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    The Embers
    The Embers
    The Embers
    Audiobook12 hours

    The Embers

    Written by Hyatt Bass

    Narrated by Nicole Poole

    3/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    A skilled director and screenwriter, Hyatt Bass creates a tale of both regret and rebirth in this debut novel. Emily Ascher's impending marriage forces a family shattered by tragedy and guilt to examine feelings long at rest. Everything changed when Emily's brother died-but what really happened on that cold winter night-and why does her father continue to blame himself for her brother's death?
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateAug 28, 2009
    ISBN9781440718281
    The Embers
    Author

    Hyatt Bass

    Hyatt Bass wrote, directed, and produced the film 75 Degrees in July, which was released in 2006. She is the author of the novel The Embers.

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    Reviews for The Embers

    3/5

    86 ratings30 reviews

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    • 4/5
      The Aschers once lived what seemed a charmed existence. Celebrated playwright and actor Joe married successful actress Laura and they and their two children, Thomas and Emily, enjoyed summers at the family cottage in the Berkshires, their escape from New York City. But beneath the shiny exterior, there are widening fissures and cracks even before seventeen year old Thomas, suffering from lymphoma, dies, an event that exposes the extent of dysfunction and tears the family apart. Hyatt Bass has written an intense family drama in her first novel, The Embers.Opening with daughter Emily Ascher trying to plan her wedding, wanting to hold it on the hillside where her brother's ashes are scattered, the narrative jumps between the present and the past. With Joe and Laura now divorced and each of them having a problematic relationship (or non-relationship) with Emily, the estranged Aschers must come to an uneasy detent, face the tragedy that ripped them apart, and learn to build a fragile future while ackowledging that devastating past. In the face of her wedding to a really nice, amazing guy, Emily still finds herself wondering what her brother would say about her fiance, about the state of their family, about her life and the way in which she has changed, turned herself around. Interwoven with her growing apathy about the wedding, is the history of that fateful year and what really happened the night that Thomas died, why it has wounded each of the Aschers so deeply.This is a psychological study of a family stepped in bitterness, sorrow, and regret but also of a family wanting to finally reconcile with the past and to be able to move unburdened into the future. It jumps between the past of the 1990s and through to the present of 2007 in each of the voices of the main characters (although Joe's voice dominates) giving the reader insight into each of the characters' ideas about what really happened the night that Thomas died as well as their own personal stories and the state of the family leading up to the tragedy. The various narrations highlight the small and large ways in which each of the characters feels the family as a whole and as individuals has failed him or her. And none of the characters are all that sympathetic, each of them self-absorbed and unable to recognize pain in the others, so focused on their own perceptions that they are blind to the fraying of their relationships.And yet, despite the lack of emotion, the slowness of the building atmosphere, and the frustration the reader feels towards the obviously damaged characters, the story still weaves a spell that holds the reader's attention. The mystery of what actually happened to Thomas the night he died and how and why the guilt from then has so long been apportioned as it has turns out to be of little importance in the grand scheme of it all although the carefully controlled revelations of more and more information as the story progresses suggests otherwise. It is the chance of reconciliation and healing through Emily's upcoming wedding that ultimately drives the novel. It's powerful, beautifully written, realistic, and elegaic but with a kernel, just the smallest glimmer, of light and hope despite the initial catastrophic unraveling of the family and that makes all the difference.
    • 4/5
      I LOVED this book! A great read and you will even have a place in your heart for every one that shows up in the story.
