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sairro10's review
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
tmdreads's review
2.0
Interesting concept, very Character driven and there was some pacing issues. But I’m still reeling from the r slur being dropped in a very ableist scene that was not required for the plot. It completely destroy what could have been a really moving scene with the protagonist and his daughter.
Mental health is a huge part of this book and having this dropped in without being addressed at all - there is no pushback, in fact there is agreement makes me wonder about the author tackling these themes.
Mental health is a huge part of this book and having this dropped in without being addressed at all - there is no pushback, in fact there is agreement makes me wonder about the author tackling these themes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Addiction, Suicide, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Suicide attempt, and Ableism
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, and Violence
Minor: Toxic friendship
birdykinsreads's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
Most anticipated read of the year and wow did it STILL blow me away. I just adore Morgan Talty’s writing style. It’s quiet, to the point, but emotionally devastating. There were several moments where I was tearing through this book and I actively tried to make myself slow down and savour it. I reread my favourite passages several times and read them out loud to my husband, too.
Talty has such a talent for crafting an everyday scene and then exposing something startling, something holy, about it. The fact that he’s a short story writer first really shows in this, his debut novel, because most chapters feel like that—like they can stand alone, that you can feel and experience so much just one chapter at a time.
Fire Exit is about Charles—a white man who grew up on the reservation with his Penobscot step-father, fell in love with a tribal member and got her pregnant but wasn’t able to be her baby’s father. Now, years later, watching his mother struggle with her memory and reliving his past, he thinks it’s time to tell his daughter who she really is, to expose secrets long hidden.
What follows is an exploration of family and responsibility, blood quantum and blood ties, and what our history carries or how it escapes us—bolsters or lets us down.
I mean suffice to say I absolutely loved it. Like his short story collection Night of the Living Rez, it spoke to hurts both great and small and was just so visceral and contemplative, emotionally resonant without mincing any words. Morgan Talty is such a talent and has easily established himself as a literary powerhouse and for me, an all/time favourite auto-buy author.
Here’s hoping this one gets all the hype it deserves!
Thank you so much to @knopfca for sending me this beautiful finished copy for early review. BUT, I was planning to buy this myself if they hadn’t!
Fire Exit by Morgan Talty is out June 4, 2024.
Talty has such a talent for crafting an everyday scene and then exposing something startling, something holy, about it. The fact that he’s a short story writer first really shows in this, his debut novel, because most chapters feel like that—like they can stand alone, that you can feel and experience so much just one chapter at a time.
Fire Exit is about Charles—a white man who grew up on the reservation with his Penobscot step-father, fell in love with a tribal member and got her pregnant but wasn’t able to be her baby’s father. Now, years later, watching his mother struggle with her memory and reliving his past, he thinks it’s time to tell his daughter who she really is, to expose secrets long hidden.
What follows is an exploration of family and responsibility, blood quantum and blood ties, and what our history carries or how it escapes us—bolsters or lets us down.
I mean suffice to say I absolutely loved it. Like his short story collection Night of the Living Rez, it spoke to hurts both great and small and was just so visceral and contemplative, emotionally resonant without mincing any words. Morgan Talty is such a talent and has easily established himself as a literary powerhouse and for me, an all/time favourite auto-buy author.
Here’s hoping this one gets all the hype it deserves!
Thank you so much to @knopfca for sending me this beautiful finished copy for early review. BUT, I was planning to buy this myself if they hadn’t!
Fire Exit by Morgan Talty is out June 4, 2024.
marissa247's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Alcohol, Suicide attempt, and Dementia
inkylabyrinth's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This is one I have to sit with, and I know it will be with me for a long time after putting the book away.
Talty is truly one of the most talented writers I've read yet, and his writing has that quality where you feel held while the story is unfolding.
More thoughts soon.
Thank you Tin House for the advanced review copy!
Talty is truly one of the most talented writers I've read yet, and his writing has that quality where you feel held while the story is unfolding.
More thoughts soon.
Thank you Tin House for the advanced review copy!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Dementia, and Death of parent
Moderate: Death
Minor: Alcoholism
barnstormingbooks's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Thank you to Tin House for the ARC.
Talty writes men who are damaged, but who yearn to grow and become a better version of themselves. Charles is plagued by circumstances that knock him down, some in his control others not, leading him to watch his daughter grow up and struggle from afar. He battles alcoholism, tries to care for a parent he has a complicated past with, lifts up a friend who can not make a good decision to save his life, and struggles to just be a functioning adult. Maybe I love Talty’s work so much because the men he writes are at a point where they are taking responsibility for their actions, processing what is in and out of their control and doing work (sometimes successfully, sometimes not) to be the men they want to be. To put it simply he writes men I would be proud to have in my life, men that I can root for without pity or some forced feeling of duty to help them.
