This was great. I do not generally like books where kids play central roles, but every character was really well handled and endearing in their own way. But the kids, especially, were pivotal to the strange tone of the book. Where the plot is central and a very strange things happens to them, with no explanation really: They just catch on fire sometimes. It doesn’t harm them. They just burn and then extinguish. That they are children of immensely wealthy and privileged people, make them, and their fire, easily concealable.

Which is where our protagonist comes in. A hot mess, borderline unhinged, queer woman who never got over both a woman she went to school with, and a life event concerning said “friend”, contacts her years later, with the position of, basically a governess. This is the catalyst for her to either continue sinking, or perhaps, finally start swimming in life. Because life is not working out for her, as is.

While very odd, this is a really human story, grounded almost purely in character work. There is a Point, but it’s made in a way that doesn’t grind my gears, meaning not overly prescriptive, and of course, a story about kids actually catching on fire is going to be About something. I’ve been putting it off for years for this reason, as well as the kids Thing. It didn’t take long to win me over, though. Incredible endearing and well written. At times absolutely a five star read. Had it just a bit more meat on the bone, I think it would have landed there, for me.