Joshkun Mehmet's Reviews > The Book of Fire

Topical story about the aftermath of a disastrous fire that destroys a whole Greek village and the surrounding forest killing people, wildlife and trees.

Irini and her family manage to survive, but they carry with them the mental and physical scars of that horrific day. Who is to blame? Is it the greedy property developer who set fire to the land to try and clear it, or the authorities who didn’t react quickly enough? Or was the whole thing as a result of global warming?

The story is narrated through Irini and it vividly captures the loss and trauma, but I found her endless anxiety too repetitious. She constantly agonises over the same issues and it became very tiresome. Overall I didn’t feel ‘connected’ to the characters and the story was long and drawn out with no mystery or drama. I found myself skim reading the final few chapters as I wanted it to end.

The Beekeeper of Aleppo is a powerful, heartbreaking book that delivers emotional impact. Unfortunately I can’t say the same about The Book of Fire. Disappointing.