Book supplied by Netgalley for an honest review.
My rating: 5 out of 5
I first read Anita Shreve almost 20 years ago with A Pilot’s Wife, too long ago to remember the details, but not that long too forget that I enjoyed it. The Stars are Fire has similar themes: a family wrecked by an event, the wife emboldened while struggling through the aftermath. The writing is sparse, minimal sentences written in the present tense (seems to be the publishing trend this year), and emotionally detached prose.
Reading this kept making me think of Anne Tyler, another writer I hugely respect. Tyler is more subtle, no monumental inciting incident and more left unsaid, but both tackle disjointed families with compassion.
My only minor complaint is that the epilogue was too sugar-coated and was unnecessary, but an otherwise very enjoyable read.