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Friendly Fire
As a long, hot Saskatchewan summer dawns, Darby Swank’s life is forever changed when she finds her beloved aunt floating dead in a lake. All at once, her blinders are lifted and she sees the country lifestyle she’s always known in a whole new way, with hidden pain and anguish lurking behind familiar faces, and violence forever threatening to burst forth, like brushfire smouldering and dormant under the muskeg.
With her first novel, Lisa Guenther lays bare familial bonds, secret histories and the healing potential of art. Friendly Fire recalls the work of Ann-Marie MacDonald and Lynn Coady as it eviscerates small-town platitudes and brings important issues to light.
With her first novel, Lisa Guenther lays bare familial bonds, secret histories and the healing potential of art. Friendly Fire recalls the work of Ann-Marie MacDonald and Lynn Coady as it eviscerates small-town platitudes and brings important issues to light.
161 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2015
409 people want to read
About the author
Lisa Guenther
1 book13 followersLisa Guenther is a writer and agricultural journalist based in Livelong, Saskatchewan. Her writing has appeared in Grainews and Country Guide, and she is the sitting president of the Canadian Farm Writers' Federation. Friendly Fire is her first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 4, 2015
To call Lisa Guenther’s debut novel a mystery is a bit superficial, and possibly reductive. At the heart of Friendly Fire there is indeed a secret, but it is only the engine which drives her story – the vehicle she uses to reveal the complex dynamics of family and small town relationships. And Guenther, an agricultural journalist from Livelong, Saskatchewan, knows a thing or two about both.
When Darby Swank, a university dropout, accidentally discovers the body of her beloved aunt floating in Brightsand Lake, the veil through which she viewed her tiny rural community is lifted to reveal the violence and wilful ignorance that may always have existed just beneath the surface. The comfort and safety she sought in leaving school and returning home are pulled from beneath her, and Darby is forced to re-examine her relationships with family and friends, including her on-again-off-again lover, Luke, her silent father, and her fun-loving uncle Will.
In spite of the fact that Darby’s lucid dreams may be subconsciously leading her toward the killer, she is a reluctant protagonist. Like the community around her, Darby prefers to let sleeping dogs lie. She tells a friend, “Things don’t usually work out too well for the whistle blowers, you know.”
The strength of Guenther’s story is its characters. They are – all of them – flawed in very human ways, including the novel’s protagonist. And the author does her best to skirt stereotypes while maintaining the truth which sometimes lies at the heart of stereotype. In a thumbnail sketch, Darby exposes the distrust and fear she harbours for outsiders at her aunt’s funeral:
Women in dark bootleg jeans, tailored blouses, and pointy heals, big sunglasses hiding eyes. Men in sports coats and ties, one of them subtly checking his PDA … I want to smash his gadgets, break the women’s sunglasses. Drive the strangers out of the lobby like rats from a grain elevator.
At the same time, this juxtaposition reveals everything she and her community are not – stylish and urbane. Both things Darby perhaps desires to be herself, had she the courage to leave town and pursue her music in Edmonton.
In many ways, Darby is stifled, as much as protected, by the illusions of rural life. “Families, relationships, they literally mark our landscape out here,” she says. “You don’t say, ‘Turn left at the green house.’ You say, ‘Turn left at the old McNab house.’ It is these attachments to family and landscape that pin her down and stop her from pursuing her music. But it is also these entanglements that stop her from uncovering the mystery of her aunt’s murder, even when the answer lies before her in plain view:
I was missing something. It was like sitting in a boat and watching jackfish swimming. You can never figure out exactly where they are because of the way the light bends when it hits the surface.
However, the truth cannot stay buried forever. Like the brush fire that burns literally and metaphorically throughout this novel, threatening the community, “smouldering deep in the muskeg,” the truth must eventually “flare up.”
In the end, Guenther’s novel is a well-paced character study with a strong sense of place.
