The Book of Fire

Title:  The Book of Fire

Author:  Christy Lefteri

Publication Information:  Ballantine Books. 2024. 336 pages.

ISBN:  0593497279 / 978-0593497272

Rating:   ★★★

Book Source:  I received this book through NetGalley free of cost in exchange for an honest review.

Opening Sentence:  "This morning, I met the man who started the fire."

Favorite Quote:  "There is something about stories that allows us to process the present. We listen to tales of tribulations overcome so that we might imagine we can survive ours. Children listen to the same fairy tale time and time again because there is a puzzle in their hearts that they unknowingly need to solve."

A small Greek village. An idyllic life. A fire. Life forever altered. An opportunity for retribution. A fateful, life altering decision. Life beyond with its challenges, its guilt, and its hope.

The book tells the story through Irini's eyes and, more importantly, the story of her thoughts. They meander through life before the fire, the fire, her decisions, and her coming to terms with that decision. Through Irini, the author offers commentary on global issues - climate change, global warming, the impact of development on the environment and the communities surrounding the development, and more. "We live in a world where we can have anything we want, and some people have learned not to accept no for an answer. Consequences mean nothing - they've probably never had to really face any. I am of a different generation, and you have a good, sensible head on your shoulders, but Mr. Monk... Well, what can I say? All greed and no kindness. Unfortunately, that gets you somewhere."

Pain and grief are the central themes of Irini's thoughts. Tasso's hands are burned, which causes physical pain and the emotional pain of being deprived of his artistic passion and livelihood. Tasso's father is missing. Chiara has significant burns, and, as we learn well into the book, is unable to walk without crutches. A child, whose name means Joy, is anything but joyful. Irini's pain comes not just from the suffering of her family but from the decision she makes when she meets the man responsible for the fire. The book is a tragic one. "Things are never as simple as they seem, always remember that in life. It is dangerous to see things in black and white, even  - and maybe especially - during troubled times... Each side hates the other because of memories and traumas on both sides, some are ready and some are imagined, and these become national narratives. They demonize each other. The 'other' is always to blame and it fuels people and groups and governments with fire. This never leads to any good on this earth."

Because of the perspective, the book has the feel of a personal journal - an individual's musings as they try to process their own thoughts and emotions and to puzzle through and understand the situations they find themselves. The challenge of this perspective is that we process iteratively - thinking about something, stepping away from it, thinking again, often over and over again. Irini does the same. As a result, the book appears to repeat itself at times. It makes sense given the set up but presents a challenge as a reader because the pacing becomes very slow. I feel the emotion of the story but walk away, wanting more.

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