    • 3/5
      Emily is an earnest young professional living with her fiance who continues to have issues with her parents concerning her upbringing, her brother's death, and their continued relationships. As an "on the rise" District Attorney working the case of her career, Emily appears as though she's taken the bull by the horns, but she struggles with her self-confidence. She is not the happy person one would expect. The closer her wedding draws near, the less sure she becomes of anything.Emily isn't the only member of the family with issues. Her mother, Laura, still hasn't gotten over how Emily was closer to her father while she was growing up. Couple that with her lingering animosity over Thomas' death, Joe's role in it, and her resentment over her decision to give up acting when she became a mother, Laura is bitter. Ostensibly she is the most put together of the threesome being happily remarried, but her motivations cannot be trusted. Joe was the family's driving force in its heyday. He experienced wild success as a playwright and actor. As his children and marriage aged, he felt his role slipping. His writing wasn't what it once had been and he found himself mid-life crisis which ultimately cost him his marriage and his family. The role that this crisis played in Thomas' death continues to haunt him, affecting his relationship with everyone and anyone. He is most pained by the way his daughter treats him. There was so much turmoil and angst with this family that I found myself wondering if Thomas was the lucky one.After reading The Embers, I watched the author's 2000 film "75 degrees in July." It was the fact that Hyatt Bass wrote both a movie and a novel that attracted me to The Embers initially. I cannot say that watching the movie did much for my appreciation of her novel. Once again there is a family eaten alive by resentment. There was little relief and not much insight. Thankfully, the hope wasn't lacking in The Embers. Between the two stories, The Embers not only contained resolution, but I fully understood the underlying issues. No one was a saint. No one was helpless. I do think that all of the characters with the exception of Laura's fiance let their dander get up way too quickly, something that was true even more so in "75 degrees in July." It was as if every statement or expression was examined to see if a slight could be found.I called Emily earnest at the beginning of this review. Earnest is a good word to use to sum up the entire novel. It didn't work as well for me as I had hoped. If you are interested in strained family relationships and character-driven plots, you may want to give The Embers a try. Hyatt Bass is a talented writer and clearly cares for the characters she created.
    • 2/5
      I got this from LT Early Reviewers. I was very intrigued by the description. I was very disappointed in the book. None of the characters were likeable. Which can be fine. However they weren't hateable either. I just never got invested in them one way or the other. I don't know if it was the writing or what the issue but the story never quite made sense, the people never quite seemed real enough and there never seemed to be a point to the story. I read to the end (I forced myself) just to see the 'resolution' but don't really feel like there was one of those either. Yes, there was an ending event but resolution? No. I am sorry I wasted the reading time.
    • 3/5
      I finally finished The Embers after starting it weeks ago. This unlikable, dysfunctional family just couldn't keep my interest even though I have enjoyed many books with unlikable characters. The story centers on the Ascher family and how the death of their teenage son affected their lives. The novel shifts between the 90's and the present to tell the story. I would have abandoned this book if it hadn't been an Early Reviewers book.
    • 3/5
      This book is strange for me in that rarely have I been so fascinated by the lives of people I seriously dislike. Laura and Joe Ascher seem to have it all: married with two children (Thomas and Emily), he is a successful playwright and she is a beautiful, wealthy actress. Of course, behind closed doors their story is quite different: their marriage is unraveling and their children are suffering from their extremely bad parenting. Emily is left to fend for herself as they put all their attention and hopes on Thomas, who is suffocating under their intensity. Laura and Joe separate, but reconcile when Thomas becomes seriously ill. After his death they divorce for good, as Laura and Emily blame Joe for Thomas' death. Now Emily is grown up and is getting married and they all must deal with the past to move forward.All of the main characters in this book are unlikeable, but for some unknown reason I found myself compelled to keep reading the book. I felt most sorry for Joe, the narcissistic father, and thought the real villain of the story was Laura. I tried to be sympathetic toward Emily, but her behavior and bitterness finally just left me cold and tired. I enjoyed Ms. Bass's writing style - I especially loved the final scene when she told one incident from two different points of view. How many times do we presume we know someone else's motivations? I can't say that I enjoyed reading this novel, but I think I'm glad that I did.
    • 1/5
      This was an early reviewers book and I guess I'm glad I plowed through it. It was definitely not a favorite. The book was way too long. I never got the meaning of the title. It was a decent story that really good have used some editing. I always hate to pan a book - I know the author has spent months or even years creating and polishing it, but The Embers just didn't work for me.
