Imagery in 'Bright's Passage' is bold, tantalizing

Even a gifted songwriter cannot necessarily sustain a compelling tale for the length of a novel. Luckily, Josh Ritter is an exception. He called his debut work of fiction a “short little comedy.” Yes, it’s short — less than 200 pages — but it’s more poignant than funny, and it reads like a fable or a myth, but without any pat conclusions or preachy morality.

“Bright’s Passage” tells the story of a World War I veteran who returns home to West Virginia and his young bride. After his wife dies in childbirth, Henry Bright cares for his newborn son, seeks the company of a goat and allows himself to be led — both in life-altering decisions and escaping a deadly wildfire — by an angel who may or may not be his talking horse.