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A review by loxeletters
The Fireman by Joe Hill
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
This had surprisingly nice prose, which I enjoyed quite a lot. I found myself regretting that I couldn't annotate some lines in a physical book - I might have to get a copy!
The characters were incredibly likeable and I did not see most of the plot's twists and turns coming. While I felt that the continued presence of Harper's ex was a bit contrived, he did serve as a compelling villain figure - if a bit exaggerated in some aspects.
The discussion of humanity's kindness towards the end was especially interesting to me.
However I did feel that the last part was quite rushed, compared to the previous sections, and featured surprisingly little detail - though I understand this choice from a storytelling perspective, it felt a bit incoherent with the rest of the book.
One thing I noticed was that John apparently learnt an unspecified sign language from his Irish mother, likely BSL or ISL, which somehow resulted in him being able to sign ASL? That seems like an unfortunate oversight on part of the author.
Nevertheless, the characters, their relationships, and the intricate plot had me devouring this book within a few days, and I even shed a tear towards the end.
The characters were incredibly likeable and I did not see most of the plot's twists and turns coming. While I felt that the continued presence of Harper's ex was a bit contrived, he did serve as a compelling villain figure - if a bit exaggerated in some aspects.
The discussion of humanity's kindness towards the end was especially interesting to me.
However I did feel that the last part was quite rushed, compared to the previous sections, and featured surprisingly little detail - though I understand this choice from a storytelling perspective, it felt a bit incoherent with the rest of the book.
One thing I noticed was that John apparently learnt an unspecified sign language from his Irish mother, likely BSL or ISL, which somehow resulted in him being able to sign ASL? That seems like an unfortunate oversight on part of the author.
Nevertheless, the characters, their relationships, and the intricate plot had me devouring this book within a few days, and I even shed a tear towards the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, and Mass/school shootings
Minor: Animal death