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netflix_and_lil's review
4.0
True crime in mainstream culture can very easily turn exploitative, and as someone who remembers reading about the Black Saturday bushfires happening in my country, close to people I loved, I felt this hit a little closer to home than the American serial killer brand of true crime. I liked the way Chloe Hopper wrote about the titular arsonist and hypothesised about his motivations through the cool lens of lawyers and the legal proceedings, sharing his sympathetic history without forcing the reader to necessarily sympathize with him. The book opens on a pretty harrowing recount of the bushfire and lives lost, so your led into the second half with a bias that matched the country when this guy was arrested. It's cleverly paced, harrowing at times and highly informative.
aklev13's review against another edition
5.0
I found this really interesting and thorough. It did a great job of exploring multiple aspects of this case: the psychological, the forensic evidence, the sociological aspects of the community, the culture of fire and the people’s, both indigenous and colonisers, relationship with it. It covers the police investigation, the victim’s experiences, the accused’s background and the court case. I also think it did a good job of explaining the impact of intellectual disability and autism spectrum on Brendan’s behaviour and culpability. I have to admit i found that there is still a flicker of wonder in my mind as to whether he actually did it but i guess it is what it is.
this_little_bookshelf's review against another edition
challenging
informative
medium-paced
3.5
This was a compelling read on the 2009 Black Saturday fires and the investigation into the man that lit them. It is definitely challenging at times, as Hooper covers a lot of victim stories, but at the same time she manages to highlight how underprepared the system is to deal with Autistic defendants. It does drag at times, but for the most part is very readable.
samjaneparker's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
As someone who was affected by the 2009 Black Saturday Bushfires, in particular the Churchill fire that this book covers, I found this an extremely upsetting read. So much so that I almost regret reading it. Black Saturday is cemented as the most traumatic experience I’ve ever gone through, and it upsets me to talk about it. They remain the deadliest bushfires in Australian history. Thanks to Chloe for her work in bringing this together and for the insight into the background of the fire and the investigation. I can't help but feel a bit sorry for Brendan, and this just highlights the major flaws in the criminal justice system, particularly for disabled people. I don't know what else to say. The whole thing was and still is just so tragic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Ableism
felicitylouise's review
4.0
I read this book in just two sittings. Having moved to Victoria several years after the black Saturday bushfires, I’m fascinated by the cultural, natural and psychological legacy of these events, and Chloe Hooper provides a moving account of the experiences of individuals who lost their lives, families and properties, and those who lived, but endure lifelong psychological suffering. It’s also a fascinating insight into the communities of the Latrobe Valley, and the impacts of government energy policies over generations on people and the environment - the disastrous consequences of deregulation potentially contributing to the fires themselves. What left me feeling uneasy about this book though, was that the author’s role and motivations were unclear, and many voices were missing from the story, yet their absence was not explained. I prefer the non-fiction of Helen Garner, who is more honest about the flaws and gaps in her storytelling, and how her personal feelings colour her writing. For this reason, I appreciated the Coda at the end of The Arsonist, which finally introduced the author’s voice. I also felt uncomfortable about the analysis of Brendan Sokaluk’s psychological state, which was framed in a broad and simplistic discussion of autism spectrum disorder, which did not capture the complexity of either that condition, or Sokaluk himself. Anyway, I thought it was a cracking read and an important addition to the literature about the Black Saturday fires. It left me wanting to find out more about the Latrobe Valley community, and the area’s history.
tatterededges's review
5.0
This was brilliantly written, insightful and engaging.
The author describes the horror of the black Saturday fires with a vivid clarity that was both disturbing and heartbreaking and left me in tears.
The author was able to put forward a thorough and reasoned picture of not just the events of the Churchill fires of Black Saturday but also those leading up to that day. A nuanced history of the area, the community and the background which added context.
And despite the utter hatred that most people she would have spoken to felt for him, she managed to present a balanced and insightful case study of the man behind it.
The court case did not dominate the book, instead highlights and key points were discussed. The focus remaining on the subject without getting side tracked by inadequacies and injustice within the legal system.
I read this book over a couple of days and couldn’t put it down.
The author describes the horror of the black Saturday fires with a vivid clarity that was both disturbing and heartbreaking and left me in tears.
The author was able to put forward a thorough and reasoned picture of not just the events of the Churchill fires of Black Saturday but also those leading up to that day. A nuanced history of the area, the community and the background which added context.
And despite the utter hatred that most people she would have spoken to felt for him, she managed to present a balanced and insightful case study of the man behind it.
The court case did not dominate the book, instead highlights and key points were discussed. The focus remaining on the subject without getting side tracked by inadequacies and injustice within the legal system.
I read this book over a couple of days and couldn’t put it down.
esshgee's review
3.0
3 1/2 stars. An interesting read, but frustrating at times. Not sure what I expected, something meatier maybe, with stronger focus on the investigation and personal accounts, and less of the lawyer/courtroom stuff
nicjohnston's review
5.0
Telling the story of Australia’s worst fires on ‘Black Saturday’ 2009, this incredible non-fiction has mesmerising language and reads like a page turning thriller and thereafter moves to legal and courtroom drama. A why (rather than who) ‘dunnit’, it is an incredible read.
drillvoice's review
3.0
Mixed feelings about this one. I think what it did best was actually evoke the horror of the Black Saturday bushfires and the way the community felt at the time and after. It was a good empathic immersion in that sense. I also learnt a bit about how fire operates, which was interesting.
Beyond that though, I found the writing a bit tabloid, and I also struggled a bit with the depiction of Brendan Sokaluk. Initially it's all from the police perspective, whereby Brendan is a cunning villain, then it quite suddenly swaps to the legal defence, where he is an intellectually-impaired victim, of circumstance if not the authorities. It was good to see different facets of this, but it felt a bit jarring.
Overall I'm reminded of Helen Garner's "Joe Cinque's Consolation", which isn't surprising. They are both crime/procedural faction stories about people who did the crime but maybe where the moral culpability or sentencing is in question. However, I think Garner's book does a better job of interrogating the desire for sentencing and retribution and what, if anything, it is worth in the end. Garner also includes herself more in the text, which I think is more honest and relatable.
Beyond that though, I found the writing a bit tabloid, and I also struggled a bit with the depiction of Brendan Sokaluk. Initially it's all from the police perspective, whereby Brendan is a cunning villain, then it quite suddenly swaps to the legal defence, where he is an intellectually-impaired victim, of circumstance if not the authorities. It was good to see different facets of this, but it felt a bit jarring.
Overall I'm reminded of Helen Garner's "Joe Cinque's Consolation", which isn't surprising. They are both crime/procedural faction stories about people who did the crime but maybe where the moral culpability or sentencing is in question. However, I think Garner's book does a better job of interrogating the desire for sentencing and retribution and what, if anything, it is worth in the end. Garner also includes herself more in the text, which I think is more honest and relatable.