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Other Fires: A Novel
Joss and Phil’s already rocky marriage is fragmented when Phil is injured in a devastating fire and diagnosed with Capgras delusion―a misidentification syndrome in which a person becomes convinced that a loved one has been replaced by an identical imposter. Faced with a husband who no longer recognizes her, Joss struggles to find motivation to save their marriage, even as family secrets start to emerge that challenge everything she thought she knew. With two young daughters, a looming book deadline, and an attractive but complicated distraction named Adam complicating her situation even further, Joss has to decide what she wants for her family―and what family even means.
296 pages, Paperback
First published October 20, 2020
1 person is currently reading
22 people want to read
About the author
Lenore H. Gay
3 books33 followersLenore Gay is a Licensed Professional Counselor with master’s degrees in sociology and rehabilitation counseling. She has worked in several agencies, psychiatric hospitals and for ten years she maintained a private practice. She is retired from the faculty of the Virginia Commonwealth University, Department of Rehabilitation, where she taught graduate students and coordinated the internship program.
Now a full time writer, The Virginia Center of the Creative Arts (VCCA) has awarded her two writing fellowships. Her poems and short stories have appeared in several small journals. Her essay “Mistresses of Magic” was published in the anthology IN PRAISE OF OUR TEACHERS (Beacon Press). Her short story “The Hobo” won first place in Style Weekly’s annual fiction contest. She is a volunteer reader at Blackbird, An Online Journal for Literature & The Arts.
Now a full time writer, The Virginia Center of the Creative Arts (VCCA) has awarded her two writing fellowships. Her poems and short stories have appeared in several small journals. Her essay “Mistresses of Magic” was published in the anthology IN PRAISE OF OUR TEACHERS (Beacon Press). Her short story “The Hobo” won first place in Style Weekly’s annual fiction contest. She is a volunteer reader at Blackbird, An Online Journal for Literature & The Arts.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
September 17, 2020
“Crisis had a way of breaking the jar’s seal and spilling secrets.”
An intense psychological examination of a disintegrating family whose plights are made worse by a house fire which injures one of them. And maybe wasn’t accidental. Everyone has his or her mental and emotional issues, often made worse by those closest.
“People are complicated. Who can understand other people’s motives? Even our own?”
Gay takes the reader deep into the minds of four principal characters, detailing their pain, plans, and coping strategies. Not all of them have the tightest grip on reality, let alone what the others think and intend. The bane of people who live mostly in their minds.
“She discovered that her mother’s problems had somehow become more of her problems, too.”
Quibble: “Almost nine and only a third grader.” Don’t most children enter first grade at six? At eight years old, she acts and thinks as if she’s ten to twelve. Except for those imaginary friends. That’s okay; her parents act like teens. The lady who says she picks up information quickly has trouble picking up the threads of her life.
“Killing yourself to get back at your parents is a teenage move.”
Well-written, but not my kind story. Hard to like folks who seem determined to make themselves miserable.
“You’ll miss him forever. That shows how much you love him.”
(Full disclosure: I received an Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for an honest review.)
An intense psychological examination of a disintegrating family whose plights are made worse by a house fire which injures one of them. And maybe wasn’t accidental. Everyone has his or her mental and emotional issues, often made worse by those closest.
“People are complicated. Who can understand other people’s motives? Even our own?”
Gay takes the reader deep into the minds of four principal characters, detailing their pain, plans, and coping strategies. Not all of them have the tightest grip on reality, let alone what the others think and intend. The bane of people who live mostly in their minds.
“She discovered that her mother’s problems had somehow become more of her problems, too.”
Quibble: “Almost nine and only a third grader.” Don’t most children enter first grade at six? At eight years old, she acts and thinks as if she’s ten to twelve. Except for those imaginary friends. That’s okay; her parents act like teens. The lady who says she picks up information quickly has trouble picking up the threads of her life.
“Killing yourself to get back at your parents is a teenage move.”
Well-written, but not my kind story. Hard to like folks who seem determined to make themselves miserable.
“You’ll miss him forever. That shows how much you love him.”
(Full disclosure: I received an Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for an honest review.)
October 26, 2020
via my blog: https://bookstalkerblog.wordpress.com/
𝐇𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐝𝐨, 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞.
This novel tells the story of a marriage already falling apart when, through an accident during a housefire, the husband Phil suffers a head injury and is diagnosed with Capgras syndrome. This delusion leads him to believe his wife is an imposter. Joss is already fighting to be supportive, caring for their two girls, longing for the order of their old life before her husband started accusing her of being the fake Joss, even if he was a liar and a cheat. Certainly Phil was failing his family before the nightmare, bored by the lack of mental stimulation fatherhood in the early years leads to, already reluctant to watch their girls, leaving it all on Joss’s shoulders. Then there is their daughter Terpe, already feeling like a freak at school with a weird name that doesn’t help, certainly a father who seems to be losing his grasp on reality isn’t going to fix her reputation, best she not tell anyone. It’s hurtful and confusing, will Terpe’s daddy ever get better? She is so much her father’s daughter, a scholar in the making. How come he recognizes her just fine, doesn’t think his own children are imposters, if he is suffering from such a syndrome? There doesn’t seem to be logic to his thinking and she’s too smart to let it go. She wants to understand but the adults make no sense!