    • 3/5
      The Embers is a story of the Ascher family. Joe and Laura, the parents and their children Emily and Joe. I was barely into the story when I found myself wondering if anyone writes books about families that are only mildly dysfunctional.The Ascher's are for the most part an unlikeable group of people. Throughout the story, Emily is preparing for her wedding to Clay, a man who clearly loves her and who ignored my repeated pleas to run for his life. His family was mentioned only at the end, where his mother was made into a clownish and bumbling figure. I felt rather sorry for her, and decided that her two or three sentences made her into my favorite character.Laura is married to Earl, having been divorced from Joe when their daughter was fifteen years old. Thomas, as we are made to understand very early on in the book is dead. I was sorry about that, because he was the member of the family that I liked the most.Joe is a playwright who drinks, and leads a lonely and rather vague seeming life. His peculiar relationship with a teen aged girl is explained at the end of the book, where he was finally redeemed in my eyes. Prior to the ending, he seemed to make little effort to remain part of the admittedly broken family. Having said that, I would not have made much effort to remain close to Emily either. She was self absorbed to the point of rudeness to all of those unfortunate enough to find themselves in her presence. She showed a spark of empathy once, but it was a very small spark.The time line fluctuates back and forth from the early 1990's until the near present. In my opinion, it fluctuated clumsily. I felt that it made the story seem to be fragmented and even less enjoyable.I believe that if I had skipped to the very last chapter of the book, and read only that, I would have liked this family, much more.
    • 4/5
      In contrast to the last Early Reviewers book I received, which I wanted to love and didn't, I didn't want to love this one and did. Go figure.In The Embers, Hyatt Bass gives us the Ascher family; Dad Joe, Mom Laura, daughter Emily and son Thomas. As the book opens, Emily is planning her wedding, to be held at the site of the family's now-destroyed weekend getaway. As the cover tells us, the family has suffered through the death of Thomas some years before, and is struggling with the fractures and fissures that resulted from his death. This statement is a complete understatement, although as we take this journey with them, we discover that the fractures and fissures were well in place before his illness and death, they were just exacerbated by them.Laura and Joe, who were separated at the time of Thomas' lymphoma diagnosis, reconciled at the time of the diagnosis, but divorced after his death. Laura and Emily hold Joe responsible for the events that led to Thomas' death, and cannot maintain their relationships with Joe or each other, and barely hold on to their relationships with other people as well. Using flashbacks between now and the time of Thomas' illness and death, Bass shows us the deep dysfunction that mars this family's ability to move forward.I didn't like any of the living members of the Ascher family; the only one I could tolerate was Thomas, and I suspect that had he lived, I wouldn't have liked him either. Joe, according to his daughter, is extraordinarily narcissistic, a bit (or a boatload) of the pot calling the kettle black if you ask me. Clay, her ever-patient fiance, as well as Earl, Laura's ever-patient second husband, have my abject sympathy. Joe, in the meanwhile, is off and about, still writing plays, drinking too much, and in the end, suffering a health crisis that finally allows he and his daughter to eventually reconcile, or at least somewhat.What saved this story of unlikeable and unsympathetic characters was Bass' prose. It's not spare by any means, but it rings true. There are no magical, unbelievable solutions to this quagmire the Aschers find themselves in, though I often wished there were. Like most of the rest of us, they must sort out their own demons and learn to live with what we get when it comes to our family. Nicely done.
