It was my pleasure to be Christine's conversation partner at the Gibson's Bookstore launch event! What a brilliant story this is, and so brave.

This book had a lot of different elements (the psychological and physical trauma of sexual assault, an amateur detective story, a millennial discontent story, some SoCal noir) but all of them worked together in a way that worked for me. Yes, some elements got a little out there in a way that reminded me of The Shards by Bret Easton Ellis (is this really happening, or just a hallucination of the narrator)?) Yes, this book was hard to read at times, but it's a story that will really stick with me. Highly recommended, though the SA elements can be graphic so readers should take care.

I reviewed it on my "What to Read After YA" site, which is more geared to millennials, and also added it to my lists of Books about Sexual Assault and Rape Culture, and Books For Fans of Veronica Mars.

With moments of unecessary adjectives, Sarah a Buddhist studies professor is a great character for this deep thinking in almost philosophical way literary novel.

I love the descriptions with the therapists and students, regarding reporting and Title IX. It relatable demonstrates the hardships of reporting, the outcome, and strength of these young women together. So many interconnected moments, where you can feel and sense the overall theme, from the fire burning on the edge to the hunting parties she does with her dad. It gives the feeling of a slow burn within Sarah, learning when to strike. As a reader, I was dropped right in the middle of a plot and I do wish maybe a little more set up in the beginning. Like who Nathan was and why he was so important to Sarah. At times, the Nathan side plot mystery almost felt underdeveloped, including some related side characters that didn’t really add anything.

There are moments I wanted the author to be harder on her characters, hold them more accountable; but maybe I’m just not n my forgiving era. There is a lot of strength in this story and the realism with the subject matter will gut punch you. A thriller to breeze through easily. But check your trigger warnings for sexual assault.

This book is very peculiar. I wanted to like more than I did, but the tone really threw me off. It's marketed as a thriller, but I wanted this book to be more literary fiction. This book does have a killer opening, but halfway through, the story became convoluted and over the top. This book deals with some sensitive topics/discussions and I appreciate the author frankness, but overall, this novel was just so-so for me.

It's 2025 and America is falling apart. The "President" is a felon and admitted sexual predator. A billionaire is asking for access to US citizens' banking and tax information. Los Angeles nearly burned down a month ago. The National Parks are being defunded and people are losing their careers. Oh....this isn't the book; this is real life.

"Notes of Surviving the Fire" by Christine Murphy is a deep look at rape culture and how it continues to happen. It's a look at the lack of support women receive as victims of these crimes.

Sarah is a religious studies grad student in California. She and her best (only) friend Nathan spend all their time together, working on their thesis, dealing with forest fires and air quality, and getting high. Sarah is raped at a party, and as is expected, the school office just takes the report and files it away. Nathan is the only one who understands and listens to her. She has to deal with not only the rape, but she finds Nathan dead from an overdose, which is surrounded by suspicion.
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Christine Murphy does an excellent job at getting to the heart of Sarah's anger. This isn't an easy read, it's about rape!

It's ...pathetic that stories like that are common. Men are vile, and anyone who continues to try and sugarcoat the culture of rage is pathetic. This story made me angry, so angry, but in the best way possible.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this powerful story.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

In Christine Murphy's "Notes on Surviving the Fire," readers are thrust into the searing landscape of a Southern California university, where the privileged and the vulnerable collide amidst the ever-present threat of wildfires. Sarah, a PhD student haunted by a past assault, finds herself navigating a treacherous academic world where power, privilege, and the insidious nature of rape culture leave a trail of destruction.

Murphy's prose crackles with intensity, mirroring the flames that lick at the edges of the campus. Sarah's voice is fierce yet vulnerable, drawing readers into her complex inner world as she grapples with the trauma she's endured and the injustice that surrounds her. The author masterfully weaves together themes of survival, vengeance, and the search for justice in a world that often seems determined to silence the voices of women.

"Notes on Surviving the Fire" is more than just a thriller; it's a searing indictment of the systems that protect perpetrators while leaving survivors to pick up the pieces.

This is tough - until 80% in, it was a contender for best of the year. It was so heartbreaking and honest and real about rape culture, trauma, and class structure. But then the ending was a bit too much of a push toward genre fiction and I felt like it lost me. I love the stream of consciousness style and insights, and I was prepared to gush about the book while warning people who like thrillers but not literary fiction not to be intrigued by the summary since it was more Donna Tartt than James Patterson. And then it kind of shot off into a direction that threw all that out. It went from brutal realism to revenge fantasy, and while the character was all about those kinds of movies, I’m not. I don’t think there are easy answers and/or vigilantes who are going to rescue women. I appreciate the concept about whether it’s okay to kill but honestly, I just don’t need imagined happy or vengeful endings. For most of us, rape happens, no one cares, and you never get better. I’m sick of being lied to that it does or can.

