Charles Lamosway is just a river away from Maine’s Penobscot Reservation and a daughter he isn’t allowed to call his own. It’s a secret he has had to keep for over 20 years. However, when he starts to worry about her safety and with his mother’s dementia worsening, Charles doesn’t know if he wants to keep the secret any longer.

Morgan Talty’s writing truly brings you into the character of the introspective and sometimes ruminating Charles. You can really feel the layers of worries he faces as he cares for his mother (the past) and is always keeping an eye out for his daughter (the future). This book is one that really explores family, bloodlines, culture and the stories that are inside us, both the ones we know and the ones we don’t.

Thank you NetGalley, Knopf Canada & Penguin Random House Canada for the copy to read and review.

Fire Exit is the first non-romance book I've ready in years. The author's voice captured me from the beginning. What a tender, vulnerable tale about grief and belonging and memory and personal narratives.
I really liked how it was centred on Indigenous issues but from the perspective of an outsider, and the exploration of how subjective memory can be was both fascinating and heartbreaking at different turns in the book.
What a lovely reminder that literary fiction can be about flawed characters that still have a lot of warmth and love, even as they deal with tough circumstances. I though the author handled every issue with the utmost care and I was held in tension the entire time, waiting for Charles to tell his secret.

✨Book Review✨
Fire Exit - Morgan Talty

Thank you to @penguinrandomca and @knopfca for my NetGalley copy of Fire Exit for review.

I discovered Morgan Talty’s writing when I read Never Whistle at Night earlier this year and loved his short story in that anthology. This is his debut novel! I also recently picked up his book of short stories titled Night of the Living Rez and look forward to getting to it.

This book follows Charles, he grew up on the Penobscot reservation with his mother and his step-dad. Due to blood quantum requirements, once Charles turned 18 he could no longer live in the place he called home with the culture he was accustomed to.

He has a daughter named Elizabeth, her mother chose to stay on the reservation and marry an indigenous man so that they would not be displaced. As time goes on Charles feels like it is his duty to let his daughter know who her real father is so she can make sense of herself but her mother is set against it.

A large part of the novel also focuses on Charles taking care of his elder mother with dementia.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought the concept was fascinating and certainly discussion worthy! However, I did feel like maybe this read a bit like a long short story? It didn’t read in a very fleshed out way like I would expect from a novel and I think it needed some more world/character building for me to be fully invested.

4/5⭐️ I recommend this for people who enjoy discussion around culture, blood connection, lost family ties, mental health and more!

Fire Exit is one of those novels that feels very alive. It's about Charles, who is harbouring a secret that he feels he has little control over.

My only complaint about the novel is I would have liked it to be longer, with more. I felt like I had just gotten to know many of the characters when the novel ended. It was hard to feel as much as I wanted to when I didn't know much about two of the female characters in his story.

Thanks for the Arc, I give it 3.5 out of 5.

This book was super intense. I just wish the tone had changed within the book because it made for a less interesting read but the last 1/3 of the book..... Might be the best writing I have read this year.

I truly felt like all the characters touch the soul and I cant recommend this one enough

Thank you net galley for giving me this opportunity to read this book.
This story is set in the state of Maine on a reservation.
Charles lives just outside the reservation from where his daughter lives.
Charles has watched his daughter grow up into a young woman.
Charles mother also lives close by but has dementia. Charles looks after his mother.
Charles daughter Elizabeth doesn't know that he is her biological father.
One day as Charles is sitting on his porch he doesn't see his daughter and gets concerned about her wellbeing.
Charles would like Elizabeth to know her 'real' history, but her mother is at odds about letting her know.
This story deals with dementia, mental illness and other ailments.
Personally I would say this book isn't for everyone. The author Morgan Talty really made you have compassion for the characters.
Again thank you net galley.
These are my own opinions.

