’ll feel like you’ve come home... a home that still haunts you”
“The Bright Lands is a chilling and fast-paced supernatural thriller that also manages to be a heartbreaking meditation on shame, repression, denial and regret. This strange and beautiful novel is a stunning debut and I’m already hungry for whatever Fram does next.”
“Expertly plotted, sharply written, and seriously thrilling, The Bright Lands doesn’t read like a debut novel except for the freshness and energy of John Fram’s voice.”
“A fascinating and suspenseful read”
“Fram’s ambitious debut takes a critical, terrifying look at a small town in Texas... This offers as many weekend frights as celebratory lights”
People Are Raving
“John Fram’s THE BRIGHT LANDS is darker than you think. Fram begins with a Friday Night Lights supernatural mystery, then lures the reader into an insidious labyrinth of human cruelty, voracious supernatural evil, and startling malice. Unsettling, and compelling as hell. ”
“I am stunned—I haven’t been able to step away from this book since I started it. An earnest, thoughtful exploration of the monstrosity inherent in our American myths surrounding masculinity and sexuality, The Bright Lands is a kind of horror I’ve never seen before. Fram’s done something exquisite here.”
““Fram has delivered a powerhouse of a debut that is certain to be one of the year’s most bracing thrillers. Unapologetic in its queerness, cruelty and heart, The Bright Lands will sink its teeth into you.””
“John Fram’s The Bright Lands is many things: A stylish, gripping thriller that’s compulsively readable; a tale of horrors, both everyday and otherworldly, that’s at turns disturbing and erotic; and a provocative treatment of gay shame gnarled by toxic masculinity. But most of all, it’s a terrifically self-assured debut from a gifted novelist with much to say.”
“The Brights Lands’ is Gothic and Faulknerian: smooth, original, haunting. And very sexy.”
“John Fram’s gripping debut announces a remarkable talent—this prose is tight, stylish, and explosive, depicting a Texas that is by turns lusty and menacing, supersaturated and bleak. As propulsive as it is pitch dark, The Bright Lands will seep into the shadowy contours of your most unsettling, unforgettable dreams. ”
“Smart, sharp, unpredictable, and unsettling, The Bright Lands is not just an excellent supernatural thriller, but the debut of a writer who is breaking down and expanding our ideas of what suspense and horror can and should be.”
“An addictive and provocative modern whodunit.”
“A confident and thought-provoking tale that explores complex family dynamics, sexuality, religion, and coming-of-age anxieties within a solid horror frame. A great choice for fans of Victor LaValle or Ania Ahlborn”