On top of Charles, a complicated and rich character, Talty weaves in stories of the complexity of indigenous sovereignty under the US colonial structure, the challenge of family dynamics including the guilt and blame that inevitably follow in the wake of loss, and in the impossible decisions when a woman asks the father of her child to keep his distance. This element of the story is fascinating because of the political rather than personal/social reasons that this request is often made.
This book is meditative, as told through Charles' experience, we learn, stumble and grow with him. A wonderful follow up to Night of the Living Rez and an excellent read given the current conversations around the roles of masculinity, emotional intelligence and loneliness in men in American society.
For those that like audio - Darrell Dennis is a fantastic narrator who manages to infuse warmth and care into even exasperating experiences, reinforcing the deeper themes of any interaction. Available from RB Media.
Talty writes men who are damaged, but who yearn to grow and become a better version of themselves. Charles is plagued by circumstances that knock him down, some in his control others not, leading him to watch his daughter grow up and struggle from afar. He battles alcoholism, tries to care for a parent he has a complicated past with, lifts up a friend who can not make a good decision to save his life, and struggles to just be a functioning adult. Maybe I love Talty’s work so much because the men he writes are at a point where they are taking responsibility for their actions, processing what is in and out of their control and doing work (sometimes successfully, sometimes not) to be the men they want to be. To put it simply he writes men I would be proud to have in my life, men that I can root for without pity or some forced feeling of duty to help them.
On top of Charles, a complicated and rich character, Talty weaves in stories of the complexity of indigenous sovereignty under the US colonial structure, the challenge of family dynamics including the guilt and blame that inevitably follow in the wake of loss, and in the impossible decisions when a woman asks the father of her child to keep his distance. This element of the story is fascinating because of the political rather than personal/social reasons that this request is often made.
This book is meditative, as told through Charles' experience, we learn, stumble and grow with him. A wonderful follow up to Night of the Living Rez and an excellent read given the current conversations around the roles of masculinity, emotional intelligence and loneliness in men in American society.
For those that like audio - Darrell Dennis is a fantastic narrator who manages to infuse warmth and care into even exasperating experiences, reinforcing the deeper themes of any interaction. Available from RB Media.
johiggs's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
blakeandbooks's review
4.0
“We are made of stories, and if we don’t know them—the ones that make us—how can we ever be fully realized? How can we ever be who we really are?”
Thank you to NetGalley and Tin House Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is my second work I’ve read of Talty’s (first was from Never Whistle at Night), and it did not disappoint.
The ending was so heartbreaking yet so hopeful, and I think that encompasses the book in its entirety. Following Charles through his mother’s decline and depression and the desire to tell his daughter who he is felt raw. As someone who worked in the mental health field, it all just felt so realistic, raw, and vulnerable.
I’m looking forward to picking up a copy of Night of the Living Rez to read more of his work, and I can’t wait to see what he writes next.
This book comes out 6/4, don’t miss it!
Thank you to NetGalley and Tin House Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is my second work I’ve read of Talty’s (first was from Never Whistle at Night), and it did not disappoint.
The ending was so heartbreaking yet so hopeful, and I think that encompasses the book in its entirety. Following Charles through his mother’s decline and depression and the desire to tell his daughter who he is felt raw. As someone who worked in the mental health field, it all just felt so realistic, raw, and vulnerable.
I’m looking forward to picking up a copy of Night of the Living Rez to read more of his work, and I can’t wait to see what he writes next.
This book comes out 6/4, don’t miss it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Alcoholism, Death, Terminal illness, Homophobia, Violence, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Vomit and Fire/Fire injury
melody_b419's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
reflectiverambling_nalana's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
For those who were entranced by the entangled short story-esque format and speculative fantasy/horror elements in Talty's debut are going to be sorely disappointed by this sophomore release. "Fire Exit" is comparatively a much calmer novel. Despite it's last gritty, direct, depiction of elements of residential life and history in a lot of ways, this story is no less resonant. Switching up tones between works is a move I appreciate from an author who wants to show the breadth of ways the tales and matters that they have in them can take form. Personally, while I greatly enjoyed the spookier potentially supernatural elements of the first, the format which I'm not usually opposed to and even enjoy, for some reason left me a little lukewarm. So this more traditional storytelling format worked better for me.
"Fire Exit" tackles so many topics that on the surface and by summary-- one I believe unfortunately gives a little too much away-- seems like a disorderly pile akin to throwing everything at the canvas hoping that rather common elements might just feel fresh. When you breath these elements down, however, and let them set to see the connections Talty is drawing, it is a somber web woven.
