THE BRIGHTEST PLACE IN THE WORLD

In this novel, a catastrophic explosion at a chemical plant kills a technician—and his death profoundly transforms the lives of those who suffer his loss.

A chemical plant in the desert outside of Las Vegas suddenly explodes, a “holocaustal tableau” that leaves a spectacular wake of destruction. Some 200 people are injured and 8 are dead, including Andrew Huntley, who leaves behind a wife, Juliet, and 17-year-old daughter, Maddie, both shaken terribly by the news. Mullins unravels the entangled skein of ramifications that follows Andrew’s death and examines the manner in which a single disaster can alter the lives of many. Simon Addison, a colleague of Andrew’s in another department, is haunted by guilt—he might have been able to save the technician’s life, but in a fit of cowardice, he prioritized his own. And Emma Martin, a blackjack dealer at a local casino and the wife of Andrew’s best friend, Russell, is conflicted by the man’s sudden death. She conducted a secret affair with Andrew and mourns his loss, but she is also relieved to be emancipated from the ignominious “imprisonment of infidelity.” Grief makes for some strange bedfellows—one of the thought-provoking lessons in the author’s morality tale. Maddie seeks comfort in the arms of Russell while Simon begins a dangerous flirtation with Juliet. The plot has a winding, delightfully unpredictable arc—readers are taken on a tour of emotional trauma without any sense of the final destination. But Mullins strains too laboriously for moments of quirky poignancy, and the result of his efforts is that the story sometimes feels contrived. For example, Emma encounters gambling preacher Marcus Bauerkemper at her blackjack table who communicates in terms ponderous and symbolically suggestive: “ ‘Luck,’ he says in a heavy voice. ‘Success or failure apparently brought by chance rather than through one’s own actions.’ That’s Merriam-Webster, if memory serves. Or is it the New Oxford American? Not sure now. In any case, you don’t really believe in it, do you? Luck?”

An intriguing but melodramatic tale that explores loss and grief.