Delighted to include this title in the June edition of Novel Encounters, my column highlighting the month’s most anticipated fiction for the Books section of Zoomer, Canada’s national lifestyle and culture magazine. (see column and mini-review at link)

I really enjoyed Night of the Living Rez so I was very excited to read FIRE EXIT by Morgan Talty and I really enjoyed this novel too!! It’s about Charles who lives across the river from Maine’s Penobscot Reservation. He’s dealing with caring for his mother Louise who has dementia, his friendship with Bobby who is wanting to move away but not really, the loss of his stepfather and trying to connect with his secret daughter. I loved how Charles described what it means to be Native and how it’s not just living on the reserve. I really enjoyed how this novel focused heavily on family, heritage, connection, and culture. The audiobook narrator Darrell Dennis was excellent! Definitely recommend to contemporary lit fic lovers like me!

Book Review: Fire Exit - Morgan Talty ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"As Charles attempts to hold on to and care for what he can—his home and property; his alcoholic and bighearted friend Bobby; and his mother, Louise, who is slipping deeper into dementia—he becomes increasingly haunted by his past. Forced to confront a lost childhood on the reservation, a love affair cut short, and the death of his beloved stepfather, Fredrick, Charles contends with questions he’s long been afraid to ask. Is his secret about his daughter, Elizabeth, his to share? And would his daughter want to know the truth, even if it could cost her everything she’s ever known?"

Fire exit is a beautiful story about family - the families we are born into, the families we make and the families we never get to be apart of. The main character Charles speaks about his life, his decisions and struggles and grief, almost at arms length - like he can't/won't process the hurt. It was deeply satisfying to go with Charles on his journey of struggling with the question of whether to tell his daughter his secret because it felt like he was almost coming back to life - like he stopped living his life through the lens of 'what if' and actually started living. The scenes of Charles caring for his mother Louise as her dementia advances will stay with me for a long time - beautifully written and intensely sad while also having these sharp, funny moments.

I really enjoyed #fireexit and would definitely recommend in general but specifically if you liked books like There, There and Everything I Never Told you.

Thank you to #rbmedia for the advanced copy of this audiobook.

#fireexitbook #morgantalty #audiobook #audiobook #bookreview #readinginstead

It is important to note that most of the themes explored in this book deal with sensitive subject matters. My review, therefore, touches on these topics as well. Many people might find the book's subject matters & those detailed in my review overwhelming. I suggest you steer clear of both if this is the case. Please note that from this point forward I will be writing about matters that contain reflections on self-harm, parental abuse, physical violence, homophobia, substance abuse, Dementia, grief, & others.

Following the red thread that links one person to the other is a tedious endeavour. One might be surprised to find that the thread is slim, nearly indistinguishable. Whereas on occasion, a person may feel as though the entire universe conspired to weave two people together, the connections we share are tender & delight in the interpretations we might gather independently of the bones that hold us up.

When exploring the nature of genealogy & the intricate study of genetics, one observes the foundation on which rests human society; one must be the same as the other to merit entry to a neighbourhood, a home, or a heart. Conflicts arise through adoption, abandonment, displacement, & the forlorn forgetfulness of stories that can no longer be told.

Stories speak to an intimate experience of the world. The author has in their hands the ability to weave a narrative that is powerful & overwhelming though they may decide to go the other way; choosing instead to make their story one of slow wandering worry, paved with secular stones, & false idols.

Whereas Talty had experienced success in their previous work, namely “Night of the Living Rez” (2022) & most recently by contributing to the anthology “Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology” (2023), their recently published story follows a very sullen path & readers may not find the terrible tremble of the plot as engaging as in the author’s previous work. However, if they have the patience to accept that not all stories are Odysseys, that some stories are simple tumbles of stones at the base of a mountain, they may thoroughly enjoy what Talty has brought to their doorstep.

In essence, this is a story about a man who lives outside the community that raised him. Charles is not an Indigenous person by heritage or ancestry, yet his entire life is shaped & sung by the voices & people of the community he was raised in. When the reader meets Charles, he is seated on his porch, watching the world go by.

More specifically, Charles sits outside of his house day & night to watch the goings on of his neighbours across the river; the house where his child once lived & where his former best friend & romantic partner now resides with her husband. As he watches their lives unfold, Charles toys with his freedom to inform Elizabeth, his daughter, that she is his child. The reader must decide whether Charles is correct in his pursuit or if his silence is worth the torment, it causes him.

