Darkest Night, Brightest Star

Host Poppy Holden and young reader Talin discuss Darkest Night, Brightest Star with author Barry Jonsberg.

Darkest Night, Brightest Star is Shortlisted for the 2026 CBCA Book of the Year Awards for Older Readers.

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Two things that are true and one that is a lie:
I think my mother is dead and alive.
I think if I work hard I will be very good at something.
I've tried to please my dad but I don't think I ever will.

Thirteen-year-old Morgan lives with his dad and his older brother, Mitch. He hasn't heard from his mum since she left when he was two. He works hard on his football skills, striving to meet his father's high expectations and 'be a man'.

But what that means isn't always clear-cut. When Morgan makes a friend at school, gets injured in a game, and his long-lost mum turns up, everything changes. Then, when he meets an old woman in need of help, Morgan must decide what kind of man he wants to be.

Shining a timely and much-needed light on different kinds of masculinity, Darkest Night, Brightest Star is a unique and compelling novel from a masterful storyteller.

Transcript

Poppy 0:14

Hello and welcome to the CBCA Shadow Judging Podcast, where young readers share their thoughts on the shortlisted books. My name is Poppy Holden, and I'm the host for today's conversation. We'll be discussing the 2026 shortlisted title Darkest Night, Brightest Star by Barry Jonsberg. Joining us is our reader, Talin Swanarthen, and later we'll also hear from Barry Jonsberg himself. First, Talin's response to the book. Would you like to share?

Talin 0:42

Yes. So firstly, I'd just like to say I really enjoyed the book. I thought it was a very good book. It covered a lot of really deep um themes. I really liked how the book immediately goes into Morgan's mental state. It doesn't hold back, there's not a big um wind-up, it just goes straight into the action and just really sets the tone for the book. And it immediately revealed a lot about Morgan's self-confidence. And I also found the difference between how Morgan's dad was portrayed when we first meet him. He's like when we first meet him, he seems to be like a fairly like he he seems like a fairly nice father, and then as the book slowly goes on, he very quickly becomes quite toxic and his arc is like very interesting, I th I found. And we're supposed to believe that Morgan's mother is like a bad guy just from um well what his father says, but then as we slowly learn that that's not true as the story progresses. Uh I enjoy the school setting a lot, and I found it very interesting how you can see the effects of Morgan's father and Morgan's home life on his school life and how he makes friends. And it yeah, as it's shown that he's quite lonely, he doesn't have many friends, probably as an effect of his father saying, You have to be by yourself, you only you know what you need, and you have to do everything by yourself. Um, and yeah, his father says he wants full control when Grace says, Oh, maybe it might not be nice to get a second look at your soccer practice. And then um Morgan says yes, but in his mind he's thinking that his father won't let that happen. He won't his father wants full control over his life. And I also found it quite sad that Morgan blames his lack of friends on himself for being quiet, he thinks that it's his fault, and he is it's not untrue that he's quiet, he is quite quiet and quite reserved, but it just shows that he has self-esteem issues. He thinks that there's like he either doesn't need friends or he doesn't think yeah, friends are like helpful, or he thinks they'll build them hold him back. Um and yeah, um the toxic masculinity really picks up in the second half of the book, especially from Morgan's father, but also from Morgan's brother, um, who I was expecting to have like a yeah, like kind of just to be either on Morgan's side or just like a fairly minor character, but he's also quite helpful in showing how um Morgan's father has influenced him. And I I found it like I felt there were maybe two sides of the same coin where Morgan was able to break out of the toxic masculinity early, and then Mitch was like one able to do that, and he will. Um yeah, and Morgan's father is also fairly homophobic, as he's shown when he learned about Morgan's friend Grey, and immediately orders Morgan to stop being friends with him. Um I did find it interesting that Morgan's father does seem to like care for Morgan and does what what he thinks he is truly trying to do what he thinks is right, as long as Morgan lives up to his expectations of what he believes a man should be, which brings another layer into the story, and I think sets it apart from a lot of other toxic father figures who normally don't have many redeeming factors. You're just expected to know that they're the bad guy. They clearly they're like they don't have the child's best interest at heart when um Morgan's father doesn't, but he thinks that he truly does. The characterisation I found to be very good. I've already mentioned how yeah, Morgan's father's very well written, and Morgan himself is very written, and Mitch Mitch as well is um like a very well-ridden for a fairly minor character. But I also really liked Grey and the therapist Miss Farmer. I really liked Morgan's arc when he eventually break out of his shell and break out of his father's toxic masculinity. At the beginning, he's kind of very reserved, he is basically doing exactly what his father wants him to do. But then as that slowly goes on, he's learning how to yeah, avoid um his father, like he's knows exactly what to say to get his father to let him do things, such as when he quits soccer to pursue his job, he knows exactly what his father wants him to say, and he says that, which is also a little bit sad that he can't say what he truly means. He just has to say whatever he thinks his father wants him to say. Um, but I also yeah, I also really like the characterisation of other characters. A lot of the times in books I've read that are similar story to this, or like not similar story, but similar setting to this. The teacher just seems to be giving advice to the main character. But I really liked how it's shown that she's helped Grey as well, like helped Grey a lot with his identity as well, which I think brings another like layer into the story, another layer of realism. Um, and it it kind of makes her act less like a like a conveniently timed plot device, but more like her like actually being a good teacher and being good at her job. Um the pacing, I really enjoyed the pacing. It was very well paced. It was I didn't feel like I was rushed at any point, and it wasn't too slow either. And I found the conclusion to be um fairly satisfying. Morgan's mother does directly that his father is like an example of toxic masculinity, which I didn't find it very subtle, but I think it was handled very well, and it was a good development for Morgan's character. Like he's slowly been realising that his father has flaws up until this point, and then at this point it realises that okay, this is like not I need to be a better person than this, is my father is not a good person. Um, but yeah, overall I really enjoyed the book and yeah.

