The Book of Fire tells the story of a loving family who have their lives changed forever by a devastating fire that breaks out in the Greek village they call home. Due to recent real-life events, this book felt very topical and the subject matter may hit harder reading it now.
There was no denying the heartbreak experienced by Irini, Tasso and their daughter Chara however, unfortunately, I didn't feel like I was able to build that much of a connection with the characters.
This was mainly due to Lefteri's writing style and I encountered a similar problem when I read The Beekeeper of Aleppo. Her writing style is sparse and in many ways direct. There is little in the way of descriptive padding around the events of the plot which can be good for pacing but not so good when trying to build a scene or when trying to get to know the characters.
I felt like I was being kept at a distance so it was hard to feel invested in the characters and their story. Therefore, while I could appreciate the point of the story and the message it was portraying, it didn't have the emotional impact I was hoping for.
Thank you to Readers First for the copy of this book.
There was no denying the heartbreak experienced by Irini, Tasso and their daughter Chara however, unfortunately, I didn't feel like I was able to build that much of a connection with the characters.
This was mainly due to Lefteri's writing style and I encountered a similar problem when I read The Beekeeper of Aleppo. Her writing style is sparse and in many ways direct. There is little in the way of descriptive padding around the events of the plot which can be good for pacing but not so good when trying to build a scene or when trying to get to know the characters.
I felt like I was being kept at a distance so it was hard to feel invested in the characters and their story. Therefore, while I could appreciate the point of the story and the message it was portraying, it didn't have the emotional impact I was hoping for.
Thank you to Readers First for the copy of this book.