The fire and it’s cause is a troubling puzzle for Joss, she chews on the reality that it could easily be one of Phil’s women, maybe a spurned lover? From the start she fights herself to be supportive of his strange condition but wants nothing more than to just end it, how can she give her love to the very man she has started to feel hatred and resentment towards? In many ways, his injury is a result of his philandering, forced out of their marital bed, sleeping separately. When she imagines the future, she can’t seem to figure Phil in. Caring for anyone with a serious illness or injury can be trying enough for a stable marriage, but with the added weight of betrayal and now his brutal rejection of her very identity it seems like an insurmountable obstacle. Add the burden of fixing up their home that suffered serious damage, a deadline for her book she has an extension for and won’t meet, she feels like her head will explode. Adam is the electrician hired to work on the wiring, and immediately they take to one another, sharing memories, conversations that stave off the loneliness consuming them both. Adam’s past is a festering wound from when his father physically abused him during childhood and now his mother is causing him worry and grief. His sleep tormented by strange, often frightening dreams and his waking hours a struggle to stay sober. Joss is an interesting, beautiful woman, one who has him longing, someone so much smarter, richer than him, but does she have her life together?
As Phil struggles with his own fuzzy thoughts, he knows that having their second child led to more responsibilities and demands in his marriage. Why did they have her? Then there is his own childhood that taught him how good lies felt. Who can he trust? Not false Joss, maybe not even his oldest daughter Terpe who could be ‘colluding’ with his fake wife. How can he trust himself, with his mind all over the place? It is the woman who visits him that has him remembering what he was up to before the accident, that has him recalling just when his real wife disappeared and the imposter took over. Does he really want to go back to that home, to a woman who isn’t his wife? Could there be a better solution?
Terpe is forced to deal with grown up situations when she sneaks in to see her father at the rehabilitation center, from then on her mother can no longer protect her from all the lies in their little family. Both her parents seem to be acting out and Terpe hates it! She is sick of being at the neighbors alongside her little sister, no one thinks she understands anything just because she is a kid, but she sees so much more than they know. That Terpe loved her daddy so much is interesting considering her didn’t put much time in, isn’t that part of Joss’s complaint? Then again, children try so hard with the parent who is often disengaged.
Will this family ever be able to overcome all their troubles, will Phil ever recover from his strange condition?
I like Terpe, she is the reason I kept reading. I wish Phil and Joss’s interactions went further, deeper. It was a great idea, that the husband who has been keeping his own secrets, faking it in his own way and an adept liar gets injured and accuses his wife of being an imposter- that could have gone so many ways. Who wouldn’t find it infuriating, struggle with the morality of it all? How can you just walk away when your spouse needs you, despite whether they deserve your help based on betrayal. I liked it, but mostly because I wanted to see how it ended for Terpe. I liked the ending but it would have been far more riveting had there been more confrontations between the spouses.
Published October 20, 2020
She Writes Press
𝐇𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐝𝐨, 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞.
This novel tells the story of a marriage already falling apart when, through an accident during a housefire, the husband Phil suffers a head injury and is diagnosed with Capgras syndrome. This delusion leads him to believe his wife is an imposter. Joss is already fighting to be supportive, caring for their two girls, longing for the order of their old life before her husband started accusing her of being the fake Joss, even if he was a liar and a cheat. Certainly Phil was failing his family before the nightmare, bored by the lack of mental stimulation fatherhood in the early years leads to, already reluctant to watch their girls, leaving it all on Joss’s shoulders. Then there is their daughter Terpe, already feeling like a freak at school with a weird name that doesn’t help, certainly a father who seems to be losing his grasp on reality isn’t going to fix her reputation, best she not tell anyone. It’s hurtful and confusing, will Terpe’s daddy ever get better? She is so much her father’s daughter, a scholar in the making. How come he recognizes her just fine, doesn’t think his own children are imposters, if he is suffering from such a syndrome? There doesn’t seem to be logic to his thinking and she’s too smart to let it go. She wants to understand but the adults make no sense!
The fire and it’s cause is a troubling puzzle for Joss, she chews on the reality that it could easily be one of Phil’s women, maybe a spurned lover? From the start she fights herself to be supportive of his strange condition but wants nothing more than to just end it, how can she give her love to the very man she has started to feel hatred and resentment towards? In many ways, his injury is a result of his philandering, forced out of their marital bed, sleeping separately. When she imagines the future, she can’t seem to figure Phil in. Caring for anyone with a serious illness or injury can be trying enough for a stable marriage, but with the added weight of betrayal and now his brutal rejection of her very identity it seems like an insurmountable obstacle. Add the burden of fixing up their home that suffered serious damage, a deadline for her book she has an extension for and won’t meet, she feels like her head will explode. Adam is the electrician hired to work on the wiring, and immediately they take to one another, sharing memories, conversations that stave off the loneliness consuming them both. Adam’s past is a festering wound from when his father physically abused him during childhood and now his mother is causing him worry and grief. His sleep tormented by strange, often frightening dreams and his waking hours a struggle to stay sober. Joss is an interesting, beautiful woman, one who has him longing, someone so much smarter, richer than him, but does she have her life together?
As Phil struggles with his own fuzzy thoughts, he knows that having their second child led to more responsibilities and demands in his marriage. Why did they have her? Then there is his own childhood that taught him how good lies felt. Who can he trust? Not false Joss, maybe not even his oldest daughter Terpe who could be ‘colluding’ with his fake wife. How can he trust himself, with his mind all over the place? It is the woman who visits him that has him remembering what he was up to before the accident, that has him recalling just when his real wife disappeared and the imposter took over. Does he really want to go back to that home, to a woman who isn’t his wife? Could there be a better solution?