Speaker 3 5:49

Yeah, I really love your point about like the nuance of the characters and how they're all so clearly developed and like thought out that they can have that progression and the conversations between them feel you know authentic and real and believable in that way. Is there something that caught your attention first in this book? Because you obviously talked about it overall, but is there something that stood out?

Speaker 2 6:13

Yeah, I mentioned at the beginning how it immediately goes into the action, which I found um really exciting. I think a lot of books that have like a similar story about I think last year CBCA had a few similar books that were about struggling with self-identity, and they normally take a little while to get into it, but I really liked how this one was different, and like I think it really suited the tone of this book.

Speaker 3 6:33

Yeah, yeah. I think to me it was like the first chapter and the two truths and a lie, and how that how they're so like abstracts, like it's not how you would normally have that icebreaker, and then when you it's revealed what the lie is, if like like devastating, like you don't think you'll be good. Um, is there anything that really surprised you or shocked you, like maybe separate to it being different to normal toxic masculinity?

Speaker 2 6:58

Oh, not necessarily about that, but I was surprised at how much characterization was able to fit in. Like there's so many different characters, and they all feel like they're like they're all unique, and none of them have the same arc. Like there's like the main characters, and there's um also like the teachers, and there's Mary, the elderly person that Morgan helps, and like it's a it's a fairly short book, but it manages to fit them all, and it doesn't feel too rushed in any way. So that like I was really surprised that it was able to have so much, and yeah, that was really impressive, I thought.

Speaker 3 7:26

Yeah, definitely. I think it's like Mary, particularly, because it's so I mean, obviously you talked about set in a school and it's about the home life as well, and adding that like plot line part way through of having that story. I think it's useful in that characterization to show the other side of Morgan, that tenderness, but it's also so well incredible, you can fit so much in such a short book. And so I know you're in year 11 and I'm in the first year of uni, uh, but the main character is 13. And for me, this perspective felt very real for when um, you know, I was I was in sub-high school, but also feels like as we've talked about, the themes are so universal, so necessary. Do you think this book is important to read for like just this age group?

Speaker 2 8:12

Or um, I think it's no, I think everyone can read it. It's definitely, yeah, the themes, as you mentioned, the themes are universal, the themes are not just relevant to younger readers. I think even adults can like engage with these themes as well. I also think that 13 is I wouldn't say 13's like a mature 13-year-old will definitely be able to read and understand the themes, but it's probably just on like the upper edge. Like, I think a lot of 13-year-olds would not not necessarily this book would be inappropriate, but I think they wouldn't be able to fully comprehend the themes as well as older readers. Um, but yeah, I think yeah, it's a universal read themes.

Speaker 3 8:52

Cool. Thank you for that. It's always interesting to hear how other readers respond. And uh now we're joined by Barry Jonsberg, the author of Darkest Night, Brightest Star. What was your reaction, Barry, to hearing Talin's response to the novel?

Speaker 9:06

Well, thanks, Poppy, and it was wonderful to hear Talin's response to my book. Um, particularly since you've both been so nice about it. It's always great to hear. Because without readers, I'm kind of talking to myself, which is never particularly a healthy thing to do. So now I I found a lot of what Tallinn said to be very interesting. And in particular, I was very pleased with his comments about uh Morgan's father, because I think it might have been the easiest option to portray him as an out and out villain, a really sort of nasty piece of work that everybody could hate. But as the story progressed, I I felt that, you know, Morgan's father had a little bit more to offer than that. I mean, very often we mess up our kids um without meaning to. Uh, there's an old Philip Larkin poem that starts off, they F you up your mum and dad. They may not mean to, but they do. And that's what I wanted with with Morgan's father, really, is that he's doing the best according to his lights. Just hopefully the reader, and obviously Morgan eventually recognises that his father's reasoning, his rationale, his belief system is not necessarily something that you'd want to emulate. So I was very pleased with Tarlin's comment that uh that his father is not just a villain, but also hopefully a person with his own problems that maybe he could overcome in time, though that's possibly unlikely.

