Publication Date: February 20, 2024
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.
A wildfire incBerkeley, California serves as a catalyst to illustrate the chasm between a set of diverse characters.
Author Sarah Ruiz-Grossman delivers a thought-provoking story highlighting different families and their circumstances. Tied together by a low-income housing project, the people must face the impact of the wildfire.
A Fire So Wild opens with an introduction to each group, including the affluent couple seeking to raise funds for the housing project, the high school girl who moves in with her father, and the homeless couple eagerly waiting for an apartment of their own.
As the air quality gets worse and tensions rise, the characters wrestle with relationships. It all comes to a head at a fundraising dinner interrupted by an evacuation order.
Oozing with emotion, the storyline will draw readers in as the fire blazes, destroying everything and everyone in its path.
A Fire So Wild delivers a powerful message about natural disasters and the unique challenges people face in the aftermath.
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.