My experience with this story is strange to quantify into words. Talty’s writing style is very simplistic, I am confident any number of readers will be able to grasp the inner workings of the story at play & leave with more than they bargained for. The stylistic choices he employs throughout the book allow an easy flow to the narration that the main character provides.

At times, the juvenile reflections gave me pause: Why was I reading this story? Charles is older than I am & has lived a life humbled by regret & guilt. The reflections he provides throughout this story felt tangible & realistic because the book was not littered with prose. Though, there are times when writing with smoother edges might have cushioned the transitions of the story, Talty did well by providing Charles with the saw-toothed letters he spoke with.

While reading this book I found myself reflecting on the sincerity of the accusations Charles brought to the reader. While it was true, Charles felt immense guilt for the death of his stepfather, & though it is accurate to say that he was self-involved, much of this story could have been avoided had the main character been granted the opportunity to be heard.

This might seem like a silly thing to say & you would be correct in thinking this. Ultimately, Charles is not able to speak his mind & he does not have anyone who will earnestly listen to him, this is not the reality of this story. However, I find it useful to ponder the nature of his circumstances because they are too tangible to be fictitious.

In life, many things take place that remain outside of our control. When Charles refused to go with his stepfather into the woods, he could not have known that the man would pursue a moose deep into the trees until he succumbed to frost & ultimately, death.

What makes the plight of the main character so dreadful is that there is no redemption. His life is moving in a direction that no longer parallel’s his parent’s; he must go it alone. Talty has ensured that the cast of characters were fleshed out enough for a reader to see similarities between themselves & their environments, within the strict frame of the story.

As the plot unveils itself to the reader, several key pieces are brought to light. The communal influence that has left Charles feeling Indigenous; the home that reels with the absence of his parents; the proximity to what he can no longer attain.

Certainly, one may find the dilemmas that Charles ponders rather annoying, nearly insulting. However, it is not the reader’s role to judge the main character for his views nor for his moral conundrums. Rather, because the reader is not given a full scope of the reality that has surrounded Charles, they are kept in a distinctly primed position.

The author knows they will judge Charles, & he bets on their heightened feelings to drive home the conclusion of this story; we are all who we are in part because of the people we meet, & primarily because of those who have come before us.

The scope of this story follows one man & his troubles are valid; he has a child & his partner all but abandons him with this knowledge so that their child can be perceived as “full blooded”—a practice wholeheartedly inappropriate & reminiscent of the deranged lack of understanding that accompanies those without knowledge of genetics; blood is not mathematically fractioned, it is oil & stone into the entity; rippling monsters under the cavernous sea to boast of old stories & lore unbeknownst to the newborn. 

However fancifully I wish to write about this subject, the truth remains; certain communities still perceive blood, heritage, lineage, & ancestry to be something one can keep purely to the point; a tit-for-tat in the mirror of dynasties & mile-high perverse incompetency.

I am not here to write about my feelings towards Charles identity. This is not my place & I would not want to add fuel to a fire that is burning ominously as it is. Rather, my reflections contain the truth of my experiences in the world as a person who is the human fraction, a putrefied equivalent of a mutt dog; a mongrel; a half breed; a silly slimy frog in a pool of swans.

That being said, so are we all. In some storybooks the Prince is tender & sweet, whereas in others, she is hidden behind the beast of his own appearance. These tales are meant to guide humanity & ease their personal burdens—they are not alone. No matter the moral at the end of the fantasy, one must acknowledge that there is a role for all to play & so we do.

Charles was a son, he is a father, he is a recovering alcoholic, he is lonely, he is a friend, he is frustrated, & warm-hearted; he is a human being with a complicated relationship to the world & with himself. Part of the joy of this story is being privy to the chaptered representations of his philosophy.

On occasion, Charles is the Prince & in other cases, he is the magic mirror captive in the house. The character was dynamic & crafted to reflect the people we share this life with. However, there were still instances wherein I found the story to stall & I wondered what the point of such a narrative was, if my thinking had been thought & all my ruminating had been completed before the final curtain call.

