Wildfires leave their surroundings and victims, human and animal, devastated, scarred, bewildered, angry, lost and many other unspeakable words. The Book of Fire has Irini, a wife, mother and music teacher, putting pen to paper to tell of her family’s devastation interspersed with the rest of the story following an egregious wildfire.

Irini lived on a mountain on the edge of the forest with her beloved husband, Tasso, a fun-loving father and a brilliant painter, Charo, her insightful 10-year old daughter and Rosalie, their ever faithful dog, Her father-in-law lived a good walk away. Irini loved to have coffee and socialize at the only cafe in town.

One fateful morning, a wildfire spread at lightning speed down the mountain. Tasso told Irini to run down the mountain with Charo while he would find his father. After a harrowing journey, Irini, a burned Charo and Rosalie, found themselves doggie paddling for hours hoping to be rescued and hoping to find her husband and father-in-law.

Tasso is eventually found. Both his hands have been burned. He has retreated into his own world ignoring both his wife and daughter. The family home along with almost everything is destroyed. Thankfully the father-in-law’s house survived along with some of Tasso’s paintings of the forest so they moved there. One day Irini, on a walk in the burned out forest with Rosalie, finds the man who started the fire. He has a rope around his neck and a broken branch by his feet. He is barely alive and speaks a few words. Irini in her anger about what he has done runs away. She then feel guilt because as a human she may have been able to save him.

There are a lot of questions about blame on the individual level and societal level. There is the dynamic of family love, caring for a child whose mother has trouble helping her daughter cope (that was left to her father), and trying to bring back a husband who won’t or can’t help himself. Walking with this family takes the horrors of climate change to a micro level and shows how devastating it is. The underlying message is that we all have to do more.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group and Ballantine Books for this Arc.

Christy Lefteri once again gives the reader a well crafted story with characters you care about, situations that are accurately described (the setting is the fires suffered by people in Greece), and action that keeps the reader guessing, commiserating, angering. There are answers to the questions raised, but they are not always satisfying. Lefteri skillfully takes us on the journeys of the characters, from their early histories to their present post-fire recovery. And she gives us enough to feel that we have been on the journey with them.

"Listen, mate, you're trying so hard to figure out what is in heaven that you do not manage to see what is on Earth."

Sad, moving, and timely, The Book of Fire unpacks the life of a family impacted by a raging wildfire in rural Greece. The chapters alternate between Irina's present day and the history of the fire, which is told as a third person narrated story. Irina is married to Yasso and mother of Chara. Yasso's hands were badly burned in the fire, which feels especially devastating because he is a painter. His father is dead, his body never found. Chara's back was burned, and while she suffers, she demonstrates the resilience of youth. Irina is unharmed physically, but is dealing with the psychological wounds of a family traumatized by fire.

In addition to watching the grief and healing of Irina's family, there is a second plot line: Irina's troublesome connection to the man who started the fire, Mr. Monk. Mr. Monk is a wealthy developer looking to build a hotel. He wanted a controlled burn, but ended up destroying the entire village and earning the title of villain.

This book was beautifully written, painful and hopeful. Global warming is terrifying, and this is one intimate look at how it can impact people on the individual level. Highly recommend.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lefteri’s most recent book, The Book of Fire, solidified her standing as one of my new favorite authors. This time, her timely story is set around a wildfire in Greece, highlighting the dangers of climate change and human’s lack of stewardship of our environment. It is centered on a musician, Irini, her artist husband, and daughter Chara, who live by a forest. Unfortunately, I read this beautiful novel right after the wildfires in Hawaii, and the description of Irini’s and Chara’s struggle in the water was almost too realistic, too painful to read on the heels of that tragedy. Reader beware.

The Book of Fire is layered, lyrical and thought-provoking. Irini’s personal moral struggle added depth and forced me to question what I would have done in her position. Her relationships with her husband and daughter were gentle and beautiful. And their loyal dog had me in tears.

“Each side hates each other because of memories and traumas on both sides, some are real and some are imagined, and these become national narratives. They demonize each other.” I loved the historical elements and enjoyed learning about the relationship between the Turks and the Ottoman Greeks. Again, Lefteri’s book is timely and highlights the tragedy current situation in the Middle East.

Though I loved this story, I could not give it five stars because I found the timeline confusing. There are flashbacks within flashbacks. One chapter starts at 1 pm, then moves to the morning, then flashes back to before the fire, then months after the fire, and finally, the previous day. I had difficulty keeping track of where the characters were in time. It was also very repetitive.

My thanks to NetGalley for an Advanced Readers Copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in any way.