    • 4/5
      There is something so beautiful about the dysfunction of family. It’s certainly not a warm and fuzzy something but it certainly makes for a pretty picture or a great novel. While it is certainly a time-honored theme, the crumbling house-hold novel, Hyatt Bass has created a new and vibrant addition to the genre with her tightly knit story of a tragically unraveled family.The Aschers are a family plagued by animosity but not without their bright spots. Their youngest member, Emily, is engaged to be married. She is a successful lawyer, and in love with her fiance. Despite her mother’s reservations, or, perhaps, because of them, she has picked the ultimate spot for her vow exchange: the family’s once fun-filled country-home in the Berkshires. While this may ring true as a reflection of any other family’s good times and happy memories, the Ascher’s land is a source and reminder of the rifts that run between mother, wife, daughter, father and husband.As wedding plans are made, a semi-linear story is molded, jumping incongruously between a pocket of the 90’s to present-day. A young woman’s fears are pushed on her son, daughter and husband, creating lasting effect, an artist’s love of his art threatens to ruin the lives of his loved ones and two children come of age with their own dark and jaded views of commitment, love and life.There are two different stories told in The Embers, one of how the past became the present and the other of how the present will become the future. Within those two macro stories, there are micro threads that run through, weaving in the voice of each family member. While it seems like a strange device at first, the idea of intermittently rearranging the narrator allows the short book to expand on each character emotionally in a way that usually doesn’t succeed with so many players. It never becomes confusing as each cast member is allotted his or her own distinct, unique voice.This is not a fairytale and the men and women are certainly not princes nor are they princesses. Each is deeply flawed in his or her own way, often to the point of paralyzing self-doubt or bitter grudge harboring. This does not dampen the mood of the telling, however. For me, it made each line of thought more realistic in its flaws, rather than sugar-coating what often is in such stories.The Embers is a fantastic little book and a wonderful debut for Hyatt Bass.
    • 2/5
      As I wrote before, I won this book in a GoodReads giveaway, and I was really excited to have won. Now if only it had been worth it. I made the mistake of reading some of the other reviews of the novel before starting it on my own, and I wish I hadn't, because their reviews were mostly right on. I couldn't feel anything for any of Bass's characters and found myself skimming parts where I got bored. I couldn't even feel anything for Thomas, the brother that died. I found her language to be uninteresting, and as I turned each page, I was looking to see how close I was to being finished.A disappointment. :(
    • 3/5
      It has taken awhile to get this review up as it took me a rather long time to get through this entire book. The Embers, while well-written, left me feeling that I didn't really know the characters. Besides the son Thomas, who dies a tragic death, I found the characters mostly annoying and could never quite grasp their motivations or sense who they were. The Embers was hard to get into, but it did pick up speed as I went along and I'm glad I finished it. I felt Hyatt Bass wrote this novel well. The story of a dysfunctional family with "secrets" is a common theme and I've certainly read worse. If I could have felt the characters more, I would have definitely enjoyed the story as a whole more.
    • 2/5
      The Embers tells the story of the dysfunctional Ascher family - Emily who is engaged to be married, her divorced parents: her father Joe, a famous playwright and actor, her mother, Laura, happily remarried, and her dead brother, Thomas. The book alternates between the present where Emily is planning her wedding and the past which tells the family's history including Thomas' illness and his father's role in his death.The characters are all self absorbed, each caught up in their own world and unable to connect to each other in any meaningful way. Even Thomas is one dimensional - the almost perfect son dispensing advice to his younger sister on how to handle their parents, never getting angry about anything, even the crappy hand he his dealt.Throughout the book it's hinted/implied that Joe is somehow responsible for his son's death and when the mystery is finally cleared up, it's dealt with briefly and unsatisfactorily. I was left feeling, that's it? That's the big secret?I could not connect to any of the characters and therefore never got emotionally invested in them. Though The Embers was a fairly quick read it was not a worthwhile one.
