One month ends, a new month of fresh reads begins! Welcome back, stargazers and fruit-aisle-grazers for another review of a book within your orbit, the stellar debut Bright Objects by Ruby Todd!

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Set in the year 1997, when Sarah Michelle Gellar first graced our small screens as a stake-wielding slayer, in the small Australian town of Jericho where an extremely rare comet is lighting up the skies (and spiritual fervor).

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Our heroine, Sylvia, is going through the motions of daily life in her job as a funeral attendant while still moored in grief and anger over the tragic death of her husband two years prior. A hit-and-run that she and Vince, a close friend and senior constable on her side, believe Vince’s corrupt boss was responsible for causing and covering up. Unfortunately, the sergeant in question has a stronghold over the force, as well as the only eye-witness, which means justice won’t be so easily achieved.

Desperate for the truth to come light, Sylvia is driven to obsession until a mysterious stranger enters her life who happens to have discovered the comet St John, which is fast becoming the talk of the town. Feelings she thought she was no longer capable of emerge and Sylvia sees this chance as one of the many signs to return to life anew, with the comet serving as a kind of guide.

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But she’s not the only one taken with this celestial visitor…

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As the comet draws more attention from the media, its effect on the town’s residents proves to be far more sinister. Bunkers are suddenly in demand, supermarkets are raided for supplies (sound familiar?) and the leader of a meditation group goes from mildly eccentric to dangerously delusional.

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The closer the comet approaches, the more it becomes clear that a larger, inescapable plan is unfolding and Sylvia finds herself questioning her own version of what she believed to be reality.

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Bright Objects is a brilliantly crafted novel as Ruby Todd combines astronomy and astrology (rivals as old as time) with a slow burn mystery and thrilling twist towards the end. The ever-looming shadow of the comet adds to the claustrophobic atmosphere of Jericho in a uniquely Australian setting.

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It is, however, Ruby Todd’s silent yet cutting remarks as Sylvia that make this novel a favourite for me:

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 “Around his neck hung a string of Mala beads, which in that moment I couldn’t resist assessing as a potential garrote.” [page 347]

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“As he spoke on, mesmerised by the sound of his own voice, I wondered how long to wait.” [page 348]

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So, dust off your star charts and telescopes (I know I have one lying around here somewhere…) and enjoy Bright Objects while exploring your own patch of sky.

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Just be aware of charismatic leaders within your area...