Terpe is forced to deal with grown up situations when she sneaks in to see her father at the rehabilitation center, from then on her mother can no longer protect her from all the lies in their little family. Both her parents seem to be acting out and Terpe hates it! She is sick of being at the neighbors alongside her little sister, no one thinks she understands anything just because she is a kid, but she sees so much more than they know. That Terpe loved her daddy so much is interesting considering her didn’t put much time in, isn’t that part of Joss’s complaint? Then again, children try so hard with the parent who is often disengaged.
Will this family ever be able to overcome all their troubles, will Phil ever recover from his strange condition?
I like Terpe, she is the reason I kept reading. I wish Phil and Joss’s interactions went further, deeper. It was a great idea, that the husband who has been keeping his own secrets, faking it in his own way and an adept liar gets injured and accuses his wife of being an imposter- that could have gone so many ways. Who wouldn’t find it infuriating, struggle with the morality of it all? How can you just walk away when your spouse needs you, despite whether they deserve your help based on betrayal. I liked it, but mostly because I wanted to see how it ended for Terpe. I liked the ending but it would have been far more riveting had there been more confrontations between the spouses.
Published October 20, 2020
She Writes Press
November 1, 2020
Other Fires is a character-driven story. Each character has their chapters. This format gives the reader that character's perspective. Instead of reading a book, the characters tell the story. Each character is well defined.
Terpe is a third-grade girl. The older of two children in this family. The other child is a baby girl. Terpe and her mother Joss are the main characters. This book tells their story through the eyes of a kid and the eyes of a woman. Joss grows through introspective thinking while Terpe sees life as more black and white. Right and wrong.
Phil is the father/husband. At the beginning of Other Fires, this family of four’s house goes up in flames in the middle of the night. Phil sustains severe head and brain injuries landing him in the hospital and rehab for the duration of the story. When Phil is ready to see people, he swears Joss is not his wife. She’s an imposter. He remembers everyone else. This medical condition following an injury to the brain does exist. The choices Phil has made since Joss and he had the second baby girl very questionable, to say the least.
Other Fires is about how this family gets through this crisis. Adam is an electrician hired to work on the burned up part of the house. Adam is quite a character himself. He’s a bachelor living alone.
The thing about this book is how well the characters are written. You meet them for the first time when their first chapter appears. It’s natural to form an opinion as each character develops. All the characters are very complex.
Each character comes to life on their own and as seen through the other characters. Terpe tells about her friends. Joss, her mom, has a surprisingly different take on these friends. Adam, on his own, comes off as slow. Surprisingly, he is a different person when he meets Joss. It seems every chapter has something surprising in it.
I found this book stunning. The saying don't judge a book by its cover is the only way to describe this book. A love story. A tragedy. Very unpredictable and suspenseful.
Terpe is a third-grade girl. The older of two children in this family. The other child is a baby girl. Terpe and her mother Joss are the main characters. This book tells their story through the eyes of a kid and the eyes of a woman. Joss grows through introspective thinking while Terpe sees life as more black and white. Right and wrong.
Phil is the father/husband. At the beginning of Other Fires, this family of four’s house goes up in flames in the middle of the night. Phil sustains severe head and brain injuries landing him in the hospital and rehab for the duration of the story. When Phil is ready to see people, he swears Joss is not his wife. She’s an imposter. He remembers everyone else. This medical condition following an injury to the brain does exist. The choices Phil has made since Joss and he had the second baby girl very questionable, to say the least.
Other Fires is about how this family gets through this crisis. Adam is an electrician hired to work on the burned up part of the house. Adam is quite a character himself. He’s a bachelor living alone.
The thing about this book is how well the characters are written. You meet them for the first time when their first chapter appears. It’s natural to form an opinion as each character develops. All the characters are very complex.
Each character comes to life on their own and as seen through the other characters. Terpe tells about her friends. Joss, her mom, has a surprisingly different take on these friends. Adam, on his own, comes off as slow. Surprisingly, he is a different person when he meets Joss. It seems every chapter has something surprising in it.
I found this book stunning. The saying don't judge a book by its cover is the only way to describe this book. A love story. A tragedy. Very unpredictable and suspenseful.
October 10, 2020
When it comes to review requests, I'm fairly selective these days. On the surface, this story had many elements that appealed—mental health, a writer on a deadline, a marriage on the rocks—but I sensed quickly this would not fulfill its potential. While I was expecting a character study about a wife and mother with all these challenges in her life, it was anything but. It was sappy dramatics and a mediocre love story with another flat character and predictable drama. With alternating perspectives, it was unclear whose story it was and why, and the daughter's POV failed to connect in the least. Overall, while well-written, the story did not satisfy and I was left disappointed and mostly skimming after the first 75 pages or so. I kept waiting for it to pick up, but never did. Completely forgettable.
September 22, 2020
I had a difficult time getting into the book. I have to admit that I stop reading it after a few chapters. I found it depressing and somewhat unbelievable. I wanted to like it but it just wasn't my cup of tea.
October 20, 2020
My heart hurt. I kept thinking about these people. I felt sorrow for not only them, but the whole human race, every last one of us, flawed, hurting and thrust into lives and situations that we have no control over. Because each one of us is victim to our upbringing, our influences, the approval of others or just the lonely landscape we grew up in. I could empathize with each person in the book and although I ran the gamut of every emotion known to mankind, I still felt hopeful at the end, because while there's life, there's hope, and there's always another day and the possibility of another life waiting, if only we have the courage and fortitude to reach out and grab it. "Other Fires" will haunt me for a long time to come. You won't just read this book, you'll experience it, and be the better for it.
