The first thing that hit me as I submerged myself in Marco Rafalà’s novel, a multi-generational novel charting the lives of a Sicilian American family, is how absolutely breathtaking his prose is. The book is filled with beautiful sentiments like the quote above, the kind of language that makes you slow down, reading the words over and over again, tasting them slowly as the image sinks into your mind and stays with you forever.

He is so deliberate with the imagery he uses. In David’s (the young son who’s perspective begins the novel) narrative, we note he has a fondness for the cosmos, and later on we learn that it was a shared interest between him and his mother, who has since passed away.

Rafalà then brings everything together when a girl “pulled at [David], at the raw materials of stars within [him], cooked some billion years ago in a stellar nursery in some distant part of the galaxy.” This is mesmerizing stuff, and immediately the reader knows the girl is special because of how well-layered the imagery is. If that isn’t excellent storytelling I don’t know what is. This fact is made all the more impressive when we realise that this is Rafalà’s debut novel.

The subject matter is also a poignant reminder of the part history plays in all our lives – what do we inherit from our parents? In How Fires End, it is the hate from the past that eventually spills into the present, seeping in to make enemies out of two boys, and shows us the way a fire ends – after a surge of agony and destruction.

Structurally, Rafalà’s novel is ambitious stuff, segmented into a three part narrative that charts each generation’s voice. We start with David in the present, then continue with his father Sal into the same present, before a movement to the past. Rafalà begins his novel with the end, before backing up to show you how the fire came to be, and its impact on David’s life.

It is a bold choice to structure a book like this, because the true meat of the narrative lies in the sections that are not David’s. Rafalà is counting on us to be hooked by the secrets of Sal’s past, and the true events that came to shape the present.

The more I read of How Fires End, the more I got wrapped up in the tragedy of war and the loss that lies in its wake. It is a painful read, because you want things to get better for Sal and his family, but you have been in the present so you know what happens. It is an unchanging course that you cannot affect.

However, there are also the moments in between, the presence of a fierce love between father and son, a space where dandelions could grow without bloody limbs in them, a kiss with a girl “that tasted like candied peaches” – these moments exist for me like gravity, and I hold onto them as I see where the fire ends.

As I read How Fires End, I couldn't help but think of the quote I learned in high school by George Santayana, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." This book is a beautiful and tragic example of the truth of this statement.

Maybe if David had known and understood the history of his family, through all of the generations, his story might have turned out much differently. Nevertheless, the curse of the Vassallo family appeared unavoidable, at least so long as no one talked about it.

The most remarkable part about this book was its format. When I first began reading, I wasn't entirely sure what I was getting. I thought it was going to be a WWII book set in Sicily, but the opening section was set in America many years after the war. Then the story is slowly revealed in jumps of time and perspective.

Like some other reviewers, at first I was confused about the setting of the book, and this perhaps shaped my reading. Sometimes, this happens and I wonder if the synopsis of the book should be edited. A reader's expectations can alter the way they read a book, and mine certainly did here.

Instead of enjoying a truly unique bit of historical fiction, I found myself looking for the book I thought I wanted. By the time I reached the second section, I couldn't help but feel I had missed the true intention of everything that had come before.

Poignant and gritty, How Fires End is a wonderfully written tale that should be appreciated for what it is, instead of what it isn't. Therefore, I whole heartedly recommend this book to history and fiction lovers alike. You will not be disappointed with what you find in its pages.

Stick with this one. The first section tells the story of David, a teen living in Connecticut in the 1980s. You might roll your eyes a but but hang in there because there's more to him, and most especially to his father Salvatore- who doesn't come off well- than you think. There's a dramatic and unsettling event that leads you into the second section, which is Salvatore's back story in Sicily in the post WWII era. He makes complicated and not always smart decisions in his life which reverberate throughout time. The last section is Vincenzo's, the soldier who more or less saved Salvatore and his sister Nella, Nella is a constant presence in this tale of fathers and sons and how history travels. Is the Vassallo family cursed? It's an interesting choice to tell this story more or less in reverse but it works. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Great atmospherics and terrific characters made this a very good read.

This book is told from the perspective of 3 characters. David ,the son of a rough Italian immigrant father who is trying to naviagte his way through teenage life and violent bullying in the early 80's. David;s father, Salvatore's backstory during the second world war is uncovered in the second section of the book and finally Vincenzo, a close family friend almost a second "father" to both men who is rumoured to have been a Fascist collaborator during the war. The older men's stories deal with the war in their small village in Italy which seems to have been recreated in New York as the disapora cleave together and looks at the impact of the "fires" that men create on the next generation.

I thihk if I hadn't read this book as an ARC I would have given up during the first section. I just wasn't that interested in David's life with an overbearing and strict parent and his teenage forays to New Wave music gigs and his attempts to avoid a violent bully. The book picked up for me in the second section and I totally understand why the book has been structured the way it has . It was really interesting. Wartime in Italy is often overlooked in novels . Most tend to deal with wartime Britain, France, Germany and the USSR. So my advice would be to give this book a go and stck with it you will be rewarded.

"How Fires End," by Marco Rafalà was deep, dark and thought-provoking. It was a historical fiction about the town of Melilli in Sicily, Italy during World War II. The town is a tight-knit group of villagers, Roman Catholics with their patron Saint Sebastian, a martyr killed for his faith in the 3rd century A.D.

Rafalà's novel is unique in that it is broken into three parts from the perspective of three crucial characters, David, son of Salvatore, whose mother died when he was young. He struggles to understand his father and his father's secrets from his previous life in Melilli during the Great War. He struggles to find independence and prove his worth to his father.

The next part covers Salvatore's back story. The death of his twin brothers, for which he blames himself. He struggles with his faith and the aftermath of war and flees to America, to Middletown, Connecticut, nicknamed Little Melilli, settled by many Sicilians from the Old World. Despite running from his past, he discovers that his secrets continue to follow him no matter where he goes.

The final part is from the perspective of Vicenzo, a father figure to both Salvatore and David. He never has a family of his own after the war, but takes in Salvatore and his sister Nella, helps them flee to America, and struggles with his own past, his own secrets, and the "fires" that follow him in his life.

The novel is a fast read with many intertwined intergenerational themes throughout. Despite the unique structure, Rafalà ties the stories together in a way that deepens the story as the reader learns more and more. The story is like an onion as Rafalà peels back each layer, each secret that is uncovered, each part of the past that is revealed in due time. The images and metaphors weaved throughout the story provide so much richness.

I loved this book and think that anyone interested in history, specifically World War II would love it as well. It is so well-written, the story is so rich, the characters really come alive, this book has real depth and heart that is uncommon in so many novels written today.

I received this eBook free of charge from Little A via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. I did not receive any fiscal compensation from either company for this review and the opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.