"On November 8, 2018, my hometown of Paradise, California, was obliterated in a manner of hours by the Camp Fire, the most destructive and deadly wildlife in the history of the state. Eighty-five people died. Ninety percent of the structures were destroyed. And 50,000 people were displaced."
At that point in time Shana Youngdahl was living on the other side of America in Maine. Although she did her best to support her hometown and help the people whose lives were impacted it never felt like enough until she came to believe that she use her formidable writing talents to do so. The result was A Catalog of Burnt Objects.
"But this book is not just a story of fire. It's a story of family, community, and first love. Because one thing I have learned is that disaster isn't the whole story. It's an important part of it. But the people, their lives, their loves and struggles, and how they get through them--that's the story."
Caprice, Youngdahl's narrator, is in a complicated and bittersweet family situation. Her older brother, Beckett, has been the drug using black sheep and the cause of much parental strife. After he got out of high school his folks saw him only sporadically until he hit rock bottom, causing a truck crash that left his best friend, Mason, unable to talk or breathe on his own. Now he's come back from four months in rehab. Caprice has no idea what he or family life will be like.
"All I really wanted was to get through the coming year without any big surprises, finish the app I was developing, and get into college. That was my program, my plan."
And then there's Caprice's beloved grandmother who played a major role in her upbringing. She's in a small, drab room in an assisted living place, handicapped by dementia. Sometimes she can't remember who Caprice is or even remember that she is a grandmother.
There are some ominous signs like a strangely colored evening sky and the smell of smoke. But most of the residents don't suspect the imminent tragedy until it's upon them with the frantic need to escape through dangerously clogged roads.
Caprice and her family end up sleeping on cots in a store, trying to cope with a very uncertain future. Their beloved cat and grandfather are missing. Caprice believes that her grandfather is dead and it's her fault.
Youngdahl reminds readers that fire seasons are growing longer and more wide spread due to climate change and that wildfire smoke contributes to between 16,000 and 30,000 needless deaths a year.
"I don't tell you this because I don't have hope. I do. I wrote this novel because I do have hope. People can come together and make change. They can support one another and build a better world."
On a purrrsonal note, we're having another 🌧 weekend in central Maine. Except for going to Governors with Eugene Saturday, I've been inside making good progress on spring cleaning and chilling with my good wing cat, Tobago. Can you believe I've run out of library books? Not to worry. I've got 4 inter library loan books waiting for me at Orono Public Library. If the weather isn't too crappy I can pick them up tomorrow.
A great big shout out goes out to precious Tobago, my best little cat in the world.
Jules Hathaway
Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone
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