- I received this as an ARC.

60/100 or 3.0 stars

Despite the fact that this book was going to deal with triggering content overall, I wanted to read it to see what it has to say. I was not expecting the writing style to be so jarring. I read a little further than I normally would when a writing style is immediately not working for me, since I wanted to hold on to getting into the story. I couldn't deal with the narration/writing style, so I did have to DNF at 10%. I was do disappointed for this. The title is great and the cover is also amazing.

dnf @14%

Unfortunately, the writing style of this book was just not for me. I found myself constantly feeling confused or just discombobulated about what was happening in the story throughout the majority of what I read. I do think that the concept of this story is interesting, but not one that I am interested enough in to push through the writing.

Thank you to Knopf and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

(no star rating will be given on review platforms, but one is required for netgalley)

Have you ever read a book that had you simultaneously wanting to tear through the pages but also set it aside because it was almost too much? This was that type of book for me. It is an unflinching exploration of trauma, survival, and grief, all at the hands of the patriarchy. It's gritty, raw, and unapologetic, and not for the faint-hearted. Even though I didn't care for the reveal/twist at the end (it felt out of place), I ended up completely captivated by this book.

The story begins with Sarah, a graduate student in a PhD program in Southern California, doing her best to live her life while simultaneously dealing with some pretty awful trauma. Sarah was sexually assaulted by another student in her area of study, and when she reported it to the authorities and the university, it was documented and then pretty much swept under the rug. The only person who believes and supports her is Nathan, her best friend and fellow grad student. When Nathan is found dead from a heroin overdose, Sarah immediately suspects foul play. Nathan had always stayed away from hard drugs, so his death doesn't add up. Driven by grief, fury, and a determination to uncover the truth, Sarah begins investigating what she believes is a murder.

The more Sarah digs, the more she begins to believe that Nathan's death could be part of a larger pattern: other students on campus have mysteriously died under suspicious circumstances. Is it the stress of college, or is something more at play? Murphy uses Sarah's investigation to paint a harrowing picture of rape culture and the ways institutions bury evidence to protect perpetrators.

The book plays out during a pretty brutal fire season in Southern California. Everything around Sarah is literally burning, which further illustrates how everything in her life seems to be going up in flames - both literally and figuratively. Another thing that really struck me in the book was how Sarah's isolation is further emphasized through her refusal to fully name most of the people around her. Instead, she gives them nicknames, a method of detachment that basically underscores her trauma.

The book is very well-written. Murphy's prose is both jarring and mesmerizing, fluctuating between curt, direct statements and long, wandering reflections that mirror Sarah's fractured mental state. The result is a narrative voice that feels intimate and brutally honest. I seriously felt like I was living in Sarah's head, which made the book very intense. Sarah's thoughts are often fragmented and contradictory, but this disjointedness is crucial to the authenticity of her voice. Trauma does not lend itself to linear narratives, and Murphy captures this complexity effortlessly.

While I loved a lot of this novel, it's not without its flaws. Toward the end, there is a significant twist that reveals the true motive of one of the key characters. While Murphy does lay some groundwork for this revelation, it feels somewhat out of place, almost like it belongs in a different book. The twist disrupts the carefully constructed tone of the story and seems really out of place. Sarah's journey to uncover what actually happened to Nathan and reclaim her agency is already compelling without this plot development, and the twist kind of took me out of the book a bit. It wasn't enough to completely ruin things for me; it just seemed unnecessary.

Despite the random reveal, I found this to be a powerful, gut-wrenching read. Murphy refuses to sanitize or soften Sarah's story, allowing the full weight of her trauma and rage to take center stage. While it is a story about vengeance, it's also about healing and the slow, painful process of coming back to oneself after being fractured by violence. For readers who aren't afraid of gritty books filled with trauma and rage, I would highly recommend this one. Just be sure to check the trigger warnings. There are several.

A gutsy, smart, and even sometimes irreverently funny look at campus rape culture. Masterfully written so that the novel hums like a well-oiled machine, but you never see the twists and turns coming. I could not put it down. I could not look away. I cannot wait to see what Murphy does next.

I had the opportunity to read “Notes on Surviving the Fire” by Christine Murphy, thanks to Knopf and NetGalley. Initially, I was uncertain about how this book would resonate with me, but I ended up falling in love with it. The author’s storytelling was beautifully executed, and the way she wrote for the protagonist truly captivated me. While the book might not appeal to everyone, as it handles some tough themes, I found it to be a profoundly enjoyable read. Potential readers should be aware of these themes going in, but for those who engage with it, the book offers a powerful and enriching experience.