When Darby Swank, a university dropout, accidentally discovers the body of her beloved aunt floating in Brightsand Lake, the veil through which she viewed her tiny rural community is lifted to reveal the violence and wilful ignorance that may always have existed just beneath the surface. The comfort and safety she sought in leaving school and returning home are pulled from beneath her, and Darby is forced to re-examine her relationships with family and friends, including her on-again-off-again lover, Luke, her silent father, and her fun-loving uncle Will.
In spite of the fact that Darby’s lucid dreams may be subconsciously leading her toward the killer, she is a reluctant protagonist. Like the community around her, Darby prefers to let sleeping dogs lie. She tells a friend, “Things don’t usually work out too well for the whistle blowers, you know.”
The strength of Guenther’s story is its characters. They are – all of them – flawed in very human ways, including the novel’s protagonist. And the author does her best to skirt stereotypes while maintaining the truth which sometimes lies at the heart of stereotype. In a thumbnail sketch, Darby exposes the distrust and fear she harbours for outsiders at her aunt’s funeral:
Women in dark bootleg jeans, tailored blouses, and pointy heals, big sunglasses hiding eyes. Men in sports coats and ties, one of them subtly checking his PDA … I want to smash his gadgets, break the women’s sunglasses. Drive the strangers out of the lobby like rats from a grain elevator.
At the same time, this juxtaposition reveals everything she and her community are not – stylish and urbane. Both things Darby perhaps desires to be herself, had she the courage to leave town and pursue her music in Edmonton.
In many ways, Darby is stifled, as much as protected, by the illusions of rural life. “Families, relationships, they literally mark our landscape out here,” she says. “You don’t say, ‘Turn left at the green house.’ You say, ‘Turn left at the old McNab house.’ It is these attachments to family and landscape that pin her down and stop her from pursuing her music. But it is also these entanglements that stop her from uncovering the mystery of her aunt’s murder, even when the answer lies before her in plain view:
I was missing something. It was like sitting in a boat and watching jackfish swimming. You can never figure out exactly where they are because of the way the light bends when it hits the surface.
However, the truth cannot stay buried forever. Like the brush fire that burns literally and metaphorically throughout this novel, threatening the community, “smouldering deep in the muskeg,” the truth must eventually “flare up.”
In the end, Guenther’s novel is a well-paced character study with a strong sense of place.
September 16, 2015
As a lover of Canadian fiction, this book hit all the marks for me. The storyline is compelling and draws the reader in -- a real page-turner. The author does a beautiful job describing life in rural Saskatchewan, and as a reader I could feel like I was a part of the community and the story. This novel highlights the important, and often overlooked theme of domestic violence in society. Through clever storytelling, however, the author uses humour and the humanity of the characters to create a lightness and readability to this novel that is required for such raw subject matter. This novel is filled with mystery and suspense, all set in the inviting atmosphere of Saskatchewan's beautiful summer sun. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future!
November 22, 2015
I really enjoyed this book and read most of it in one sitting. The story keeps moving along and I just needed to know how Darby was going to handle a couple of major decisions. I liked her and was rooting (sp?) for her throughout, despite some questionable choices and a little near sightedness! And full disclosure- the author is a good friend. Way to go Lisa!
October 24, 2015
Friendly Fire is a mystery novel about family secrets. It is a little suspenseful. Very well written. I won this book through the giveaways.
June 2, 2016
Great book about domestic violence by new Saskatchewan author.
May 31, 2018
Raised just outside a small town on Brightsand Lake in central Saskatchewan, Darby Swank finds herself trapped. Trapped by her family’s expectations of her, trapped by her grief at the loss of her mother, trapped by a lack lustre relationship, and now trapped by the horror of finding her aunt Bea, murdered. In Lisa Guenther’s debut novel, Darby is asked to evaluate her motives and actions, and examine what is really holding her back. Does her community define her? Is it actually possible to leave? What is really holding her back? Guenther’s direct and to the point language lays out exactly what it’s like to live in a small Saskatchewan community; while the speech is direct, what’s unsaid is usually far more interesting. Guenther’s narrative works best when she lays the story out the same way, her voice only faltering with the use of the “dream as a metaphor” device that frames the book. Her plot is gripping, the setting is authentic, and Guenther’s depiction of rape culture as the natural order of things will hit close to home. Luckily, the need to know what exactly happened to Bea pulls you through any slow sections, which are usually short anyway.