    • 5/5
      In her debut novel, Hyatt Bass eloquently writes about relationships that drive us crazy, memories we never want to lose and what we only realize we cherish most when it is gone forever. The Embers delves into the heartbreaking and somewhat mysterious death of a son and brother which derails the bonds of everyone in the Ascher family. The storyline jumps back and forth from present day to fifteen years prior when Thomas Ascher is still alive. When The Embers begins, it is fall and Emily Ascher and her fiancé Clay are planning their fall wedding. Emily is a lawyer with a promising career. Emily’s mother Laura is remarried and runs a theatre school for teenage girls. Emily’s father Joe is a famous actor and playwright who partially blames himself for his son’s death. He and his daughter have a precarious relationship. Through descriptive and charged prose, Bass chronicles the Ascher family struggles revolving around a chronically ill teenager, the various familial associations through the years and a devastating death. How does what happened in the past relate to what is happening today? How has each family member changed? How is each family member handling the death of Thomas more than a decade later? The Embers is a sharply written, remarkable novel that keeps the reader completely engulfed in the story and its characters from beginning to end.
    • 3/5
      Reading the cover of the book would have one believe it is the story of a family fractured by the death of the son many years before. But I don’t believe that the family was ever whole. Yes the wife and daughter turn against the father in the belief that he was somehow responsible for the son’s death, but the schism was in existence long before. Laura, the mother, was full of her own lack of confidence and yet very critical of Joe, her husband. Joe, an actor and playwright had a narcissistic streak, but was pretty honest about who he was. And daughter, Emily, seemed to have a rocky relationship with everyone. Basically, the novel spent the whole time building to the revelations regarding the death of the son, but when it arrived at that point it just continued to plod on as it had in the buildup, leaving this reader very unsatisfied.
    • 5/5
      I am unsure of how to begin this review because I am still trying to wrap my head around my feelings about The Embers. The thing is, I liked the book. I REALLY liked the book, even more than I expected to – but I’m not sure why. I can say with absolute certainty that one of the reasons the book spoke to me so much was Bass’ beautiful writing. She definitely has an amazing talent at crafting passages and conversations between characters that draw the reader in and really make you think. Another reason I think I enjoyed the book so much was because of my difficulty in parting with it for any length of time. Something about the story and the characters just grabbed me and didn’t let go.Here’s the weird part: I didn’t like any of the characters, and the entire time I was reading this novel I kept thinking to myself, “these people are so annoying. I should be hating this book right now, but I’m not. Why is that?!” The three main characters were all so completely self-absorbed, so unaware of the world around them, and I had a really difficult time with all three of them. I honestly cannot think of another book I’ve read recently where I so detested the characters but still enjoyed the book, so it’s really a tribute to Bass’s phenomenal writing and story telling abilities that made me come away with a deep appreciation for this novel.I always have a soft spot in my heart for books that go back and forth between time periods – if it’s done well, this effect can really make a huge impact on the reader. The Embers is an example of this – I never felt lost or confused while reading the book, even though it was jumping between time periods and different characters’ points of view. I really can’t say enough about Hyatt Bass here – she truly has put together a stunning debut, with flawed but (sadly) realistic characters and an interesting, fast-moving plot. There was a lot I loved about the book, even though I’m having a difficult time articulating the specifics right now. :) Just know that I couldn’t put it down, and I am anxiously awaiting something new from Ms. Bass!
    • 3/5
      what i really enjoyed about this book was the weaving of the past and the present. it was amazing to see how passed managed to provide insight into his characters (most of whom had trouble sharing their emotions) by telling the story of what got them to this point. the family dynamic was truly engaging. it also illustrated very well how a family can fall apart in the wake of tragedy.
    • 3/5
      Interesting book Hyatt Bass has created here. The book revolves around the lives of one family. Mom and dad are divorced, daughter is getting married, and son has passed away. All the characters have issues they are working on in the book, and it seems they are dancing around the death of the son - which the reasons for his death are being hinted at and implied, and yet it isn't until near the end the reader is let in on what actually happened.I really did enjoy Bass's writing, the way the narration switches between the characters and flipping between past and present. However, the story seems, well, the same story in so many other books - adult child is hitting life milestone (in this case marriage) and has to deal with the parents who just weren't always there for her the way she wanted them to be.
    • 4/5
      I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I liked the way it was written from many different perspectives and there were certain events that were able to be experienced through the eyes of many different characters ie. when the pictures at the wedding were taken. It also shows a realistic family with the many different problems we all experience when trying to communicate with one another. I was drawn into it and definitely wanted to know what happened at the end.