4.25 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the advance digital reader's copy! Publication date: 2/25/25

This is a gripping and unsettling exploration of trauma, vengeance, and institutional corruption. Notes on Surviving the Fire follows Sarah, a graduate student whose world is turned upside down when her best friend, Nathan, is found dead of an apparent overdose. Suspecting foul play, Sarah begins to investigate and confronts her own past assault by a powerful professor, uncovering disturbing patterns of predatory behavior on campus. It's equal parts woman unraveling and finding herself + mystery thriller that comes to a surprising finale.

Murphy's writing is taut and propulsive, blending dark humor with a sharp critique of rape culture and the ways institutions protect the powerful. Sarah's emotional journey from isolation and guilt to reclaiming her agency is compelling, and the novel's portrayal of trauma is both raw and nuanced. The Southern California academic setting adds a fitting layer of tension to the story, amplifying the themes of complicity and survival.

Outside of the book itself, it's so serendipitous that the setting is in Los Angeles and there's a theme of wildfires happening in the book during the story. The title of the book itself makes me think of it in two ways: (1) literally surviving during a wildfire, and (2) surviving life, trauma, a super negative rape culture - all which can feel like you're fighting a fire in many ways.

Murphy delivers a stunning debut that tackles difficult subjects with honesty and emotional depth, making this an unforgettable novel. Just make sure you check out the trigger warnings with this one before you pick it up.

One of the better revenge books I've read because you can really see why she'd want to have revenge and unlike some it deals with thoughts about is revenge really the best answer. It felt realistic because these types of things happen all the time and the people we are told are going to help us are rarely actually helpful either because they don't care or don't believe you or are just really bad at their jobs. What else are you supposed to do besides take matters into your own hands? The deer hunting childhood was a nice touch and made things a little more believable.

I really enjoyed this one! A depraved 'The Good Place' in the best way possible. *Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this title.*

I really wanted to like this one but I struggled to get through it and eventually had to DNF @ 30%. I believe this story is for someone else but not me and that’s okay!

Christine Murphy, debut novelist, has given us a chillingly dystopian tale. Set in coastal California during a month of lingering wildfires that fill the air with breath-stifling smoke, the book’s first-person narrator is an eighth-year PhD candidate completing a dissertation on Buddhist religious theory. Though one might expect serene forbearance from Sarah, we find her all but friendless and steeped in bitter alienation. The cause: she’s a rape victim compelled to teach and study alongside her victimizer, who’s emerged unscathed from her accusations. What’s more, she’s concluded that her academic superiors are both exploitative and intellectually dishonest.
She has one friend in the program, a man who’s offered her singular compassion and chaste companionship in her crisis of faith, which has lasted three years, since the rape.
One morning she finds him dead, a hypodermic protruding from his forearm. The police conclude his death was suicide by heroin, despite her protestations that he’d never used that drug in her experience and, more tellingly, that the needle was in his left arm, while he himself was left-handed. Her suspicion that he’s been murdered sends her into a depression. She is crushed to learn, as she investigates, that her dead friend was himself a teenaged rapist.
She not only hits bottom, but careens into a covert rampage, with criminal overtones, against her university and department. And here the murder mystery underlying the novel’s narrative unfolds.
I should stop here, as I’m about to stray into spoiler land. Just two more plot points need mention: Sarah falls under the influence of two individuals, one a beneficent ally, the other a man with prosecuting a covert rampage of his own.
This is an unconventional thriller, in that the mystery elements are fetchingly submerged behind brilliant character touches. The drift here verges on a ‘downer’ plot arc, but it’s redeemed by the humor struggling through in Sarah’s view of the world.
A winner.

Sarah is a Ph.D student at the end of her program; teaching students, wrestling with her advisor, and spending most of her time with her best friend, Nathan. The two of them enjoy the occasional drug-fueled bender. When Nathan dies of an overdose, Sarah is convinced it was a homocide. The police don't take her seriously - afterall, she herself admits they were regular drug users, just not of the harder variety. Since Nathan was the one person who believed and supported her after her rape, Sarah feels a particular call to fight for him.
Murphy writes with beautiful staccatto sentences that capture the detached emotion of her protagonist. I didn't think I would love the book - I found myself unsympathetic after reading the description. I'm neither a Ph.D student nor a drug user, as I think most of Murphy's potential readers would say. She absolutely captured me, and I found myself staying up late to find out what happened next. Sarah is great at compartmentalizing - she has to be in order to survive what's happened to her. That has to be a difficult perspective to write from, but Murphy handles it masterfully.
Sarah's focus in her work is on the buddhism and violence, and the idea that while one of the core doctrines is nonviolence, violence itself can be justified if it prevents future harm. Absolutely fascinating when you pair it with the rapists found on every college campus, and how little is done to quash their future prospects as punishment for their actions. The book is an exploration of those ideas - violence and our response to violence. Highly recommend.