There have been several novels that tackle the issue of belonging. In recent days there have been a fair share of those that have talked about the rules of the tribal registers. I have never heard the discussion of cultural identity tackled in quite this way. One particular moment that on surface would seem rather contradictory but makes complete sense culturally is how someone can feel as part of a culture and yet still secluded from one group of people and yet makes the case for those who had never had a chance to grow up with their people to be able to claim as much and more right to that identity than they do.
Having been abandoned by a parent is a topic we've seen a lot from the perspective of the child and the issues that creates in their own sense of identity. Being a child of someone who took off because they knew I was in good hands and taken care of, this hit particularly hard to be put in his shoes to some extent. It is ironically amplified by the fact that this same individual suffered from early on set dementia.
Louise's struggles morphing from one set of issues to another was another interesting element. It painted the process of loosing yourself, the memories that emerge, and the connections we still latch onto something to really sift through. Granted, I do not frequently seek out books on this topic due to my own personal fears about genetics, but I always commend authors for presenting illness in the wide range of ways it manifests. It was also incredibly touching to see how our protagonist tried to see the light when he could to the situation.
Another element presented for comparison was Charles' and Bobby's different approaches to alcoholism. It again shows that there is not one single stereotype the fits all realities. This continual paralleling seems to be as much of a theme in this novel.
I don't want to conclude how very much storytelling is still at the heart of this. There are the stories that Charles took from his childhood friends. There are the stories that our own personal ones that we know about ourselves and who we share them with. Is there a responsibility to share certain parts of stories? What does it mean for your own story to be 'incomplete'. Do you need to know every element to be complete? What stories do we tell ourselves, or convictions, versus those like Louise who are constantly a new set of stories with a lack of continuity when we lose the ability to organize our history. What do we let others' interpretation of our stories influence who we see ourselves to be?
"Night of the Living Rez" might have been a slap and stab to the heart. "Fire Exit" may combustible, but feels more like an erosion. In the end, it might even stay with me longer. If nothing else, it certainly makes me wonder what style and how deep Talty is going to try to hit us next time. I only hope he doesn't tire of speaking for a part of my state's population that has too long been ignored.
"Fire Exit" tackles so many topics that on the surface and by summary-- one I believe unfortunately gives a little too much away-- seems like a disorderly pile akin to throwing everything at the canvas hoping that rather common elements might just feel fresh. When you breath these elements down, however, and let them set to see the connections Talty is drawing, it is a somber web woven.
There have been several novels that tackle the issue of belonging. In recent days there have been a fair share of those that have talked about the rules of the tribal registers. I have never heard the discussion of cultural identity tackled in quite this way. One particular moment that on surface would seem rather contradictory but makes complete sense culturally is how someone can feel as part of a culture and yet still secluded from one group of people and yet makes the case for those who had never had a chance to grow up with their people to be able to claim as much and more right to that identity than they do.
Having been abandoned by a parent is a topic we've seen a lot from the perspective of the child and the issues that creates in their own sense of identity. Being a child of someone who took off because they knew I was in good hands and taken care of, this hit particularly hard to be put in his shoes to some extent. It is ironically amplified by the fact that this same individual suffered from early on set dementia.
Louise's struggles morphing from one set of issues to another was another interesting element. It painted the process of loosing yourself, the memories that emerge, and the connections we still latch onto something to really sift through. Granted, I do not frequently seek out books on this topic due to my own personal fears about genetics, but I always commend authors for presenting illness in the wide range of ways it manifests. It was also incredibly touching to see how our protagonist tried to see the light when he could to the situation.
Another element presented for comparison was Charles' and Bobby's different approaches to alcoholism. It again shows that there is not one single stereotype the fits all realities. This continual paralleling seems to be as much of a theme in this novel.
I don't want to conclude how very much storytelling is still at the heart of this. There are the stories that Charles took from his childhood friends. There are the stories that our own personal ones that we know about ourselves and who we share them with. Is there a responsibility to share certain parts of stories? What does it mean for your own story to be 'incomplete'. Do you need to know every element to be complete? What stories do we tell ourselves, or convictions, versus those like Louise who are constantly a new set of stories with a lack of continuity when we lose the ability to organize our history. What do we let others' interpretation of our stories influence who we see ourselves to be?
"Night of the Living Rez" might have been a slap and stab to the heart. "Fire Exit" may combustible, but feels more like an erosion. In the end, it might even stay with me longer. If nothing else, it certainly makes me wonder what style and how deep Talty is going to try to hit us next time. I only hope he doesn't tire of speaking for a part of my state's population that has too long been ignored.