    • 2/5
      Some dysfunctional families draw readers in, and make them engaged in the story. Then there are the literary dysfunctional families who are simply annoying. The Aschers, the focus of Bass's novel, are decidedly in the latter category. Throughout the book I was struck by what a bunch of miserable, negative, self-absorbed people the Aschers seemed to be. Basically, this is a book about self-centered, neurotic people who experience tragedy, which in turn makes them more self-centered and miserable. A big part of the problem is that this book is longer than it needs to be. One simply gets sick of the Aschers' navel-gazing. The book seemed repetitive, with the same sentiments repeated. If the book had been cut down by a third, it would likely have been stronger. This is not a book based upon plot, rather, it is meant to be an investigation of the interior life of a family. The problem is, it's very difficult to pull that off with characters such as these, and in the absence of plot, the reader is left with little else.
    • 4/5
      This books tells of how relationships within a family can be based on the thoughts not shared and events misinterpreted. Alternating the narrative between present time and a specific past event, we learn why the family acts the way they do today, and how small events lead to larger ones and to feelings that can take years to change, if ever. I thought the relationships were very interesting and real and each made sense from their characters point of view, but like all books of this nature, they are hard to end properly as the real story is their life and life doesn't really end. Overall a very good first book and I am looking forward to more by this author.
    • 2/5
      The Embers explores the lives of the Ascher family: Joe, Laura, Emily and Thomas. I'm afraid I cared for none of them, nor their troubles. I really wanted to like The Embers. It seemed like the kind of book I should like, but I found my mind wandering whenever I tried to engross myself in the story. None of the characters are particularly likeable (except perhaps for Emily's fiance Clay) or relateable, nor did they ever have anything very interesting to say. They moped though the book, and I did too. The moments of the story where I was interested in the characters (Joe befriending a young girl, Emily working to free a client) were fleeting moments that came and went too quickly, and what was left in between was leaden and dull. Not a title I would recommend.
    • 4/5
      Story OverviewEmily Ascher is getting married. Like many brides, she has pre-wedding jitters. After all, her parents' marriage was volatile and ended in divorce. And Emily has some ghosts haunting her (not literal ghosts...this book is grounded in reality!) -- especially that of her beloved brother Thomas, who died 16 years earlier. By planning to hold the wedding on the site where Thomas died, Emily finds herself remembering what her family used to be, who she used to be, and how things can fall apart even when so much love is present. Estranged from her playwright father Joe -- who she idolized as a child -- and still tentative with her mother Laura, Emily is reluctant to make a commitment to the man she thinks she loves but who doesn't seem to provide the kind of fireworks she was hoping for.Emily's mother Laura thinks she has moved on with her new marriage. But the prospect of seeing her ex-husband Joe at the wedding makes her more nervous that she thinks she should be. And when Emily confides that she is having cold feet about the upcoming wedding, Laura tries to find a way to reach out and make things right. However, everything she seems to do ends up going wrong and being misinterpreted by Emily. Unwilling to lose another child, Laura tries to find a way to help her daughter without alienating her and to finally make peace with the past that keeps calling to her.Emily's father Joe is distant and an alcoholic. His promising career skidded off-track after his divorce from Laura and Thomas's death. He seems to have lost his muse and compass in life. Unwilling to reveal the depths of his pain to either Laura or Emily, Joe suffers alone -- being cantankerous and difficult whenever he is in contact with Emily. His guilt over what happened to Thomas and his unwillingness to divulge his part in it to Laura or Emily keeps Joe from being able to let this pain go. But a trip to a small town to write about an inn for a lifestyle magazine (a "pity" assignment) ends up forcing him to face some of the demons from his past, realize the depths of his drinking problem and begin to face what happened to his family.My ThoughtsThe Embers is a perfect title for this book as it really is about the Ascher family sifting through the embers of the fire that destroyed their family. The novel moves back and forth