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Fire

The powerful and compelling new novel from the bestselling author of The Heart's Invisible Furies

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Fire

By: John Boyne
Narrated by: Anna Friel
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Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

On the face of it, Freya lives a gilded existence, dancing solely to her own tune. She has all the trappings of wealth and privilege, a responsible job as a surgeon specialising in skin grafts, a beautiful flat in a sought-after development, and a flash car. But it wasn’t always like this. Hers is a life founded on darkness.

Did what happened to Freya as a child one fateful summer influence the adult she would become – or was she always destined to be that person? Was she born with cruelty in her heart or did something force it into being?

In Fire, John Boyne takes the reader on a chilling, uncomfortable but utterly compelling psychological journey to the epicentre of the human condition, asking the age-old question: nurture – or nature?

© John Boyne 2024 (P) Penguin Audio 2024

 Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Psychological Women's Fiction Emotionally Gripping Heartfelt Scary Thought-Provoking
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Critic reviews

Boyne has found a neat framework for a series of original novels, linked as much by theme and image as by character and setting. Fire is an exhilarating read.
You will hurtle through the book, because it is such a compelling story, so cleverly written.
Hypnotically clean, clear prose... powerful and memorable
Incredibly well-written
All stars
Most relevant
Great short story. Made me feel quite uncomfortable reading some of it but so well done. I find all his books brilliant.

Compelling

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The most disturbing of the elements series but typical fantastic John Boyne story. Excellent narration.

Wow brilliant book

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Water, Earth and Fire each one brilliant in their own way but coupled with the subtle but meaningful way they are connected is amazing and I can’t wait to start Air!

Brilliant

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That was a very difficult and disturbing story to listen to and I can’t say that I enjoyed it but I made myself listen to the end as it’s important that we are willing to hear such narratives. Yes, it’s probably an extreme version of events … but not as extreme as we might want to believe.

It tells us exactly how hurt people go on to hurt people who also go on to hurt people…

Brilliantly written and performed (discomfortingly so, to be honest).

A disturbing and dark story that we shouldn’t shy away from.

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Freya is a brilliant plastic surgeon who specialises in burns. However, she has a dark past, which has damaged her.

John Boyne tells us her story warts and all. Did I feel any sympathy? I have to answer that with a question; how can parents damage their children so that their lives are scarred and damaged forever more?

a woman scorned

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