This is a sweeping family saga about the Greek wildfires and how the sweeping changes they wrought affect one family’s lives as it mirrors much the same in the families relationships while also dealing with climate change. It reminds you of Ann Patchett’s writing in the best way
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review the book

"The book of Fire", is a beautifully written work about loss and love and redemption. Set in Greece where a fire has basically consumed the entire world of one particular family, we meet, Irini, a musician and teacher, her husband, Tasso, an artist whose hands have been horribly burned, and, Chara, their young and charming daughter. As they come to terms with all that they've lost, we learn about the world that they lived in and the new world they must live in now. Add the mystery of the death of the man who started the fire, and the guilt of Irini who finds him, and does nothing to help, and you have one powerful story that draws you in and won't let go until the very end. I loved this book and strongly recommend it.

"Once upon a time, there was a beautiful village, which held a million stories of love and loss and peace and war, and it was swallowed by a fire that blazed up to the sky."

On its surface, "The Book of Fire" by Christy Lefteri is the beautifully heart-wrenching story of a Greek family whose lives are forever changed by a massive wildfire that destroys their home and the forest that they love. But deeper down, this is a story of love, greed, trauma, climate change, and the courage to restore a life that was burnt to ashes. The writing is lyrical and poetic; the author's words created a picture so vivid that I could smell the burning trees and feel the heat of the conflagration. I mourned the loss of the trees as much as the characters did.

This character-driven novel is meant to be read slowly, with every beautiful word savored. It is not a breezy, easy read and packs a seriously emotional punch. I've seen other reviewers describe it as "devastatingly wonderful," and that is exactly how I feel. Many thanks to NetGalley, Ballantine Books, and Christy Lefteri for the privilege of reading an advanced copy of this fabulous book, destined to become one of the best books of 2023.

This is the kind of book that made me very weepy and acknowledge how privileged my life is. The story is about family, crisis, and the choices we make. I know that's a generic description, but this is a special book, though it made me sad throughout.

It's told from the present after a terrible fire that has wiped out the forrest and killed many people and recollections of the fire and immediate aftermath of the fire.

The language was beautiful as it was in the previous book by Ms. Lefteri I've read (The Beekeeper of Aleppo). I especially liked the character Chara, the family's young daughter who has been burned in the fire. There was an emotional truth and openness to her without her becoming a precocious wild beyond her years kid. Her mother, Irini, has her own struggles including trying to get her husband who is shellshocked with from the fire, back into with real world.

There's also a police investigation and an adorable jackal. If you're looking for a view into a life and community that may be different from your everyday life, this is the right read for you.

Thank you for an advance copy of this book that I really enjoyed and was moved by. The setting is Greece and there is a horrible fire that goes thru the whole village quickly and leaves devastation in its wake for many families. I couldn't help but think about what happened in Maui recently as I read this so it made it all the more heartbreaking. The story follows closely one family, Irini, her husband Tasso who was burned badly in the fire and her daughter who was also burned. It also then goes into the consequences of decisions made on this day and beyond and the guilt for the survivors. This was beautifully written, I could picture the setting perfectly and my heart ached for these characters and their struggles.

This is a story that slowly pulled me in, a story of family, of loss, of love in its many forms from love of place, of family, friends, art, music, animals, and more. It is a story of the flames that can burn within us, and how dangerous those can be, as well. It is a story of secrets, decisions made, and the danger they pose, as well as regret.

This story follows the lives of Irini who teaches music to children, Tasso, her husband, who is a painter who is drawn to painting the forest, and their daughter, Chara. A fire that forces them from their home, and how this changes their lives, as well as the lives of others.

It is a story of the memories that will haunt them, and the toll it took on so many. It is also a story of the kindness of strangers, and the healing that follows.

This is one I will be thinking about for a long, long time.

Pub Date: 02 Jan 2024

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books

A beautiful story of a woman and her coming to terms with the fire that ripped through her small Greek village. In the aftermath, she journals her experience of the fire and we alternate between this journal and the present. It is beautiful and sad, and Lefteri's style plays this line so well.

Almost poetic in style, this novel is about a Greek family that survived a disastrous fire that wiped out an entire forest near Athens. We never learn the name of the woman narrator. when she speaks in the first person. but she is the mother in the third person narrative. The book goes back and forth in time from the fire experience and the present. It takes some getting used to and starts slowly, but it is worth your time to continue reading.

Every character, the mother, Chara, the little girl, the husband, the greyhound Rosalie and even the wounded baby jackal are arresting and three-dimensional. The story itself is simple. A wealthy developer appears to have started the fire trying to clear some land for a hotel. It rages out of control, killing many. The mother and Chara and the dog spend many hours in the water, the little girl severely burned. The husband is missing, gone searching or his father.

Lefteri's writing, though she moves slowly, is beautiful and poetic. Her descriptions are lovely. And the disastrous effects of global warming are bone-chilling. The history of both the Greek and Turkish abuses reflect much of the horrors of war and its resulting immigration that we live with today. This beautiful book is worth your time and effort.

