Broken Light

A Novel

Joanne Harris

A bold and ambitious thriller exploring how women can feel invisible as they grow older—and what happens when they decide to take back control.

Bernie Moon's ambitions and dreams have been forgotten by everyone, even Bernie herself. At nineteen she was full of promise, but now, facing fifty and going through the menopause, she's a fading light.

Until the murder of a woman in a local park unlocks a series of childhood memories, and with them, a talent that she has hidden all her adult life.

What happens when the frustrations and power of an older woman are finally given their chance to be revealed?

Filled with growth and redemption, revenge and visibility, friendship and self-discovery, Broken Light is an explosive new thriller that challenges our notions of womanhood and power.

Joanne Harris is the internationally renowned and award-winning author of eighteen novels, plus novellas, scripts, short stories, libretti, lyrics, and articles. Her novel Chocolat was adapted to the screen, starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp. She is an honorary Fellow of St Catharine's College, Cambridge, and is Chair of the Society of Authors.  She lives in Yorkshire and also has a form of synaesthesia which enables her to smell colours. Red, she says, smells of chocolate. Follow her on Twitter @joannechocolat.

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Endorsements & Reviews

“This incendiary, brilliantly plotted thriller from Harris centers on 48-year-old Bernie Ingram’s midlife crisis. Vibrant voices will keep readers mesmerized right through to the glorious, explosive finale. This is a one-of-a-kind triumph.” Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Profound, moving, and utterly unforgettable.” Catriona Ward, author of The Last House of Needless Street 

“Chilling, enchanting, and thought-provoking.” Ian Rankin, author of the Inspector Rebus novels

“Bold, brave, and timely.” Sarah Pinborough, New York Times bestselling author

Praise for A Narrow Door:

"Joanne Harris’s novels set at the tweedy British boarding school St. Oswald’s embodied the spirit of a fierce chess match. The icy rage and ruthless revenge is turned up even higher in A Narrow Door." Sarah Weinman, New York Times Book Review

"A dark world of emotional complexity and betrayal, where twist follows twist and nothing is what it seems." Alex Michaelides, bestselling author of The Silent Patient 

"Exhilarating. Addictive. Fierce." Bridget Collins, bestselling author of The Betrayals

"Harris keeps the suspense high all the way to the exhilarating ending. This spectacular feat of storytelling will seduce the reader from page one."
Publishers Weekly (starred)