**I received a copy of this book from the publisher. My review is strictly voluntary.**
**I received a copy of this book from the publisher. My review is strictly voluntary.**
August 31, 2020
Having a psychology background, I was intrigued by the premise of this book, namely the aftermath of a traumatic head injury on the individual and the family.
Rousted out of their beds by a fire, Phil, Joss and their two children flee their home, but not before Phil sustains smoke inhalation and a blow to the head from falling beams. For days afterward, Phil is intubated and kept in a medically induced coma while his life hangs in the balance. When he awakens, he does not recognize his wife. He was developed a significant long-term complication called Capgras Delusion. This condition is characterized by an inability to emotionally connect with people the individually knows while visually recognizing something familiar about them. The individual often thinks the other person is an “imposter.” Additionally, the marriage between these two was on rocky ground due to Phil’s infidelity. This is the dilemma the Joss faces as she attempts to plan for the future of her family. The story is told through alternating chapters featuring Joss, Terpe, her eight year old daughter, and a third character named Adam.
I have great respect for the commitment and courage it takes to be a professional writer. That said, I found that this author’s style was not a good match for me. I could not engage with the characters in any meaningful way; I just didn’t really care about them. Each one had a back story that explained their dysfunctional behavior, but the collective angst was too much. The dialogue felt contrived and mundane. The storyline unfolds in a stilted, fragmented manner. A quarter of the way into the book, I simply set it aside instead of forcing myself to continue reading.
It was clear to me that the author is very knowledgeable about the subject matter and has an appreciation for the psychological and social ramifications of chronic illness.
Rousted out of their beds by a fire, Phil, Joss and their two children flee their home, but not before Phil sustains smoke inhalation and a blow to the head from falling beams. For days afterward, Phil is intubated and kept in a medically induced coma while his life hangs in the balance. When he awakens, he does not recognize his wife. He was developed a significant long-term complication called Capgras Delusion. This condition is characterized by an inability to emotionally connect with people the individually knows while visually recognizing something familiar about them. The individual often thinks the other person is an “imposter.” Additionally, the marriage between these two was on rocky ground due to Phil’s infidelity. This is the dilemma the Joss faces as she attempts to plan for the future of her family. The story is told through alternating chapters featuring Joss, Terpe, her eight year old daughter, and a third character named Adam.
I have great respect for the commitment and courage it takes to be a professional writer. That said, I found that this author’s style was not a good match for me. I could not engage with the characters in any meaningful way; I just didn’t really care about them. Each one had a back story that explained their dysfunctional behavior, but the collective angst was too much. The dialogue felt contrived and mundane. The storyline unfolds in a stilted, fragmented manner. A quarter of the way into the book, I simply set it aside instead of forcing myself to continue reading.
It was clear to me that the author is very knowledgeable about the subject matter and has an appreciation for the psychological and social ramifications of chronic illness.
October 21, 2020
Lenore H Gay – Other Fires – Reviewed 9/25/20 – Read 8/29-9/2/20
He sees me, but tells me that I am fake, or is he faking?
Joss & Phil are from different backgrounds, but things just seem to click! Now years later and two children, things are falling apart. I know that he is cheating, but why? What happened? I am trying, but is he? So many questions, too many to answer tonight!
I hear Terpe, my oldest, yelling Fire! Fire! I answer, Ok, I am up! I tell Terpe to get the baby and take her outside, where is your father? Terpe tells me that he is still upstairs. I run upstairs and find Phil asleep on the pullout bed. Phil, for God’s sake there is a fire, don’t you hear the alarms? Ok, Ok, I am coming. We start back down the stairs and I hear something crack and two boards hit him, causing him to fall to the floor with a scream. He is on fire when he hits the bottom of the stairs. I tell Terpe to get outside and start back to help Phil. On the way, I grab a throw rug so I can roll him to put out the fire. Terpe stops on the way out, and she calls 911, telling them we need help.
Terpe runs outside and puts the baby down on a blanket that she had wrapped her in and runs back inside to help her mom. Dad is big, weighing around 200 lbs., mom will not be able to get him outside by herself. Together they manage to get him out of the house just as the fire trucks arrive. They load dad into the ambulance, mom gets in with him, yelling at me to go to the neighbors, and get help from the O’Tooles.
And now the story begins…
What did I like? This was a very emotional and complicated story. I was enticed from the beginning. Unfortunately, this happens in more families than we want to admit too. When a couple falls in love, they are footloose and fancy-free. Then kids come along, the first one is fun and unique, but then the second one arrives, and all the fun is gone. The difficulties added to this story is amazing, without giving away the plot, I could see where it would have completely disrupted the family life, as compared to the beginning. Then when you add in the psychological aspect for Phil, you have a recipe for disaster.
Of course, and thankfully, this is not the norm. When you have a couple that has that loving nurture to them, it would be impossible for it to happen in their case. For the sake of children, we all hope that that nurture is in all families!
What will you like? As I said previously, this is a very complicated storyline that is incredible. The different emotional problems that the marriage spells out will have you hooked from the very first page. As the storyline goes, and you start seeing the other problems, your heart will break for everyone involved. I was completely unaware of the medical condition of Capgras Misidentification Syndrome, but after reading this book it shows you how something like this could happen. Makes you wonder if this has happened more times than it has been diagnosed?? Wonderfully written with lots of descriptions and details. You can tell Lenore knows her subject. This is an excellent read that will enfold you all the way through, it certainly has a very unexpected ending that shocked me. Never did I see that coming!!! This book will be available on 10/20/20, be sure to mark your calendar!
