?This Bright River? opens with a scene set in a State Street bar on a frozen night in January. Two unnamed men share a few drinks before the night takes a terrifying turn. ?This?ll be interesting,? says one of the guys. Indeed. Author Patrick Somerville sets a chilling tone right out of the gate, a chill due not only to the winter temperatures but also to the nameless characters engaged in immediate, baffling violence. Somerville, 33, is a UW-Madison graduate who teaches in the master of fine arts program at Northwestern University.
Office of Strategic Communication