The author of Fire Exit deftly navigates the profound question of whether we owe our children an understanding of their heritage. The narrative is a poignant exploration of identity, intertwining the experiences of a bi-racial love story between a Caucasian and a Native American. Their child, caught in a cultural tug-of-war, faces the weight of expectation and the allure of her roots, while her biological father grapples with exclusion.

This tale probes deeply into the concepts of family, legacy, and the inheritance of knowledge. It raises crucial inquiries: What responsibilities do we have to the next generation? How might the revelation of one's heritage reshape lives, for better or worse? The story compellingly examines whether some truths are best left untouched, leaving readers to ponder the delicate balance between discovery and denial.

Rich in emotional depth this is an evocative reminder that the past always casts its shadow on the future.
Thanks t0 Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Title: Fire Exit
Author: Morgan Talty
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4.00
Pub Date: June 4, 2024

I received complimentary eARC and ALC copies from Penguin Random House Canada and RB Media via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted

T H R E E • W O R D S

Tender • Messy • Poignant

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Does she remember this day? Does she remember it at all? Does she know this history--this story--her body holds secret from her?

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. On the far bank, he caught brief moments of Roger and Mary raising their only child, Elizabeth--from the day she came home from the hospital to her early twenties. But there's always been something deeper and more dangerous than the river that divides him from this family and the rest of the tribal community. It's the secret that Elizabeth is his daughter, a secret Charles is no longer willing to keep.

Now it's been weeks since he's seen Elizabeth and Charles is worried. As he attempts to hold on and care for what he can: his home and property, his alcoholic, quick-tempered and big-hearted friend Bobby, and his mother, Louise, who is slipping ever-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, in a hunting accident--a death that he and Louise cannot agree where to lay the blame--Charles contends with questions he's long been afraid to ask. Is it his secret to share? And would his daughter want to know the truth?

💭 T H O U G H T S

I discovered Fire Exit while browsing 2024 releases on NetGalley. So many elements of the premise caught my attention that I decided to request it from the publisher. Thankfully, my request was granted and I would have to say this novel has been on of the most human stories I have read so far this year.

Told with such vivid imagery and introspective writing, this debut novel from Morgan Talty is an examination of identity and belonging, the weight of regret, the ties that bind us, and what it means to be caught between two cultures. Despite its brevity, it certainly packs a punch and tugs on the heart strings.

It takes some time to get settled into the narration given its intentional stream of consciousness and jumping from one place to the next. However, once I was able to situate myself the story and its characters wiggled their way into my heart. To me, its the sign of a powerful story when the characters aren't all the likeable, yet you find yourself rooting for them early on.

The audiobook narration read by Darrell Dennis really brought the story to life. While listening I felt like Charles was talking to me - a tall task given all of the internal dialogue. Additionally, Darrell's narration made the story feel personal and I had to remind myself this was a novel and not his own personal story. His tone is clear and straightforward.

Fire Exit was a deeply poignant and timely novel that tackles a lot of real life topics with poise and care. Learning about the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act, getting an inside glimpse into Charles' thoughts, and the portrayal of mental illness were reasons this book worked for me. I look forward to reading more from Morgan Talty in the future and will be keeping an eye out for news on any future releases.

📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• deeply human stories
• book club fiction
• character studies

⚠️ CW: chronic illness, dementia, mental illness, depression, alcoholism, addiction, suicide attempt, fire/fire injury, death, death of parent, grief, homophobia, violence, excrement, blood, vomit, alcohol, ableism

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"We are made of stories, and if we don’t know them—the ones that make us—how can we ever be fully realized? How can we ever be who we really are?"

"The blood that came out of me was blood that ran through her veins. It’s strange: all blood looks the same, yet it’s different, we’re told, in so many various ways and for so many various reasons. But one thing is for certain, I thought: you are who you are, even if you don’t know it."

Excellent picture of a diverse and underrepresented group—the characters are complicating and not necessary likable, but you come to care for them regardless. The cast of characters is split between Native Americans on a reservation and the non-natives across the river, and the story centers around loss, survival, and the meaning of family in small community in rural Maine. The narrator was great.

There truly is nothing better than an absorbing, beautifully written novel that illuminates particular aspects of history and lived experience. This exquisite novel dives deep into the history of the Penobscot people and the 'laws' that determined their identity and land claims. The author frames this around the story of a man and his daughter, and the search for identity, family and the ownership of our own stories and truths. Great narration, too.

