"The night their house goes up in flames, April stumbles out the front door with her baby in one arm and a book in the other. Otto points his little finger over her shoulder at the house, yelling unintelligible warnings.
Leo is still inside, grabbing Sadie from her bed.
A fist of dark smoke punches through a window and races out into the sky. At the sound of glass exploding, April glances back. The fire is coming from the kitchen."
Would you say that the opening paragraphs of Sarah Damoff's The Burning Side are pretty dramatic--a young couple's worst nightmare springing horrifically to life in the wee hours of the morning. Fortunately April, Leo, and children Sadie and Otto escape unharmed. Also fortunately April's parents have the space and willingness to open their doors to their home. Sadie and Otto won't be further traumatized by going somewhere frighteningly unfamiliar like a shelter.
Which in itself is problematic. Leo is going to be living in close proximity not only to April, but to her family. Remember how the fire started in the kitchen? April had left a stove burner on...
...after she was blindsided by Leo telling her that he wants a divorce.
Don't get me wrong. The fire causes plenty of drama. But its main literary function seems to be to throw a cast of fabulous but flawed individuals together in close proximity to explore the high and low lights, the ambiguities, the joys and sorrows and the seeming contradictions of their relationships. In alternate flashbacks and present scenes the story unfolds in the distinctive voices of four narrators.
Leo comes from a background of childhood deprivation and abandonment. When April becomes absorbed in the care of their young children and seems to be shutting him out he fears being left behind--especially when he sees her with another man.
April is overwhelmed by the life changes of parenting. As Leo commutes between work and home she feels alone, unheard, and unsupported.
Deb, April's mother, was not in love when she married Billy. She was in the family way. That was considered to be the right thing to do. But in the course of marriage and parenting her love flourished. Now she's slowly losing the love of her life to Alzheimers.
And Billy is losing his memories, his abilities, his freedom--basically himself--and painfully aware of all he's losing.
The characters come to life so convincingly I think it would be really hard, if not impossible, not to care what happens to them.
I highly recommend The Burning Side to readers who want substance and depth in their novels.
On a purrrsonal note, Maine and the rest of New England are caught up in a dangerous heat 🥵 wave. If that's the case where you live please take precautions, drink lots of water, be aware of the symptoms of heat stroke, and keep children and companion animals as cool as possible. Check in on family members and neighbors who live alone, especially those with medical conditions.
Best wishes for a fun and safe long weekend!!!
Jules Hathaway
Sent from my Galaxy
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