The brightest star in the sky: A different kind of Marion Keyes book

The brightest star in the sky was the first Marion Keyes novel I read outside of the Walsh sisters series. I have enjoyed that series and I have grown to love the quirky nature of Keyes's writing and the Irishness of her works. Keyes's books are often described as chick-lit/romance so not at all my usual fare, but I don't mind the break from the dark and disturbing novels I mostly read. I would say, too, that on top of the fluff and humour, Keyes does make me think - about life, relationships, and what is most important. There is also a dark side to human nature that Keyes explores in her novels, and she tackles lots of serious subjects, but there's always humour and deadpan Irishness to balance things out.

Check out my reviews of the Walsh family saga and some of Keyes's standalones, Sushi for beginners, Lucy Sullivan is getting married, and Grown ups.

The brightest star in the sky | Published January 2009 | Read October 2023

The brightest star in the sky is seemingly a simple story of the residents of 66 Star Street, Dublin. The building contains four flats. There's Katie on the top floor, a music executive in a relationship with workaholic Conall who constantly lets her down as he flies around the world carving up ailing companies. Then there's street-smart and acerbic taxi driver, Lydia, who occupies a tiny bedroom in a flat with two Polish guys who, despite their considerable size, are terrified of Lydia and try to avoid her if possible. The first-floor flat is owned by Jemima, an elderly woman who has her former foster son, Fionn, come to stay when he leaves rural Ireland for the city to film a gardening show. The ground-floor flat houses Matt and Maeve, a married couple who are clearly dealing with some kind of past trauma and coping with it by performing daily random acts of kindness.

The novel has something of a fantasy, supernatural feel as it is narrated by a mysterious all-seeing force that guides the reader through the book and reveals details about 66 Star Street's occupants. The identity of the narrator is not revealed until the end and is important to the novel's conclusion. This literary device may not work for everyone, but I rolled with it and it grew on me as the story progressed. Counting down from day 66 to day 1, I was intrigued to find out what was going to happen on day 1!

The climax of the story is quite disturbing, and the book does seem to shift from fairly lighthearted to very dark fare. When you step back from the fantasy and the sardonic humour, it's kind of depressing, actually. That said, Keyes does a good job of tackling some serious subject matter (that I won't reveal so as not to spoil) and I have to give her props for doing it in an authentic way.

The brightest star in the sky is quirky, but that's something I'd say about all of the novels I've read by Marion Keyes. I quite liked it. If it's your first pass at a Keyes novel and the book doesn't resonate with you, please give the Walsh sisters series a go. I've read all the Walsh books published to date and will be looking out for other standalone Keyes stories.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