• File Size: 1796 KB
• Print Length: 259 pages
• Publication Date: October 20, 2020
• Publisher: She Writes Press
• ASIN: B083VXWWDL
• Genre: Women’s Psychological Fiction, Medical Fiction, Psychological Literary Fiction
He sees me, but tells me that I am fake, or is he faking?
Joss & Phil are from different backgrounds, but things just seem to click! Now years later and two children, things are falling apart. I know that he is cheating, but why? What happened? I am trying, but is he? So many questions, too many to answer tonight!
I hear Terpe, my oldest, yelling Fire! Fire! I answer, Ok, I am up! I tell Terpe to get the baby and take her outside, where is your father? Terpe tells me that he is still upstairs. I run upstairs and find Phil asleep on the pullout bed. Phil, for God’s sake there is a fire, don’t you hear the alarms? Ok, Ok, I am coming. We start back down the stairs and I hear something crack and two boards hit him, causing him to fall to the floor with a scream. He is on fire when he hits the bottom of the stairs. I tell Terpe to get outside and start back to help Phil. On the way, I grab a throw rug so I can roll him to put out the fire. Terpe stops on the way out, and she calls 911, telling them we need help.
Terpe runs outside and puts the baby down on a blanket that she had wrapped her in and runs back inside to help her mom. Dad is big, weighing around 200 lbs., mom will not be able to get him outside by herself. Together they manage to get him out of the house just as the fire trucks arrive. They load dad into the ambulance, mom gets in with him, yelling at me to go to the neighbors, and get help from the O’Tooles.
And now the story begins…
What did I like? This was a very emotional and complicated story. I was enticed from the beginning. Unfortunately, this happens in more families than we want to admit too. When a couple falls in love, they are footloose and fancy-free. Then kids come along, the first one is fun and unique, but then the second one arrives, and all the fun is gone. The difficulties added to this story is amazing, without giving away the plot, I could see where it would have completely disrupted the family life, as compared to the beginning. Then when you add in the psychological aspect for Phil, you have a recipe for disaster.
Of course, and thankfully, this is not the norm. When you have a couple that has that loving nurture to them, it would be impossible for it to happen in their case. For the sake of children, we all hope that that nurture is in all families!
What will you like? As I said previously, this is a very complicated storyline that is incredible. The different emotional problems that the marriage spells out will have you hooked from the very first page. As the storyline goes, and you start seeing the other problems, your heart will break for everyone involved. I was completely unaware of the medical condition of Capgras Misidentification Syndrome, but after reading this book it shows you how something like this could happen. Makes you wonder if this has happened more times than it has been diagnosed?? Wonderfully written with lots of descriptions and details. You can tell Lenore knows her subject. This is an excellent read that will enfold you all the way through, it certainly has a very unexpected ending that shocked me. Never did I see that coming!!! This book will be available on 10/20/20, be sure to mark your calendar!
• File Size: 1796 KB
• Print Length: 259 pages
• Publication Date: October 20, 2020
• Publisher: She Writes Press
• ASIN: B083VXWWDL
• Genre: Women’s Psychological Fiction, Medical Fiction, Psychological Literary Fiction
November 18, 2020
Joss and Phil's marriage has been in trouble since the birth of their second baby. Somehow, the pressure of working and raising their first child is doubled with the addition of the new child. When Joss finds out that Phil has been having an affair, she wonders if this is the last straw. Hurt and frustrated, she sends him to the guest room to sleep. When a fire breaks out in the night, he is the one who is injured. When he wakes up in the hospital, there is another issue. He doesn't recognize Joss at all, claiming that she is a stranger and wonders why she is there. To tell the truth, so does Joss.
Adam is a recovering alcoholic. He is a skilled electrician but it's been hard for him to keep a job while he was drinking. Sober now, he comes to Joss' house to help repair things after the fire. Somehow he and Joss strike up a relationship. Adam is also a dreamer and he believes he is meant to leave this town and make a whole new life somewhere else. He thinks that Joss will uproot her children after only a few weeks of their new relationship and follow him wherever the fancy takes him.
Terpe is the older child. She loves her father who has always treated her as his special child. She has been threatened by the arrival of her baby sister and is now unsure how she should regard her father. She saw him with another woman at the hospital and it is difficult to reconcile that image with the one of him as a loving father. She is also upset at Adam being in their house and assuming that he has rights to her mother.
Lenore Gay has written a novel that explores the family dynamic in strained circumstances. Infidelity is a cruel occurrence and those who shortsightedly rush into extramarital relationships seldom consider the hurt and tragedy they are bringing on those around them, especially their children. Gay's background is in sociology and rehabilitation counseling. This expertise is demonstrated as she explores the lives and viewpoints of these four people. The reader will sympathize with some of the characters while being frustrated at the blindness and singlemindedness of others. This book is recommended for readers of literary fiction.
Adam is a recovering alcoholic. He is a skilled electrician but it's been hard for him to keep a job while he was drinking. Sober now, he comes to Joss' house to help repair things after the fire. Somehow he and Joss strike up a relationship. Adam is also a dreamer and he believes he is meant to leave this town and make a whole new life somewhere else. He thinks that Joss will uproot her children after only a few weeks of their new relationship and follow him wherever the fancy takes him.
Terpe is the older child. She loves her father who has always treated her as his special child. She has been threatened by the arrival of her baby sister and is now unsure how she should regard her father. She saw him with another woman at the hospital and it is difficult to reconcile that image with the one of him as a loving father. She is also upset at Adam being in their house and assuming that he has rights to her mother.