Thanks to the publisher for offering me this book for an early review and thanks also to NetGalley.
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The power and perseverance to endure during some of the worst circumstances humans can face. Imagine losing everything and then being face to face with the person who caused you so much hardship. Irini's family has lost their home, a loved one, they are physically scarred, and her husband has lost his will to go on. Faced with all of her losses it is no surprise that when Irini runs into the man who started the fire that caused her so much heartache that she runs away when he needs her help. This novel set in Greece explores how one family survives a devastating fire and the aftermath.

This novel had many positive points. It was very well written and read quickly. The setting of Greece and reading about the culture transported me to the Mediterranean. However what drew me the most to this novel was the message and what the reader will take away after reading. The author's note was also extremely powerful. This is not a light read however and over the couple of days that I read this novel it did sit heavily with me as I digested what was happening in this story. I think this is an important book to read especially to make people aware of what is going on in our world. A very powerful read!

Thank you to Ballantine Books/Random House for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for this advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review. This will appear on Goodreads starting 10/11.
I never got to read Beekeeper of Aleppo, but as a librarian I kept hearing about this book. When I saw a new book by Lefteri I thought I would give it a try.
There has never been a more timely read for me. Coming off the heels of the disasters in Lahaina and on Rhodes, we see these events unfold in this powerful new fictional account of a devastating wild fire in Greece. I spent sleepless nights thinking about Lahaina and imagining the people waiting for the fires to pass while treading water in the ocean. I recall the descriptions of the escapes, and of making terrible choices between personal safety and going back for a loved one, and the guilt and finger pointing that followed.
And the horrors appear in this novel. It is a book of climate change. It is a historical fiction. It speaks of the relationship between Turkey and Greece. It a book of healing, feeling guilt and overcoming. There are so many themes that would make this an excellent book club pick.
I almost set this down - but then I got to 50% and read the rest in one sitting. I wasn't sure I could handle it but I did. 4+ stars, rounded to 5.

This is not the type of book I usually read, but I was glad I did! What a wonderfully written account of the intricacies of the human spirit after tragedies. Surviving and even thriving after such hardships is unfathomable, yet the author writes in such a way as to make it believable. Excellent book.

I loved the writing of this amazing, intense story of a wildfire tragedy in Greece that destroys homes, the woods, the trees, the animals, and many of of its people.
This novel is told by a family who is able to survive the actual fires, but the memories, the pain,and emotions are never far. How do you go on?
The mother, Irini decides to document the horrors of the days from the fire starting to the present days and the chapters of this book alternate from those days to now.
I must say that I held my breath many times while with this family in their village as they learn to survive.
I could feel the hot flames as people ran from the scenes and fled to the ocean for some relief, while desperately searching for family and friends.
This is a beautiful journey of hope,love and family and I highly recommend it.

Thank you to @NetGalley and to @Random House Publishing Group-Ballentine for this Are and allowing me to read and provide my own review.

“The Book of Fire” is by Christy Lefteri. This book was not an easy one for me to read. There’s a fire - a huge fire - that brought to mind the horrible fires that hit Northern California, Hawaii, and Greece. This book delves more into a family and how they cope with the fire - before it, during it, and - of course - after it. However, there’s also how the community copes - from the fire starter to people frequenting a coffee shop. This book is rich in depth and makes one think - about hope, about community, and what one would do in the same situation. Do read the trigger warnings and be aware the pacing at times is a bit slow, though that adds a bit to the overall feel of the story. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballentine Books for this ARC. I was invited to download this book and it was an intriguing plot. I read The Beekeeper of Aleppo, so I knew I would be in for some good story telling. I love the depth of her characters and she provides the same in The Book of Fire. The description of the effort to save themselves from the fire by jumping into the ocean is quite remarkable given the recent fires in Hawaii and their similar escape to safety. She does delve into some issues around the climate crisis but the book is haunting in the moral dilemma she depicts. I really enjoyed this book, and look forward to others by Christy Lefteri.

A beautifully told story that is both small & epic in scope.
Vivid storytelling, dynamic characters, complicated choices, heartfelt messages.
The Author's Note was especially poignant.

With thanks to NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group for this e-ARC!

Told in alternating chapters, Greek musician, wife and mother Irini relates her experiences following a devastating forest fire that destroys her home, village and forever changes the man she loves. Trying to understand how her world has changed prompts her to write a book, "The Book of Fire" in which she relates life BEFORE and AFTER the devastating forest fire. Flowing back and forth in time from her great-great grandfather's time to the present, Irini's anguish about how her life, moral character and the lives of her family and friends have changed is slowly revealed. This is not a tale for a quick read, it must be slowly digested and savored to experience the full range of emotions present in each character. Even the landscape plays a major role and leaves the citizens both depressed and hopeful for the possible renewal of life on the island. A cautionary environmental tale pitting man's greed against the natural effects that will follow from over development and poor stewardship of the land.