Things We Set on Fire

By: Deborah Reed

Narrated by: Tanya Eby

From the bestselling author of Carry Yourself Back to Me comes another tightly plotted, emotionally complex audiobook about strangers who happen to be part of the same family.

A series of tragedies brings Vivvie's young grandchildren into her custody, and her two estranged daughters back under one roof. Jackson, Vivvie's husband, was shot and killed 30 years ago, and the ramifications have splintered the family into their own isolated remembrances and recriminations.

This deeply personal, hauntingly melancholy look at the damages families inflict on each other - and the healing that only they can provide - is filled with flinty, flawed, and complex people stumbling towards some kind of peace.

Like Elizabeth Strout and Kazuo Isiguro, Deborah Reed understands a story, and her characters reveal themselves in the subtleties: the space between the thoughts, the sigh behind the smile, and the unreliable lies people tell themselves that ultimately reveal the deepest truths.

"Reed is fearless in nudging her characters toward disaster, and the listener follows with a thumping heart, confident in the story's authoritative prose and, ultimately, redeeming spirit. I was genuinely moved by this audiobook, and recommend it highly." (Antonya Nelson, author of Bound: A Novel and Some Fun: Stories and a Novella).

©2013 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.; 2013 Deborah Reed

So well done

On the surface the story line could be seen as cliché - but it is not - the subtle and not so subtle twists and turns kept my attention and interest. Towards the end i listened to it sparingly - not quite ready to leave the story behind. The end is a lovely transition. I look forward to listening to more from this author and performer.

This book is so much better than I even imagined!

This book is about a family of 3 generations that have struggled with thier relationships until they are forced together. I'm it great at describing books but this is a book for anyone it's wonderful! There's love, loss, excitement, disappointment and everything in between. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read.

Nice story of family dynamics and forgiveness.

I thought the author approached the family struggles honestly; beautifully captured the parent and sibling dynamics. I liked that there was the promise of moving forward, but everything wasn't wrapped up neatly with a bow.

Enjoyed this

Good for a quick read. Some racy bits but not too bad. Really liked the story premise.