The story hinges on the decreased mental ability of Charle’s mother who has Dementia. The secret of her past tumble forward when she is at her most vulnerable & the author nearly reveals what happened before the reader arrived on scene but, he doesn’t. Instead, he reminds readers that the spectrum of this story is contained & sheltered in the confused fear of the narrator. I cannot fault him for this, it appears that he wrote the story he wanted to tell & he did not leave room for meandering. Rather, I mention this detail because I was waiting for something more.

Perhaps it is unkind to reveal that I wanted more from a story that simmered so densely on subject matter that is objectively difficult to experience firsthand. Yet, I claim my spot here; I wanted the story to reveal more vulnerability than it had in store.

Though the characters were earnest in their portrayal, the core of the narrative remained poised on the surface level. Charles does not necessarily grow from his reflections, nor does he ever truly take into account the reality that encumbers each of the people impacted by Elizabeth’s unstable mental state. I do not say this to be unkind, but rather to highlight that each character who was a parent to her tried to give her the upper hand without understanding the vulnerability that coveted her psyche.

Ultimately, this is a good book & one that reveals a distinct reality for many people. Readers may find themselves drawn or repulsed by Charles & his quest to speak truth into Elizabeth’s life in an attempt to clear her blue skies. Their genuine attempts to do the right thing, while being uninformed & self-serving, made harsh the environment where their shared love grew into a matured & tender greenery.

If one has the patience to follow flawed characters, one will find themselves drawn to the yellow brick road that leads to the protected centre of the story; we are who we are & no claim, chain, status, or census will change what nestles deep within; the studies & fruitfully crafted code that propels us forward until the end.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada, & Morgan Talty for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I absolutely loved this book!! I couldn’t put it down.
I just loved all the characters. I highly recommend this book.

Big thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the early copy of this book. This narrative is as dark as it is authentic, intense, and deeply human. The writing is immediately engaging and relatable, creating a sense of urgency that makes the book nearly impossible to put down. The characters are intricately crafted—complex yet intimately familiar—making me connect and empathize with their struggles and sacrifices. The story navigates through the intricate dynamics of identity, family ties, and mental health with raw honesty. It challenged me to consider the difficulty of finding the right path when all feel wrong. The vivid descriptions of Maine were fully immersive, I could feel the snow in my boots. It’s thought-provoking, beautiful storytelling, that handles some of the darker aspects of life with care. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a meaningful, engaging story.

From the porch of his home, Charles Lamosway has watched the life he might have had unfold across the river on Maine’s Penobscot Reservation. Charles spent his younger years on the reservation living with his mother Louise and step-father Fredrick but, in accordance with the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act, when he turned 18 Charles no longer had any right to live on the reservation. His step-father had purchased land across the river and he and Charles built a house which Fredrick signed over to Charles. When his step-father died his mother (a non-native) chose to move off the reservation.

The story is told by Charles, an alcoholic who's been sober for 22 years, and through him we meet some great characters and some not-so-great but interesting all the same. It's a story of life, family and relationships. Highly recommended.

Many thanks to Penguin Random House Canada for providing access to the electronic version of this book via Netgalley. All opinions expressed are my own.
Publication Date: June 4, 2024

As the writer of the collection of short stories “Night of the Living Rez” it makes sense that this is the debut novel we receive from Talty: an assortment of stories. The importance of understanding where you come from is a universal notion that, arguably, everyone can appreciate. However, the layered and complex identities of those living both on and off reserve absolutely requires an even deeper grasp of ancestors, histories, traditions and language. As a reader, if this is something new to you, Talty executes this message effortlessly. Whether it’s through Charles never truly feeling a part of the world his daughter inhabits, or the deep sense of duty he feels to tell his daughter where she truly comes from.

I have to admit that this book is a much slower burn than I anticipated with most of the expected “action” unfolding at around the 85% mark. However, the more I sat with the novel after I finished it, the more I realized that I actually appreciated this because it mirrors reality so well. Important events don’t happen in a vacuum. As readers, we often jump into the story right while events are unfolding or right after they have just transpired. This is exciting because we’re getting right to the good stuff. But, there’s something to be said about the privilege of listening to the, sometimes mundane, steps taken to get to the climax.

