Light Before Day is Christopher Rice’s third novel. His first was A Density of Souls. Unfortunately, Rice is not improving with age. (He’s 28 now.) At least the font size of the title is approaching that of his last name. I wonder if old Anne is pressuring him to tame down that spotlight. It strikes me as a good idea.
As with Density, the plot is simply too complex. There are so many characters that you must either keep notes or read the book a second time, neither of which is appealing. The sad thing is, this could be a masterpiece. One wonders whether Rice is trying his hand at a “Henry Rios” prequel. Protagonist twenty-something Adam Murphy has all of Henry’s quick wit and uncanny ability to ask the right question in the right way and at the right time. Unfortunately, unlike Romantic-era composers who weave complex symphonies with a gradual, time-released beauty, an author’s genius must be reachable with only a single read. Rice doesn’t seem to get that. (Nava does.)
The plot is almost impossible to relay in a paragraph, so let me comment on the themes. Unfortunately, Rice is still too young to be able to focus on a single message. He wants to warn gays that drugs and alcohol are bad, and he provides some really convincing addicts, including Adam. But the message seems to be, “quit cold turkey and hope all that unsafe sex didn’t get you into trouble.” Rice also goes after child pornography in a plot line that eventually turns itself inside-out. Unfortunately, Rice finds the topic kinda icky and a lot of blood is shed that no one misses. The scene on the yacht...are you kidding me? Cale behaves as though Adam is the adult lead in a child-porn flick, because he thinks that the hooded guy in the flick is him. What makes him so sure? Everett, who is also on the yacht and has previously fondled Adam, knows that hooded guy is not him. After the yacht scene, Adam undresses in front of Billy, who then also detects that hooded guy is not him. What did Everett feel and Billy see? That’s never revealed. Did I miss it?
Unfortunately, trying to manage Rice’s enormous cast keeps us from getting to know anyone very well, including our protagonist. For example, how did Adam meet and befriend a porn star? If Adam is haunted by his mother, how did he get there? If all this action takes place within a week or two, how do Adam’s wounds heal so quickly? Bad!
I usually like fiction, but I can’t recommend this. However, if next month’s book holds up to the promise it’s shown in the first 100 pages, I’ve got a treat for you. Stay tuned.