While this book may not mean a lot to most people, it will mean everything to a few. Friendly Fire is a chance for Saskatchewan residents to see our lives in the media. Set against the never ending forrest fires, Friendly Fire offers us a different perspective than the comedy of something like Corner Gas, but one that is just as true. I’m sure that Lisa Guenther will continue to offer us these truths in the future, and I eagerly await to see more of home in the pages of a book.
While this book may not mean a lot to most people, it will mean everything to a few. Friendly Fire is a chance for Saskatchewan residents to see our lives in the media. Set against the never ending forrest fires, Friendly Fire offers us a different perspective than the comedy of something like Corner Gas, but one that is just as true. I’m sure that Lisa Guenther will continue to offer us these truths in the future, and I eagerly await to see more of home in the pages of a book.
October 22, 2019
Lies, deceit, family, small towns - this book contains it all. Set in small-town northern Saskatchewan, the book takes readers through a traumatizing family situation for the main character. As she and her family deal with the fall-out there are questions unanswered and as the main character commits to finding a truth, there is intense personal growth along the way. A suspenseful plot, an ending I didn't see coming at all, and enough Saskatchewan towns mentioned along the way to make me feel right at home in the story.
December 8, 2019
This local novel hits so close to home for me. I loved reading about the towns, last names and communities that are familiar. Friendly Fire is set in a rural area where you would least expect to find such drama, crime and action. A charming country setting, scenery, community and characters, but the action and scandal sneaks up on the community and even flys under the radar, and it's not handled by the citizens quite the same as it would be in suburbia.
September 13, 2024
I would probably not have read this except that I am reading a variety of books that have been submitted for the Governor General's Award for Fiction, and one of the submissions is Lisa Guenther's ALL THAT'S LEFT which picks up this story where FRIENDLY FIRE leaves off.
This gives the background to the characters and situation that opens up ALL THAT'S LEFT.
This gives the background to the characters and situation that opens up ALL THAT'S LEFT.
June 30, 2024
Hoopla audio book. Maybe this wasn't the right book for me 🤔
August 22, 2024
Set in Saskatchewan, a story of family violence and secrets.m
August 15, 2015
I won this book from Goodreads. This is the author's debut novel. The book is set in Saskatchenan, Canada. Darby Swanks finds her beloved Aunt Bea dead in a lake. The police think she is Major crimes victim. Darby is stunned because she saw aunt two days before. The police find Bea's car on the side of the road loaded up like she is leaving town. The police tell Darby that Bea was strangled. A clue only the police and Darby know about is one of Bea's fingers is missing along with her wedding ring. Police keep investigating and think Bea's husband is involved because of her many trips to the E.R. Darby's father is covering for the husband. Darby thinks that Will abused Bea. Darby felt her whole family was keeping secrets from her. Will threathened the whole family. You know at this point of the book that Will killed her. Darby saw Bea's wedding ring around his neck and figured it out. He knocked her down. The hunt for Will continues to the end of the book. The book's theme seems to be this is a family of secrets and familial bonds are not very good. Not a very suspensful book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 21, 2016
I received an advance readers copy from Goodreads. Though this is a relatively short book, it took me far longer to read it than it should have. The author writes well, but I just never came to care that much about the main character. The story had potential, but it just did not spark for me. Rather than being pulled into the story, I constantly felt like an outsider trying to look in.
June 25, 2016
Not exactly a mystery, as you know pretty early on whodunit in this slim volume, more a portrait of a family and a young woman's search for identity in a small Saskatchewan town. The novel is set around St. Walburg/Lloydminster area. I do enjoy reading stories set in my home province. Lots about music and horses. A good first effort at a novel by this author.
May 30, 2016
A book by an author with the same initials as you
February 7, 2024
Once I started this, I realized I had read it before. I won't read it again. Enough said....
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews