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A review by what_heather_loves
A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
"It was true that when Irene opened up some of the more ancient Penguins, their bright orange covers tattered and worn, the pages began to crumble beneath her fingertips. Succumbing already to slow fire, the acidification of the paper eating way at the pages, making them brittle and breakable, destroying them from within. It was terribly sad, when you thought about it, all those words, all those stories slowly disappearing."
In present day Islington and Hoxton, London, three damaged women's lives are inextricably and tragically linked. Young, poverty-stricken Laura has suffered physical and mental trauma, and struggles to fit in; middle-aged wealthy Carla, having lost her toddler son, Ben, to a tragic accident fifteen years ago, has never recovered; older, eccentric Miriam experienced a horrific tragedy as a teenager and longs to redress the balance of power; and elderly Irene is mourning the loss of beloved husband William and best friend and neighbour Angela (Carla's sister). Following the brutal murder of Daniel, Carla's nephew on a houseboat next door to Miriam, the night after Laura (who gets shopping in for Irene) stayed over, all four women are drawn in, in different ways. Any one of them could have killed Daniel, but who did, or was it someone else?
The plot is interspersed with sections from a fictional immensely popular crime novel (as book within a book)written by struggling author Theo, Carla's ex-husband, but allegedly plagiarised from Miriam's memoirs. Through the four women we understand the experiences of those with power and those who are powerless, seeing them trying to change the balance of power. They are real, relatable, female characters, with intertwined lives, all damaged and all linked by past wrongs and past deaths.
Expertly plotted (I would expect no less from this experienced author), with excellent characters, this is a very readable, dark novel about tragedies, trauma and power. Highly recommended.
In present day Islington and Hoxton, London, three damaged women's lives are inextricably and tragically linked. Young, poverty-stricken Laura has suffered physical and mental trauma, and struggles to fit in; middle-aged wealthy Carla, having lost her toddler son, Ben, to a tragic accident fifteen years ago, has never recovered; older, eccentric Miriam experienced a horrific tragedy as a teenager and longs to redress the balance of power; and elderly Irene is mourning the loss of beloved husband William and best friend and neighbour Angela (Carla's sister). Following the brutal murder of Daniel, Carla's nephew on a houseboat next door to Miriam, the night after Laura (who gets shopping in for Irene) stayed over, all four women are drawn in, in different ways. Any one of them could have killed Daniel, but who did, or was it someone else?
The plot is interspersed with sections from a fictional immensely popular crime novel (as book within a book)written by struggling author Theo, Carla's ex-husband, but allegedly plagiarised from Miriam's memoirs. Through the four women we understand the experiences of those with power and those who are powerless, seeing them trying to change the balance of power. They are real, relatable, female characters, with intertwined lives, all damaged and all linked by past wrongs and past deaths.
Expertly plotted (I would expect no less from this experienced author), with excellent characters, this is a very readable, dark novel about tragedies, trauma and power. Highly recommended.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Child death
Moderate: Alcoholism, Abandonment, and Grief
Minor: Suicide attempt