Super Short Summary

In John Banville’s Ancient Light, actor Alexander Cleave, dealing with the grief of his daughter Cass's suicide, reflects on a teenage romance with Mrs. Gray, his friend Billy’s mother, while starring in a film about Cass’s companion at her death. Alex begins an affair with a younger actor, Dawn Devonport, during filming, which becomes a complex relationship and a way for him to process his grief. Depicts suicide, mental health struggles, and sexual situations involving a minor.