Lenore Gay has written a novel that explores the family dynamic in strained circumstances. Infidelity is a cruel occurrence and those who shortsightedly rush into extramarital relationships seldom consider the hurt and tragedy they are bringing on those around them, especially their children. Gay's background is in sociology and rehabilitation counseling. This expertise is demonstrated as she explores the lives and viewpoints of these four people. The reader will sympathize with some of the characters while being frustrated at the blindness and singlemindedness of others. This book is recommended for readers of literary fiction.
October 20, 2020
Lenore H.Gay's novel 'Other Fires' is about loss, motherhood, passion, betrayal, and the different ways that these things can entangle and complicate our lives.
Joss is a writer, working on her second book and raising her two young daughters. Before the beginning of the story, she and her husband have some marital troubles when he is unfaithful. Phil is the husband of Joss and father of her daughters. At the beginning of the story, he is sleeping on the couch because his wife no longer wants to sleep with him. Terpe (short for Euterpe, because her mother has a PhD in Greek mythology) is their 8 year-old daughter. As plucky and inquisitive as any adult, she is bright for her age.
All three are sleeping peacefully in their house one night when it mysteriously catches on fire. Terpe smells the smoke first, and wakes her parents, grabbing her baby sister and rushing out of the house. During the family's escape from the inflamed house, Phil is caught under some falling boards and sustains a massive head injury. Thankfully, Joss and Terpe manage to pull him to safety but he remains in a medically induced coma for several weeks as they try to rebuild their lives after the fire.
When Phil finally wakes, he is subtly different in an alarming way. Because of the injury, he begins experiencing something called Capgras syndrome, a disease of the mind which makes the sufferer think that the people around them are deceiving them. Basically, he assumes that Joss has been replaced with a perfect impostor and no one can convince him differently.
This book is a whirlwind of intense emotion and character study. The author really created something unique and interesting, and she clearly did her research on the medical aspects. I highly recommend this one!
Joss is a writer, working on her second book and raising her two young daughters. Before the beginning of the story, she and her husband have some marital troubles when he is unfaithful. Phil is the husband of Joss and father of her daughters. At the beginning of the story, he is sleeping on the couch because his wife no longer wants to sleep with him. Terpe (short for Euterpe, because her mother has a PhD in Greek mythology) is their 8 year-old daughter. As plucky and inquisitive as any adult, she is bright for her age.
All three are sleeping peacefully in their house one night when it mysteriously catches on fire. Terpe smells the smoke first, and wakes her parents, grabbing her baby sister and rushing out of the house. During the family's escape from the inflamed house, Phil is caught under some falling boards and sustains a massive head injury. Thankfully, Joss and Terpe manage to pull him to safety but he remains in a medically induced coma for several weeks as they try to rebuild their lives after the fire.
When Phil finally wakes, he is subtly different in an alarming way. Because of the injury, he begins experiencing something called Capgras syndrome, a disease of the mind which makes the sufferer think that the people around them are deceiving them. Basically, he assumes that Joss has been replaced with a perfect impostor and no one can convince him differently.
This book is a whirlwind of intense emotion and character study. The author really created something unique and interesting, and she clearly did her research on the medical aspects. I highly recommend this one!
October 28, 2020
“During the hours she sat in Phil’s room, she sometimes tried to fit together the pieces of her own parents’ marriage while trying to create a map of some exotic place using the cracks in the ceiling as an outline of this new world of fire and injury.”
This book is about four characters, Joss, Phil, Terpe and Adam and the different ways that they connect, or disconnect after a devastating fire that shakes the foundations of their lives. The fire takes place in the house of Joss and Phil, who are married and Phil is badly injured by falling boards. After spending weeks in a coma, Phil wakes up and his doctors soon work out that he no longer recognizes his own wife. Joss feels many emotions course through her upon finding this out, but mostly anger as she and Phil had been near divorce before his injury and she now resents having to care for a man that cheated on her.
The couple have two daughters, the oldest being Terpe who is a headstrong, surprisingly intelligent child who takes it upon herself to discover how the fire in her house started.
Meanwhile, Adam, a local electrician is called upon to make repairs in the house. After meeting Joss, the two begin an affair based on mutual longing for company.
Joss must decide how she wants to move forward, whether she wants to leave Phil, be with Adam or something else entirely and all while finishing a book on mythology that is due in mere months.
I really appreciated the realism of the relationships in this novel. Lenore H. Gay perfectly writes the fraught situation between Joss and Phil, that, of course, gets much worse after his head injury. This is a book that gives the reader a bit of quiet contemplation and emotional attachment.
This book is about four characters, Joss, Phil, Terpe and Adam and the different ways that they connect, or disconnect after a devastating fire that shakes the foundations of their lives. The fire takes place in the house of Joss and Phil, who are married and Phil is badly injured by falling boards. After spending weeks in a coma, Phil wakes up and his doctors soon work out that he no longer recognizes his own wife. Joss feels many emotions course through her upon finding this out, but mostly anger as she and Phil had been near divorce before his injury and she now resents having to care for a man that cheated on her.
The couple have two daughters, the oldest being Terpe who is a headstrong, surprisingly intelligent child who takes it upon herself to discover how the fire in her house started.
Meanwhile, Adam, a local electrician is called upon to make repairs in the house. After meeting Joss, the two begin an affair based on mutual longing for company.
