Important things you need to know about the book:
Pace: The Book of Fire had a medium-slow pace.
POV: The Book of Fire is told through Irini’s 1st person POV. The fire section of the book is told in 2nd person (it is told as a story and is broken up throughout the book).
Trigger/Content Warning: The Book of Fire has trigger and content warnings. If any of these triggers you, I suggest not reading the book. They are:
- Fire/Fire Injury
- Death
- Suicide (not the actual act but after it happened. There is also a scene where someone recounts encouraging someone to kill themself by handing them a rope)
- Grief
- Death of a parent
- Injury/Injury Detail
- Xenophobia
- War (was told as part of Irini and Tasso’s story; it was Irini’s great-grandfather recounting a war he had lived through as a child)
- Depression
- Anxiety/Anxiety Disorders
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Body Horror
- Hospitalization
- Medical Treatment & Procedures
- Scars
- Death from Exposure
- Animal Injury
Sexual Content: There is no sexual content in The Book of Fire.
Language: There is mild to moderate swearing in The Book of Fire. There is also language used that might offend some people.
Setting: The Book of Fire is set in Greece.
Age Range: I recommend The Book of Fire to anyone over 21.
Plot Synopsis (as spoiler-free as I can get):
Irini and Tasso are living their dream in Greece. Tasso is a talented artist, and Irini is a music teacher. They live in an ancient forest with their daughter. The dream was shattered when a forest fire decimated their village and the forest their house bordered. Now, Irini is struggling with the aftereffects of the fire. So, when she finds the man responsible for so much death and destruction by an old tree, she walks away. While the police investigate, Irini must summon the inner strength and courage to get her life back on track. And that means coming to terms with what happened and trying to forgive the man who started the fire and destroyed her life. Can she do it?
Main Characters:
The main character in The Book of Fire is Irini. The book is told from her POV. Her actions (or inactions) in this book have far-reaching implications. Her character growth consisted of her growing past her anger at the man who started the fire and starting down the path to forgiveness.
My review:
This is the first book I have read by Christy Lefteri, and I can confidently say it won’t be my last. After I finished The Book of Fire, I added all her books to my TBR on Goodreads.
The Book of Fire’s storyline centers around Irini, her family, their healing (emotional and physical) from the fire, and Irini’s book that she wrote called….The Book of Fire (which recounts the fire and the days after). The storyline was well-written, and I could connect emotionally to the characters. More than once, I broke down into tears because of what happened and what Irini was going through in the book.
What got me the most was The Book of Fire segments. I was horrified by what Irini, Chara, and Rosalie (the dog) went through and how close to death they all came. Chara’s injury was horrific. I also admired Irini’s outward calmness. If she hadn’t been calm and given into the turmoil in her mind (over her husband and father-in-law), I think the outcome would have been different.
This book gave what I thought was a realistic look into the trauma after an event like that. Irini and her family didn’t get off scot-free and only had a house burnt down. No, Tasso’s career as an artist was threatened by the severe burns to his fingers. And Chara’s burn on her back was horrific (as I stated above). Tasso’s father is presumed dead, one of the hundred killed when the fire ripped through the village. The trauma ran deep in this book, and there were times that I wondered if they would be able to start the healing process.
When Irini found the man who started the fire, she went through his belongings and walked away. She did feel guilty and called the police, but still. The path to forgiveness and understanding it was a tragic accident was laid during her interviews with the police. But, there is a twist in this storyline that, even though I saw it coming, still surprised and unnerved me.
The end of The Book of Fire signified hope for me. I won’t go into it because of spoilers, but I did like how the author got Irini to that point. I believe the start was the healing of the jackal pup, and it just went from there.
Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Ballantine Books, NetGalley, and Christy Lefteri for allowing me to read and review this ARC of The Book of Fire. All opinions stated in this review are mine.