between the past and the present as each surviving Ascher struggles to come to terms with the tragedies that ripped their family apart. Make no mistake, the family had problems aplenty before Thomas's death, but there seemed to be a promise of hope and reconciliation that is completely destroyed after Thomas dies. Yet a small spark refuses to be extinguished, and it is this spark that must be dealt with before Emily can fully enter into her marriage with a happy heart.This is a Hyatt Bass's first novel, and I was impressed. She does a good job of providing a glimpse into the minds of all the Aschers and the transitions between the past and the present are well-done. For me, Joe was the most intriguing and confusing character. And Emily was hard to empathize with as well. All the members of the Ascher family end up so damaged (with the possible exception of Laura) that you really ache for them to find some peace and just talk with each other! Unfortunately, I think this is a very accurate depiction of dysfunctional family dynamics. Sometimes, the people you most need to talk to are the people you end up pushing away. Again and again, the Aschers turn away from each other -- unwilling to dig up the past. But you do have to face the past if you want to make a future, and the road leading the Aschers to reconciliation and peace is well-written and convincing.This isn't a happy book but an emotional look at one family's implosion and how the road to reconciliation, forgiveness and peace is not an easy one.My Final RecommendationIf you are looking for a thoughtful examination of family dynamics, this book would be a good choice. Although it is not an easy or light read, I think it is worthwhile -- especially if you are dealing with family issues of your own. It might help you to realize how the past affects your present and that reconciling the events of your past may help you to move forward with an open heart. I look forward to seeing what else this first-time author has to say.
    • 3/5
      The premise is promising: former wild-child daughter of divorced parents is about to marry. Emily Ascher decides to have her wedding on property in upstate New York that once held a family retreat from big city living. She recalls the times she spent growing up hear and reminisces about the brother she lost to a devastating disease. Through a series of flash-backs we are meant to learn of the inner workings as well as the dysfunctionality of this family. The bait being dangled before us is that there is a comfortable, if not rosy, to the conclusion of the story.Turns out this is the story of Joe Ascher, playwright, actor, man-about-town. This character is the pivotal person in the lives of each of his family members and we learn of things mainly through his point of view. It is Joe’s actions that have brought daughter Emily and ex-wife Laura to the relationship they now share – mutual tolerance of each other. Both, however, blame Joe for the death of Thomas (son and brother) almost fifteen years earlier.The use of flashbacks in this story was somewhat disconcerting to me. I felt jolted each time the scene shifted as there was not even the slightest segue from one time frame to another. Keeping in mind the author’s experience as a screenwriter I felt that the chapters worked almost like the shifting scenes one would see in a televised drama.Each of the characters is full of promise. Emily, as the once rebellious daughter of divorced parents, has become the so-called rock of the family: now a lawyer with a brilliant career about to marry a man who is the extreme opposite of her somewhat flamboyant father; Laura, as the long-suffering wife who lives in the shadow of her semi-famous philandering husband until she boots him out the door; Thomas, the true glue of the family who is diagnosed with lymphoma at an early age. Unfortunately, none of these characters was given any depth or complexity even when they interacted with each other.My favorite character was Ingrid, a young woman that Joe meets while on writing assignment. Sadly, we learn at the conclusion that while she was based on someone Joe sees through the hedges, everything we learn about her is purely fiction made up by Joe.A rushed ending, shallow characters, and nothing to define what ‘the embers’ truly are earn this novel an average rating from this reviewer.
    • 3/5
      This is a interesting novel, that could very well be a true story. It shows how the death of one family member can affect the family unit as a whole as well as individually. The story flash back and forth almost like two separate stories. One taking place before Thomas' death and the other 16 years later. It seems that Emily's impending wedding is stirring up so many emotions for this family. I read it fairly quickly because I wanted to know what happened to Thomas.