Joss must decide how she wants to move forward, whether she wants to leave Phil, be with Adam or something else entirely and all while finishing a book on mythology that is due in mere months.
I really appreciated the realism of the relationships in this novel. Lenore H. Gay perfectly writes the fraught situation between Joss and Phil, that, of course, gets much worse after his head injury. This is a book that gives the reader a bit of quiet contemplation and emotional attachment.
November 18, 2020
I received an advance copy to review. My opinions are my own.
This story was one that you were able to learn about each character as they each had their own chapters. Have you heard of "Capgras delusion"? This is a misidentification syndrome in which a person becomes convinced that a loved one has been replaced by an identical imposter. I first actually heard of this syndrome on an episode of SVU (the Mom had been in an auto accident and they diagnosed her with this).
It is a heartbreaking condition for the person as well as the people who love and surround them. Joss and Phil’s marriage is already shaky. But when Phil is diagnosed after the terrible fire, it makes Joss question why she is even trying.
I don't want to give any spoilers away, so I am trying to be careful how much I say about this book. This book made me feel emotional at times. I also now hope nothing like this ever happens to anyone that I love. I can't imagine having a family member who recognizes my voice but when they see me, think I am an imposter.
The struggles and distractions that Joss goes through make you really realize how important your family is to you. As you wouldn't wish what she is going through to anyone in your life, let alone yourself.
If you can handle a sad book or need a good cry, this book might be just what you are looking for. If you are looking for something to take your mind off your own situation. This book is for you.
Although I felt emotional during this book, it was one that I wanted to read whenever I had a chance. I think you will enjoy it too.
This story was one that you were able to learn about each character as they each had their own chapters. Have you heard of "Capgras delusion"? This is a misidentification syndrome in which a person becomes convinced that a loved one has been replaced by an identical imposter. I first actually heard of this syndrome on an episode of SVU (the Mom had been in an auto accident and they diagnosed her with this).
It is a heartbreaking condition for the person as well as the people who love and surround them. Joss and Phil’s marriage is already shaky. But when Phil is diagnosed after the terrible fire, it makes Joss question why she is even trying.
I don't want to give any spoilers away, so I am trying to be careful how much I say about this book. This book made me feel emotional at times. I also now hope nothing like this ever happens to anyone that I love. I can't imagine having a family member who recognizes my voice but when they see me, think I am an imposter.
The struggles and distractions that Joss goes through make you really realize how important your family is to you. As you wouldn't wish what she is going through to anyone in your life, let alone yourself.
If you can handle a sad book or need a good cry, this book might be just what you are looking for. If you are looking for something to take your mind off your own situation. This book is for you.
Although I felt emotional during this book, it was one that I wanted to read whenever I had a chance. I think you will enjoy it too.
September 26, 2020
This book was part of a #GalleyMatch for our Book Club. We were intrigued by the Capgras Syndrome mentioned in the synopsis. I was expecting it to be like a Lisa Genova novel that centers around characters dealing with a diagnosis and its effect on others in the family with a deep dive into the behind-the-scenes of the disease. Unfortunately, that was not the case.
Phil and Joss's marriage is in trouble. Joss has recently round out that Phil is having an affair and has sent him to sleep in the den. A fire engulfs their home and Phil is hit on the head by falling beams and knocked unconscious. Joss tries to grasp the enormity of the damage to their home, while caring for her daughters, and Phil's hospitalization. As he begins to regain consciousness, he doesn't recognize Joss and considers her an imposter of his real wife.
The whole book was extremely disjointed and the story didn't seem to flow at all. The conversations were stilted and awkward. The characters were unlikable. I wanted to feel sorry for Joss but just couldn't. Phil was extremely maddening and selfish. Even with his condition, I never once felt sorry for him.
It was actually quite a depressing novel that made me more angry than anything. The ending also left me completely unsatisfied. I would have abandoned if it wasn't for book club.
Phil and Joss's marriage is in trouble. Joss has recently round out that Phil is having an affair and has sent him to sleep in the den. A fire engulfs their home and Phil is hit on the head by falling beams and knocked unconscious. Joss tries to grasp the enormity of the damage to their home, while caring for her daughters, and Phil's hospitalization. As he begins to regain consciousness, he doesn't recognize Joss and considers her an imposter of his real wife.
The whole book was extremely disjointed and the story didn't seem to flow at all. The conversations were stilted and awkward. The characters were unlikable. I wanted to feel sorry for Joss but just couldn't. Phil was extremely maddening and selfish. Even with his condition, I never once felt sorry for him.
It was actually quite a depressing novel that made me more angry than anything. The ending also left me completely unsatisfied. I would have abandoned if it wasn't for book club.
October 23, 2020
When a tragic house fire occurs, the lives of 3 individuals, Terpe, Joss and Adam, intersect. Young Terpe awakens in the middle of the night to the smell of smoke. She is able to get her baby sister out safely, but her father, Phil, suffers a head injury before she and her mother, Joss, can pull him to safety. While Phil is in hospital, Adam,an electrician, enters their lives, when he comes to fix damage from the fire. He seems to be a loser, with his own ghosts.
Terpe, Joss and Adam all suffer some sort of psychological problems, stemming from their childhood. This is a story of their growth as individuals and coming to terms with their past.
The father suffers from Capgras misindentication syndrome, where a person sees a person, that they know, but can't relate to them and think they are a "fake" person, who is pretending to be the "real" person. I found this interesting, because it is similar to some people, with a certain type of dementia. My grandmother had atrophy of the brain, after a fall backwards down a flight of stairs, and would say to us, "Who are you?"
