The Stars Are Fire by Anita Shreve

In October 1947, Grace Holland is experiencing two simultaneous droughts. An unseasonably hot, dry summer has turned the state of Maine into a tinderbox, and Grace and her husband, Gene, have fallen out of love and barely speak. Five months pregnant and caring for two toddlers, Grace has resigned herself to a life of loneliness and domestic chores. One night she awakes to find that wildfires are racing down the coast, closer and closer to her house.  Forced to pull her children into the ocean to escape the flames, Grace watches helplessly as everything she knows burns to the ground.  By morning, her life is forever changed: she is homeless, penniless, awaiting news of her husband's fate, and left to face an uncertain future in a town that no longer exists. With courage and stoicism, Grace overcomes devastating loss and, through the smoke, is able to glimpse the opportunity to rewrite her own story.


REVIEW:
This novel shares much in common with Anita Shreve's other works -- quiet pacing, precise language, and stark emotion. Stuck in a loveless marriage and uncertain about the future, Grace finds her life upended after a terrible fire and discovers herself in the aftermath. This book was a quick read and I enjoyed it, though the bland reality of Grace's life at times is hard to stomach. One thing I love about Shreve's writing in this particular novel is her ability to introduce major plot action in the midst of the most mundane description -- one more than one occasion, I found myself reading back a few pages to see if I had missed a sign or some key build-up to an event, only to realize that Shreve introduced the action just as it would happen in life: without warning or fanfare, in the midst of the daily grind. 3.5 stars.