    • 3/5
      This first novel offers numerous points of view in a family torn apart by illness, selfishness and death. Emily is the no-nonsense daughter of Joe, a self-centered actor and playwright, and Laura, a failed actress and chronic complainer. Their near-idyllic family life is torn apart first when Joe has an affair with a co-worker and then by the illness and subsequent death of Thomas, the oldest child.The book goes back and forth between the mid-90s and 2007-2008. Through each surviving characters' eyes we get to see how the family dynamics take their toll on every member. Emily goes from being a carefree and spirited young girl to a serious, grim woman who holds herself and others to ridiculous standards. She turns away from the acting she enjoys and instead becomes a lawyer in an attempt to channel the studious and serious nature of her deceased brother. Joe, struggling with writing and missing the limelight he has enjoyed for so many years, finds himself stymied by his wife's constant disapproval and perpetual unhappiness. He falls into the arms of a co-worker only to discover that he misses his family more than he enjoys his new relationship. In many ways, the key to this family and this book rests in the hands of the character we know the least about; Laura. Laura is unable or unwilling to diagnose the source of her own perpetual unhappiness, and instead infects the rest of her family. Only when Thomas is sick and she becomes his nursemaid and head cheerleader does she seem to have a purpose in life. Once Thomas is gone she divorces Joe and goes off in search of someone else to make her happy.Thomas plays a pivotal role in the story, but he is more of a caricature than a real character. He is the quintessential good son, the one that studies, understands his complicated parents, and wishes only good things for the world. Being so good and pure he, of course, dies young leaving behind a huge void that his family cannot fill. It would have improved the story greatly had Thomas been a more realistic character with some flaws.In the end, each main character does take some steps to redeem their relationships, but there is a strong sense that it is too little too late for this family. That in and of itself is probably the most realistic and believable aspect of the book.
    • 4/5
      The Embers is a light and enjoyable read and I think that it will be very successful. I read it in a day. As a first novel, it exceeded my expectations. Given the description on the back I doubted that the story could be adequately developed in a mere 280 pages. The story moves back and forth over a period of sixteen years, a time of painful change and trauma for this otherwise priveleged and successful family.to be continued
    • 4/5
      The Embers was a very readable first book by author Hyatt Bass. It is told from multiple viewpoints over a shifting timeframe. The characters are incredibly real. Both their faults and strengths were displayed over the course of the novel. There were some interesting plot twists, nothing staggering, just enough to keep the reader interested and thinking. For me, this was really a "character" book. And those characters will stay with me for quite a while.
    • 4/5
      I read the Embers recently and found the characters delightful, realistic, and never liking in opinion. In other words, they weren't dry. I think is a fabulous effort for a debut novel and it leaves me excited about future attempts in this same vein of family dynamics/dysfunction. (toMATO toMotto)I felt each of the family members conflicts and did find certain characters full of mystery as I assumed what was being written was true. I guess I saw it as more of a twist that a memory...and the twist was not the crux of the book, by any means.Is it the BEST book I've read this year. Probably not. Did I walk away not wanting it to end? Kinda. I was still interested in where many of these characters ended up in their lives and what they went on to do. To me it's the sigh of a good book when I care enough to speculate about the characters beyond my reading.For me, it was a good solid read that I will recommend to friends.
    • 3/5
      "The Embers" by Hyatt Bass is a story of family dysfunction and tragedy. Unfortunately, it is heavy on drama and light on originality. The reader knows from the beginning of the book that the Ascher family is short one member due to untimely death. However, the author leads the reader to believe that there is some great mystery lurking beneath. Only to discover 250 or so pages into the book that this is not quite the case. Overall, the book was a pleasant enough read and moves along quickly. Keep your dictionary handy, though. The author tries to make up for a lack of depth by using flowery language, For example, the words sybaritic ("characterized by or loving luxury or sensuous pleasure" according to dictionary.com) and solipsistic ("extreme preoccupation with and indulgence of one's feelings, desires, etc.; egoistic self-absorption" according to dictionary.com) appear on the same page!