This is a powerful story, which will make you think, how different events, some uncontrollable and some not, affect a person.
Terpe, Joss and Adam all suffer some sort of psychological problems, stemming from their childhood. This is a story of their growth as individuals and coming to terms with their past.
The father suffers from Capgras misindentication syndrome, where a person sees a person, that they know, but can't relate to them and think they are a "fake" person, who is pretending to be the "real" person. I found this interesting, because it is similar to some people, with a certain type of dementia. My grandmother had atrophy of the brain, after a fall backwards down a flight of stairs, and would say to us, "Who are you?"
This is a powerful story, which will make you think, how different events, some uncontrollable and some not, affect a person.
November 10, 2020
3.5 stars
This is a hard review for me to write, but I’ll do it without leaving any spoilers. This is the first book I’ve read by Lenore H. Gay and I’m glad I read it, but I don’t know if I’ll read any more of her books. I wasn’t aware of Capgras Misidentification Syndrome when I read this book, so that was interesting to read about. This book left me with unanswered questions and I didn’t like that. We get chapters from each of the four main characters: Terpe, mature beyond her years, Joss, the mother, Phil, the dad, and Adam, hard to understand most of the time. I say read this book if you’re on the fence, but if you only read books with happily ever after endings, you may want to give this book a pass.
I received an advanced reader copy of this book and this is my voluntary and honest review.
This is a hard review for me to write, but I’ll do it without leaving any spoilers. This is the first book I’ve read by Lenore H. Gay and I’m glad I read it, but I don’t know if I’ll read any more of her books. I wasn’t aware of Capgras Misidentification Syndrome when I read this book, so that was interesting to read about. This book left me with unanswered questions and I didn’t like that. We get chapters from each of the four main characters: Terpe, mature beyond her years, Joss, the mother, Phil, the dad, and Adam, hard to understand most of the time. I say read this book if you’re on the fence, but if you only read books with happily ever after endings, you may want to give this book a pass.
I received an advanced reader copy of this book and this is my voluntary and honest review.
November 16, 2020
First of al I want to say I loved it. I occasionally have a hard time when I am reading and the book jumps POV but I must have been in the right mood as it didn't bother me a bit. This is a very character driven story line and you really get a feel for the authors background as a counselor as the characters have many layers to their personality and I found it very interesting to see how my opinion of them changed and developed through reading others interactions with them. If your looking for a Hallmark story with a happy ending this book is not for you, This is a story of a family in crisis and how they are dealing or not dealing with the situation they have found themselves in. If your looking for that white knight you will not find it here.
November 10, 2020
Other Fires: A Novel is my first introduction to the work by Lenore H. Gay. I thought it was a good read. It is one that toyed a lot with my emotions. It is not an easy or light read. I had to make sure I was able to sit for a bit alone to keep myself focused on the story. I was mostly engaged from start to finish.
I am giving Other Fires: A Novel three and a half stars. I would be interested in reading more by Lenore H. Gay in the future. I recommend other readers to pick this one up and give it a try.
I received Other Fires: A Novel from the publisher. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion.
I am giving Other Fires: A Novel three and a half stars. I would be interested in reading more by Lenore H. Gay in the future. I recommend other readers to pick this one up and give it a try.
I received Other Fires: A Novel from the publisher. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion.
July 28, 2020
Other Fires encapsulates the raw reality of being human, with dysfunctional characters ravaged by tragedy and hopelessness yet vulnerable to the kind of optimism that drives us all to just keep on going.
The reader unpacks multiple, interwoven storylines through the perspectives of these complex characters in ways that bring them to life on the page. There is a subtle brilliance in the details and a psychological depth that explores the question of “why are we the way that we are?”
This novel will have you turning pages quickly and leave you wanting more.
The reader unpacks multiple, interwoven storylines through the perspectives of these complex characters in ways that bring them to life on the page. There is a subtle brilliance in the details and a psychological depth that explores the question of “why are we the way that we are?”
This novel will have you turning pages quickly and leave you wanting more.
November 1, 2020
Chapters in this intense novel, full of short, tight sentences, are in alternating points of view, taking readers into the minds of numerous characters. Sometimes Gay creates a stream-of-consciousness flow that I found mesmerizing, seductive, and almost trance-like, which felt appropriate because one character is trying to recover from injuries sustained in a house fire while the others are trying to pick up their scattered, fragmented lives. The story feels both dreamlike and authentic.
September 28, 2020
Thank you to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Strange book, written in shifting POV but with no difference in the voices. Overall unlikable characters and weak plot.
Three stars because I did feel compelled to finish it although there was no satisfying closure or true denouement.
Strange book, written in shifting POV but with no difference in the voices. Overall unlikable characters and weak plot.
Three stars because I did feel compelled to finish it although there was no satisfying closure or true denouement.
November 7, 2022
Not sure what I would do if presented with a situation that Joss faces in Other Fires. An already struggling marriage, a fire, and then to be virtually unrecognized as who you are, an impostor, to your own husband. A lot to consider in this book, not just the core of the story, but the surrounding personalities and individuals. The real standout for me was Terpe, the young daughter of Phil and Joss. Struggling with her own isolation and quirks, experiencing her toughness beyond her years, and her ability to cope, is truly extraordinary.
An insightful look at a family confronted with tragedy and mental illness, I recommend Other Fires to anyone who enjoys reading about families and their experiences.
An insightful look at a family confronted with tragedy and mental illness, I recommend Other Fires to anyone who enjoys reading about families and their experiences.
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