Speaker 3 10:37

Yes. I think all the characters in that way have that, you know, they're not all perfect or all bad, and that's what makes it so real. And so that blows on to my next question about the characterization of Morgan and how you achieved that character, this 13-year-old boy feeling so current and real.

Speaker 10:58

Well, Morgan's very different from my normal characters. Most of my characters tend to be well educated, articulate, witty, fond of one-liners. And of course, Morgan is is none of that really. He's uh not academically gifted, he's lacking totally in confidence. And at the beginning of the book, he's very passive. Things are imposed upon him, and he's at the at the beginning accepts that that's just the way the world is. So he's not able to articulate, I think, even to himself, the problems that he's facing. And so I was forced to go with the character of Morgan for the for the very spare, um, the direct, and hopefully just his honest reaction to what's going on around him. So that's how Morgan came about, I guess. No clever one-liners, no witty insights. He's just struggling his way through. And hopefully, some readers might identify with that as a problem.

Speaker 3 11:59

Yeah, I definitely, it struck me at the start of the book how passive he was. That's a really good word for about he sort of it doesn't make Breeders feel stupid in the fact he's just a bit naive, like he just doesn't really know enough yet. But that's not seen as like a downpour on his part. It's just his time to learn, which I thought was so well done.

Speaker 12:19

Thank you. And and just uh something you said earlier on about the two truths and a lie as an icebreaker. I mean, I was an English teacher for 38 years. I actually often used that as an icebreaker for my classes, and it always worked very well. So again, when I started the book, it just seemed like a natural thing to do to introduce the uh the lie and hopefully the little twist at the end of the first chapter.

unknown 12:41

Yeah.

Speaker 3 12:41

Yeah, yeah. That's what was so striking. The fact it was so real. It's something I think we've all been through in school, even in uni. So, like your other YA novels, you quickly create an emotional connection between the readers and your characters while introducing multiple themes. How did you land on toxic masculinity, mental health, gender identity, and sexuality for this one?

Speaker 13:05

A lot to cover. Well, I know. And I didn't really land on those as themes. I mean, one of the things, again, as a writer, never ever start off by saying, right, I've got these themes that I want to communicate to my readership. And you start off with sort of all of these things toxic. I'm going to write a book about toxic masculinity. If you do that, I think you're you're doomed to failure because young people, all readers, but particularly young people, they spot that a mile off and don't like being preached to. None of us do. So the story came first. And the way in which this story came about, as with most of my stories, was something very, very simple. My wife, also an English teacher, came home one day and she likes to unpack, as teachers do. And she said, a boy came up to me today and said, Miss, all my life I've tried to please my dad, and I don't think I ever will. And he didn't say anything more about that. It was just a kind of a throwaway comment, and my wife didn't push him. Um, but we we started to discuss the whole idea of parental expectations. And parental expectations are good. We want the best for our children, but sometimes it can be counterproductive if you're trying to push your kids into an area that they are not comfortable with. So I started the book basically from that premise. Let me write a story about a boy who is struggling with parental expectation. I had no idea how the story was going to turn out. But as the story developed, as I wrote it, then these themes came in of toxic masculinity. I didn't intend to write a book about that, but that's the way in which the story um went. That's the direction that it took me. So uh yeah, they just came, I guess, organically from the very basic story that I started with.

Speaker 3 14:55

I love that. I love starting with something from real life and expanding it to create a whole world around it. I find that you always make your readers work in stories, in this case with the open ending and the perspective that we've talked about. It shows an investment of trust in young adults to fill in the gaps. Do you consciously do that? Is that sort of what you're talking about with not wanting to preach readers?

Speaker 15:18

Yeah, I I think it it's not so much a conscious decision. It's more instinctive, I think, as a writer. Um, there is a strange but very important relationship between the writer and the reader. Any story is a collaboration between the writer and the reader. So I I just wrote what I wrote. And as we heard from Tallinn, he had some responses to that. And that's the way in which all stories I think that are worth hearing, um, that's how they should operate as a uh a conversation, I guess, between reader and writer. So no, I don't consciously sort of set out to say, okay, I'm going to have a you know a naive perspective, et cetera, et cetera. It's just the way in which the story develops.

Speaker 3 16:02

Thank you for all of that. Before we finish, one uh final quick question for Talin. In one sentence, why should someone read this book?

Speaker 2 16:11

Yeah, well, we discussed it earlier about the themes, but I think that's definitely a major reason why someone would read this book. It's the themes are universal, they can apply to anyone of any age over like any situation. And I think it's just generally like a lot of the advice that it's given is good. And uh yeah, I think it's uh lessons that we should all try to live by.

Speaker 3 16:30

Perfect. Thank you to Talin and Barry for joining us today, and thank you for listening to the CBCH Shadow Judging Podcast.