A Wonderful Use for Fire

by Hayden Gabriel

Greg's affinity with the sea provides a refuge from his marriage; Sophie's passion is the night sky as she strives to further understand the stars. Brought together by chance, they begin a love affair that reaches from the sun-bleached sands of the Caribbean and Hawaii; across the Canadian wilderness; to the wind-swept coast of south-west Wales. Compelled by a sense of certainty about one another, Sophie and Greg snatch moments of intimacy from amid the demands of their families and the responsibilities of their scientific disciplines - until life-changing events force them to test the strength of their bond. In charting the difficult choices Greg and Sophie make, A Wonderful Use for Fire explores notions of belonging and sustainability. It is at once a poignant and an uplifting story of love, loss and discovery.

Paperback

First published November 1, 2004

Reviews

[Mom2nine · Rating 1 out of 5]

After reading Gabriel's book "Where the Light Remains", I had looked for this book for a very long time. Unfortunately, it was not worth the wait. I have nothing good to say about it. The story is based on a man who studies dolphins and whales and is bored with his wife. He meets a woman who studies astronomy and lust slides into "love". The book drones on about their studies and randomly spices things up with a bit of gratuitous sex. I guess the fact that he is a lovingly patient father is supposed to make him a sympathetic character. They spend some time in Hawaii, so I thought there may be some mention of places that I remember on the Island, but even those mentions were so weak that one could have simply read about them in a pamphlet.