3.5/5

I'm a big Christy Lefteri fan. I loved The Beekeeper of Aleppo and really liked Songbirds. So I was thrilled to get approved for a gifted eBook of her latest, The Book of Fire.

Set on a small island in Greece, this novel tells the story of a family suffering after an atrocious fire. A greedy developer purposely started the fire to clear some land, yet due to climate change it raged out of control, killing almost 20 in the community and harming countless others. Irini, a music teacher, is trying to bring her burned husband Tasso back from the brink, while also staying positive for her daughter Chara. While out for a walk, Irini encounters the developer who started the fire barely alive, leaning next to a tree. She runs away, but eventually comes back and he is dead. Did he commit suicide or did someone kill him? As the mystery plays out, Irini recounts the story of the flood and how she, her family, and the town are trying to heal.

The themes of the book and the prose were engaging, but for some reason the narrative didn't click for me. Irini is the main focus and we don't go much outside her immediate world (and thoughts). What does her husband feel? How is he suffering and what is the catalyst that will encourage him to heal? What does her daughter feel? Irini recounts the fire, which is compelling, but the rest is mostly her replaying over and over seeing the developer and him saying "the people," before he died.

I was moved by moments of this novel but the overall story didn't wow my like Lefteri's other books have. Still, she's a wonderful writer and her books are always thought-provoking, so I'm looking forward to her next one.