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jaclyncrupi's review against another edition
4.0
Chloe Hooper, I’ve missed your voice and your brain. It has been way too long between books. This is exactly the kind of narrative non-fiction I hunger for.
elena_lowana's review against another edition
3.75
A compelling read, let down by Hooper's narrow and othering approach to autism and disability, and broadly to regional disadvantage. Particularly disappointed by her usage of 'aborigines' – for a book published in 2018, Hooper should know better.
jesslolsen's review
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.75
Living in Queensland in 2009, I remember hearing the news at the time about the Black Saturday fires, but don’t remember any details other than it was devastating.
This non-fiction book reads like a true crime podcast with emotional recounts from survivors, accounts from the prosecuting police, transcripts from the accused when questioned and an insight into his defense and the court proceedings.
Sometimes I could get a bit confused with how events or new people were introduced, but I quickly caught up. I didn’t really mind though as I was so invested in the story.
lambsears's review against another edition
4.0
It's been quite a while since Hooper's very excellent "The Tall Man", so I was keen to dive right into this book.
While she does briefly mention the systems failures that resulted in so many deaths from one of Victoria's 'Black Saturday' fires, this book focuses on the man who was convicted of lighting it. Whether or not he fully grasps what he did and what the repercussions from his actions were is unlikely to ever be clear.
Her story is well paced and gripping, depicting the main characters well and honestly portraying the sadness in their own stories.
The descriptions of the fires and the stories of those who tried to flee are vivid - and will be inside my head for a very long time.
While she does briefly mention the systems failures that resulted in so many deaths from one of Victoria's 'Black Saturday' fires, this book focuses on the man who was convicted of lighting it. Whether or not he fully grasps what he did and what the repercussions from his actions were is unlikely to ever be clear.
Her story is well paced and gripping, depicting the main characters well and honestly portraying the sadness in their own stories.
The descriptions of the fires and the stories of those who tried to flee are vivid - and will be inside my head for a very long time.
no_good_wyfe's review against another edition
5.0
This was extremely engaging and compelling. A wonderful look at multiple perspectives of arson that contributed to the Black Saturday tragedy. The emotion is stellar. A thrilling read that doesn't offer answers so much as it reveals the incredible tangle involved in trying to discover "truth."
What I found especially striking is that I've seen this repeatedly characterized as embodying the "unique" relationship between Australians and bushfires. However, I'm a Northern California native, and this rang truer to me regarding my own home than most pieces I've read here. The parallels are astonishing, including the complex social relation to the concept of "firebugs", although the tree species involved usually different. I highly recommend this read for anyone from a wildfire prone area/fire dependent eco-region, or who is curious about rural wildfire vulnerability and response.***
***Anyone who does not have direct personal trauma from the recent, devastating wildfires world round. I wouldn't read this if you lost your home, pets, or loved ones to fire. We were evacuated during the Carr Fire, although our house survived, and I still found The Arsonist to be heavy hitting with the residual emotion I have about that experience. Those with more personal loss may be seriously triggered.
What I found especially striking is that I've seen this repeatedly characterized as embodying the "unique" relationship between Australians and bushfires. However, I'm a Northern California native, and this rang truer to me regarding my own home than most pieces I've read here. The parallels are astonishing, including the complex social relation to the concept of "firebugs", although the tree species involved usually different. I highly recommend this read for anyone from a wildfire prone area/fire dependent eco-region, or who is curious about rural wildfire vulnerability and response.***
***Anyone who does not have direct personal trauma from the recent, devastating wildfires world round. I wouldn't read this if you lost your home, pets, or loved ones to fire. We were evacuated during the Carr Fire, although our house survived, and I still found The Arsonist to be heavy hitting with the residual emotion I have about that experience. Those with more personal loss may be seriously triggered.