Fire Exit by Morgan Talty is an exploration of family bonds, love, and the quest for one's place in life, set against the backdrop of the Penobscot Reservation in Maine. Through the eyes of Charles Lamosway, Talty navigates the nuances of life choices, reflecting on past and present experiences.

Despite its brevity, this novel packs a powerful punch. The narrative alternates between two timelines and cultures, offering a rich examination of identity and belonging. Talty's intricately developed characters feel personal and memorable, a testament to Talty's ability to create profoundly resonant and enduring stories.

I highly recommend Fire Exit to anyone who enjoys literary fiction with complex characters. Talty’s second book cements his status as a truly talented writer, and I eagerly look forward to following his career.

A Short Synopsis
Fire Exit talks about how the blood that runs through us is the same, yet different in many ways. The story is about Charles Lamosway, who lives near the Penobscot Reservation and watches his neighbor, Elizabeth, from afar. Little does Elizabeth know, she's his daughter, a secret Charles can no longer keep. As he deals with his worries and takes care of his home, friend Bobby, and mother, he's haunted by his past and the question of whether to reveal the truth to Elizabeth. It's a story of family, secrets, and tough decisions.

My Review
Fire Exit seemed promising based on the synopsis, but it fell short, and I couldn't finish it. It was boring and lacked depth in both the setting and characters. I usually don't read literary fiction, but I wanted to try it. Unfortunately, I was among those who didn't like it. However, I want to thank NetGalley for providing me with an audio ARC of this book.

3.5*
Charles Lamosway lives in Maine, across the river from tribal lands. He is not Native, but his stepfather was a tribal member and Charles has grown up surrounded by local Indians. Charles’ stepfather died a few years back and now he alone takes on the take care of his mother who suffers from dementia. He has had a sad history of alcohol abuse plus the loss of the girl he loved. Yet Charles is a tender, loving caretaker to his mom. He also is a good friend to Bobby, who’s an alcoholic. Like Charles, Bobby is a complex character who does stupid, self-destructive things, but has a good heart.

Staring across the river, Charles is mesmerized by occasional sightings of his former girlfriend and his secret daughter, Elizabeth. He yearns to reach out to the girl that long ago he was forced to give up. Since then, he has suffered his loss in silence; not allowed to tell anyone. His tenderness and patience in caring for his mother says a great deal about the goodness of his character.

This is a book about Native rights, parental rights, mental illness, alcoholism, genetics and family dynamics. Charles is a memorable character and his story of regret and longing hover over all he does and thinks. In the past his yearning to make a family connection added to his regrets for actions not taken. Readers will root for him to catch a break.

The audio was ably done but I think the novel is better to read than listen to because it is a book that one needs to savor.

I was excited about this one after loving Night of the Living Rez. It’s, an often bleak, story about family, history, and tradition that doesn’t fall into cliche. For all the sadness of it, there is real love and humor between these characters, but they just didn’t quite grab me the way the characters in Rez did. Solid read though.

Thank you NetGalley for this Audiobook!

This is a story of a man reflecting on the outcomes of the decisions he's made throughout his life and trying to wrangle a different outcome. It's poignant, sad, and frustrating at points. The book does not shy away from our desire as humans to be known and to belong and what that means for our identities.

The beginning and the end were so beautifully written, wow. As some have said, I needed some time to engage with the story and the characters when I started to read, to understand what the story was and what to look forward to. It was a new world for me as I am not familiar with Native Americans or their culture and history (I'm not american), however, I could realize and relate to the need to preserve your culture wherever you are, the being alienated because of your identity, the need for family and belonging. I admire Charles care for his mother at the end of her life, his patience and attention to the details. I understand how that takes a toll on your own health and well being. There were other matters dealt with in the book, such as alcoholism, mental illness and some others. It's a short read but very complete and insightful.

The audio narration was very good.