As a narrator our protagonist Charles isn’t exactly the strongest or most engaging but that’s not really the point. He’s your cousin, your uncle, your brother, your dad who doesn’t really know how to talk to you, but tries hard nevertheless. He’s an endearing character and the subtleties included in his characterization make Charles that much more “real”. I especially felt this way about his consistent confessions of “I think that was their name” when referring to several other characters.

I selfishly wanted more from the ending purely out of curiosity surrounding how these characters carry on because the action was so delayed. Even so, I did feel that the ending was fitting and really beautiful.

Thank you to @netgalley @penguinrandomca and @knopfca for making this eARC available.

4⭐️
Pub date: Today!

I requested this book initially because I love reading all things Indigenous. There was not as much as I had anticipated, but what was there I enjoyed.

This is the first book I've read by Morgan Talty. I loved the writing stye. The main character was a little obsessive and reminded me a lot of the main character in "Is Mother Dead." The main character and primary POV, Charles, lives across the river from an Indigenous community. He has a daughter, but he's not allowed to see her and get to know her. Not a lot happens this book, but at the same time, on an emotional level, a lot happens. The author did a great job exploring different family types, culture, etc.

Charles, the main character, is stuck in his life. Having grown up on the reservation in Maine, he now lives across the river where he can see people he loves from his home but has no access to them. Charles is not a native by blood but was deeply loved by his native stepfather. After the death of his stepfather, Charles is left to care for his ailing mother and builds a friendship with a local white guy, but he's never far from his ties to his former community. This is a story of loyalty and love, guilt and pain.

Charles has a sweet voice and a simple way of speaking that belies his deep thoughts and anguish. The characters stuck with me long after I'd finished reading.

Most anticipated read of the year and wow did it STILL blow me away. I just adore Morgan Talty’s writing style. It’s quiet, to the point, but emotionally devastating. There were several moments where I was tearing through this book and I actively tried to make myself slow down and savour it. I reread my favourite passages several times and read them out loud to my husband, too.

Talty has such a talent for crafting an everyday scene and then exposing something startling, something holy, about it. The fact that he’s a short story writer first really shows in this, his debut novel, because most chapters feel like that—like they can stand alone, that you can feel and experience so much just one chapter at a time.

Fire Exit is about Charles—a white man who grew up on the reservation with his Penobscot step-father, fell in love with a tribal member and got her pregnant but wasn’t able to be her baby’s father. Now, years later, watching his mother struggle with her memory and reliving his past, he thinks it’s time to tell his daughter who she really is, to expose secrets long hidden.

What follows is an exploration of family and responsibility, blood quantum and blood ties, and what our history carries or how it escapes us—bolsters or lets us down.

I mean suffice to say I absolutely loved it. Like his short story collection Night of the Living Rez, it spoke to hurts both great and small and was just so visceral and contemplative, emotionally resonant without mincing any words. Morgan Talty is such a talent and has easily established himself as a literary powerhouse and for me, an all/time favourite auto-buy author.

Here’s hoping this one gets all the hype it deserves!

Thank you so much to @knopfca for sending me this beautiful finished copy for early review. BUT, I was planning to buy this myself if they hadn’t!

Fire Exit by Morgan Talty is out June 4, 2024.

Interesting concept, very Character driven with some pacing issues. But I’m still reeling from the r slur being dropped in a very ableist scene that was not required for the plot. It completely destroy what could have been a really moving scene with the protagonist and his daughter.

I'm about 40% through this book, but I'm having a lot of trouble with the print size of the ARC on my Kobo. For some reason, I can't change the size and it's giving me serious eye strain as it's really tiny.

Coincidentally, I won an ARC from Goodreads, so I'm going to wait until that arrives in the mail and finish it then (I might even re-start it so that I'm not concentrating so much on the act of reading and more on the content of the book).

Then I will post my review on Goodreads.