Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Feb 2024
208 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
With the emotional echoes of Little Fires Everywhere and the lush atmosphere of Disappearing Earth, a riveting debut novel in which a wildfire creeps toward Berkeley, California, igniting tensions as characters from all walks of life confront the injustices lying beneath the city's surface.
As a wildfire threatens Berkeley, the city's inhabitants are forced to reckon with the cracks in the lives they've built.
Abigail, a wealthy homeowner, decides to throw a lavish birthday in a hillside mansion to raise money for the city's newest affordable housing project—and prove to her family that she's made something worthwhile of her life. Sunny, a construction worker who sleeps in a van along the bay's shore, is in the running for an apartment—but only if enough funds are raised at the party.
As the heat and smoke from the approaching blaze descend upon the town, tensions rise and residents—young and old, haves and have nots—confront the inequities laid bare, and the fragility of building a life in a world on fire.
Alternating among a colorful cast of characters, A Fire So Wild is a timely, tautly paced novel that questions why when everything burns, not everyone is left with scars.
"Ruiz-Grossman's captivating debut chronicles a wildfire's impact on a diverse set of residents of Berkeley... . It's a gripping page-turner with a surprising twist, as a set of disgruntled survivors form an unlikely alliance and take drastic action. The complex characterizations and realistic scenarios converge to deliver a satisfying punch." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"As the characters' paths twine with fervor, Ruiz-Grossman's engaging tale offers a vivid exploration of modern-day disparities within the timeless and universal search for belonging and self-determination." —Booklist
"Sarah Ruiz-Grossman presents a passionate yet critical observation of the devastating effects of a California wildfire that indiscriminately upends the lives of residents from various socioeconomic backgrounds... . Ruiz-Grossman's piercing commentary reveals the inequality and injustices of climate change for people just trying to live their lives. —Scientific American
"Sarah Ruiz-Grossman's deep understanding of the overlapping climate and affordable housing crises shines through A Fire So Wild, a sharp and empathetic look at who gets to rebuild when disaster strikes. It is a cautionary but hopeful story about the limits of good intentions and incremental reform." —Jessica Schulberg, senior justice reporter at HuffPost
"Sarah Ruiz-Grossman's debut novel is riveting from start to finish. Through her diverse array of characters, she captures the many realities that people across all backgrounds face in the wake of climate change destruction. Her passion for California and her knowledge of covering natural disasters shines in vivid and heartbreaking prose that doesn't shy away from the injustices of our society." —Saba Hamedy, culture editor at NBC News
"A complex dissection of the impacts of climate change, with an array of characters who feel true and affecting, A Fire So Wild tackles not only a terrifying natural disaster, but the scorching inequality of the aftermath, and demands that we don't look away." —Charlotte McConaghy, New York Times bestselling author of Once There Were Wolves
This information about A Fire So Wild was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Sarah Ruiz-Grossman is a writer and former reporter at HuffPost, where she covered the climate crisis and other social justice issues. She lives in California with her husband and their pit bull.
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