Morgan Talty's debut novel, "Fire Exit," is a masterful and unforgettable story that delves deep into the complexities of family, legacy, and the secrets that bind us. Set against the backdrop of Maine's Penobscot Reservation, Talty weaves a poignant and compelling narrative that captures the essence of human connection and cultural heritage. His storytelling shines as the protagonist, Charles, grapples with his past and the choices that have shaped his life. Through his journey, we are taken on a reflective exploration of a lost childhood on the reservation, a tragically ended love affair, and the haunting death of his stepfather, Fredrick. The dynamic between Charles and his mother, Louise, who is succumbing to dementia, adds a layer of emotional depth as they disagree on where to place the blame for Fredrick's fatal hunting accident.
"Fire Exit" is a narrative rich with cultural and emotional resonance. Talty adeptly examines the nuances of what it means to belong to a community, the weight of inheritance, and the obligations we feel towards one another.
It was an interesting read, but I couldn't really relate to the cultural aspects. I rated the book three out of five stars.

This book was a slow burn. It took me probably longer than I would have liked to connect with this book but having seen the reviews and having enjoyed Night of the Living Rez I was willing to stick with it and I’m glad I did.

Charles lives on the fringes of the Penobscot Reservation. Likewise his identity is also on the fringe. He grew up in the Penobscot tribal community because of his stepfather Frederik but is not native himself. From the fringes, across the river, he watches Mary and her partner Roger raise his and Mary’s child which we are told is so the child, Elizabeth, can be a part of the native community and can be considered to have enough native blood for the benefits in the community.

This book is a beautiful examination of identity and what makes us who we are. It calls into question how culture, community, and inheritance are passed on and what it means for a person to lose that sense of belonging.

This book is doing a lot. I do think the character of Bobby, Charles’ friend, dealing with alcoholism feels unnecessary. Besides showing Charles’s own sobriety in relief against Bobby’s inability to maintain sobriety I’m not sure what it added to the story that felt important to me. But I see how this could be a way blood affects identity through the history of alcoholism in Native communities.

In addition to themes of mental health/illness, loss, grief, and blame, as well as how family is defined and how family contributes to identity.

I think what I loved best is seeing the issue of identity turned on its head with someone who isn’t part of the community. It’s looking at the stories of people who feel connected to a community without actual blood ties and what that means to that person and how they are perceived by those around them.

Darrell Dennis is amazing as a narrator. I enjoyed his reading of Night of the Living Rez and this was no different.

Thank you @netgalley and @recordedbooks for the ALC in exchange for an honest review!

Very interesting book. I must admit, at first I had a hard time getting into it. It was difficult to find the narrative plot and fít took me a bit of time to get into the flow of the story. But once I did, I really enjoyed it. It was a very interesting story about belonging and identity. The meaning of family and a hard look at American natives situation. It was interesting to follow the main character as someone who had grown up a part of the native community, yet still did not quite belong. He was a character that is on the fringe of a community that is already on the fringes of society.
Overall, I'd recommend. It is different from many other books and offers a unique story.

This is a tough one. I'm not sorry I read it (in audio form), but....

Let's start with the positives:

*The narrator is absolutely perfect - you always feel like Charles is talking to you, which must have been quite the acting/narrating challenge given the mix of inner monologues, dialogue, accounts of conversations, dreams, etc.

*The aforementioned currents and islands in the stream of consciousness are written in a way that flows organically and works surprisingly well. Regardless of what the characters are doing, thinking, or saying (more on that later), you never doubt for a moment that you're getting Charles' unfiltered thoughts on the matter, and you are confident that even at his most erratic what he's doing makes sense to him on some level.

*There just aren't enough books set in Maine, particularly stories that aren't about rich people on summer vacation and/or self discovery through fishing. It's not a part of the world I've spent much time in, but I was truly brought into the perspective of these characters who have never been anywhere else.

- HOWEVER -

You know how everyone now assumes that most AITA posts are made by writers workshopping potential characters and plots? The people and events of this book feel like the outcome of that. The book isn't terribly long, but there are sections that feel like you are being sucked into the ESH swamp of poor life choices with completely foreseeable results and will never emerge. It's a hit parade of Reddit classics, including:

*How could lying to my child about their parentage ever possibly come back to bite me?
*Should I REALLY stop drinking when I start going to AA?
*I don't actually like any of my friends or surroundings or activities. Why am I unhappy?
*My friend or relative is a compulsive liar but I keep listening anyway.
*Should I unhappily build my life around completely arbitrary and erratically enforced property laws or seek loopholes or solutions?
*My family medical history is concerning - should I get more information or just believe my own conjecture based on a partial and uninformed opinion from a doctor that wasn't even there to examine me?

and there's even a cameo from the oldest hit of all:

*My childhood friend is/was secretly gay and obviously in love with me because clearly anyone interested in my presented gender would be - how much should I pity them?

I was genuinely surprised when the book ended without anyone arguing about requiring wedding guests to wear matching shoes or creating a dossier on their cheating sister in law.

If you're a person who enjoys books for their tone and writing style and can look past plot and character issues to enjoy those aspects, then this one's for you. The rest of us are going back to the subreddit to find out if the guy whose new wife is sabotaging his daughter through food allergies has decided to get divorced yet.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Engaging and deeply human. A recommended purchase for collections where literary and Native fic is popular.

“We are made of stories, and if we don’t know them—the ones that make us—how can we ever be fully realized? How can we ever be who we really are?”

This was a really sad character study of a man caring for his mother with dementia and wanting to connect with the daughter who doesn't know she's his. He respects her current family but wants her to know where she came from.

Charles, the protagonist, is a white man who grew up on a Native reservation but was kicked off when he turned 18 - his stepfather, not a blood relative, was his connection to the rez. Now he lives across the river from his biological daughter, who has grown up believing a different man (than Charles) is her biological father.

I liked Darrell Dennis as the narrator. I didn't have a print copy to reference and so listened to Fire Exit a bit slower than my average speed.

Charles grew up on a Penobscot reservation because his mother married a member of the tribe. He now lives across the river from the reservation, separated from his daughter who doesn't know who he is. He keeps a close eye on his mother, who has dementia. As Charles watches his daughter grow up and struggle with mental health issues, he becomes desperate for her to know her whole story. Their lives intersect in brutal ways as they learn important lessons about family and identity.

This is the kind of book that feels difficult for me to review because, for a piece of fiction, it feels extremely intimate and personal. It could almost be a memoir except that the characters aren't real. I was so moved by Charles' story and I think it's one that everyone should read or listen to. The audiobook was beautifully narrated.

Thank you, NetGalley for the audiobook copy of fire exit by Morgan Talty

This book was absolutely devastating in so many ways. It tackled numerous hard topics. Including, but not limited to: indigenous members of North America having to constantly prove their identity, what makes and binds a family, being a caretaker for a family member, and the slow descent into dementia for elderly family members. There were strong themes of mental health, depression, suicidal tendencies, and drug and alcohol addiction throughout this novel as well. It all felt very organic to the plot and not in any way forced.

While it covered some difficult topics, it did so very well. I definitely felt a kinship and relatability to our main character who is struggling to deal with a lot as he ages. Our main character is a white man who grew up on a reservation with an indigenous stepfather. While he feels very tied to the indigenous community due to growing up there, he knows that he is not a part of their community really. And he struggles with that loss of identity. He unfortunately is also dealing with a slew of personal issues in regards to many people in his life. Including, but not limited to trying to decide whether or not he tells the daughter that doesn't know he exists that he is in fact, her father. She believes her father to be another indigenous man that has raised her, and he does not want to take her identity away and have her feel the way he does about it. But he struggles with wanting to be known by her. Especially when he sees her struggle as an adult and thinks that she has a right to know her medical history as well.

I picked this book up with the intention of reading 50 pages today and ended up reading the entire book. It was really really well done.

I received an audio arc in exchange for an honest review.

I don't know if i was the intended audience for this book - to me, it was like listening to a stream of consciousness rather than following a plotted storyline, and i found it hard to remain interested while i was listening to it.

there was also a lack of distinction in the audio book between chapters, so the entire setting would change and it would throw me off for the beginning of the new chapter.

audio narrator was clear.

I received a free Advanced Reading Copy via NetGalley in exchange for a complete and honest review.

"Fire Exit" by Morgan Talty is a powerful and unflinching portrait of contemporary Native American life. Talty's prose is both beautiful and haunting as he brings to life characters grappling with issues like substance abuse, domestic violence, and the generational impacts of cultural oppression. While the subject matter can be heavy at times, Talty balances it with moments of humor, tenderness, and hope. His ability to explore difficult themes with nuance and avoid stereotyping is impressive, especially for a debut work. Overall, this collection announces Talty as an important new voice in Native American literature.