Tillmon County Fire

by Pamela Ehrenberg

In tiny Tillmon County, where it seems like nothing ever happens, a mysterious fire rocks the lives of the teenagers who live there. Who set the fire that night, and more importantly, who owns the reasons behind it? / As the story unfolds, the lines between truth and fiction, motive and happenstance, guilt and innocence blur. This novel-in-stories is told sequentially in the voices of its disparate cast of a frustrated adoptee, a gay teenager, a big-city kid who is new in town and wishes he were back in Manhattan, a pregnant store clerk, and a boy with autism who is more at the center of events than he imagines. / Pamela Ehrenberg's gift for compelling storytelling makes this a memorable and moving work of fiction for teenage readers.

Genres: Young Adult, Teen, Mystery, LGBT, Realistic Fiction, Queer, Adult

192 pages, Paperback

First published March 21, 2009

Reviews

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure what this book was supposed to be. I thought it was going to be a mystery, told in alternating voices of various characters. And it was, until a little more than halfway through. Then once you found out who set the fire, the suspense was generated by wondering if the person would get caught. But that was quickly resolved, and the rest of the story was anti-climactic, with the author revealing the effect (not all that much) of the crime on the characters. I really don't know what the postscript chapter was supposed to do, and found it boring. In all, I was disappointed with the book, though maybe someone else will see something in it that I missed.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't wait to read this book by my dear friend, Pam! I had the privelege of reading early drafts and I'm so excited to read the published version.

[ally ball · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read. The different perspectives allows the reader to see the multiple perspectives of individuals in their every day lives, which is something that we don’t think of often. We think of what we go through and sometimes know what others go through, but hearing something and hearing it in detail are totally opposite. Definitely recommend for every one to read because of the diversity and Appalachian setting.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems like fiction written specifically for teens (a relatively recent innovation in the history of literature) can all too easily be sorted into three categories: trashy junk reading (e.g. Gossip Girl and its many imitators), contemporary issue-based educational reading (books whose plots revolve around "after-school special" issues such as teen pregnancy, drugs, violence, being gay, poverty, race, etc.), and more traditional escapist fare (books about vampire clans, the future, historicals, etc.). I have to admit that those few teen-targeted books I've enjoyed in recent years tend to fall into that third camp, probably because these are the ones where the authors appear to be more committed to telling an engaging story than writing to some perceived market need.

Fortunately, while this book flirts with issues, like Ehrenberg's solid debut (Ethan, Suspended), it never surrenders to them, and thus remains an engaging read whose story never veers into the melodramatic, and whose characters feel like real teenagers. This may be due to author's Americorps experience, which exposed her to some of the cultural and economic struggles of small communities such as the fictional county this story is set in. Each chapter of the book is narrated by a different kid, all of whom are engaged in that essential American teenage act of trying to figure out who they are. Their combined stories trace the buildup to an act of arson directed at a gay character, and the arson's aftermath.

First we meet 18-year-old Aiden, who's recently found God and wants to make sure his community is worthy of His Blessings. Then there's Ben, the NPR-listening boy who never feels quite comfortable in his own skin, but can't figure out why. Next is Amelia, the adopted Chinese daughter of a pair of professors, who struggles with the stigma of being just about the only Asian person in the county. She's followed by her friend, Lacey, who is a cashier in her family's slowly dying hardware store and the bearer of a rather traditional secret. Next is Albert, the mentally disabled twin of Aiden's friend Jeremy. He has a hard time following what people are talking about most of the time. Then we meet Rob, a transplanted Manhattan teen with fancy clothes and a lifestyle that the county may not be ready for. Next is Jeremy, whose relatively lengthy section provides a lot of context for everyone elses' stories. We return to Albert for a brief moment before finishing up with Cait, a smart girl who's itching to get to college and get out of her one-horse town.

This all culminates in "The Trial" -- which brings the voices of all the kids together in one section (each kid's voice is represented by a different typeface) to provide the climax. Except that there's an epilogue by a woman who used to babysit Aiden, which delves back into his childhood to bring forth a traumatic event which may or may not be the cause of some of his psychological issues. The last piece doesn't work quite as well as the rest, and the book would be stronger without any attempt to explain Aiden's behavior. Still, it's a good, quick read that does a nice job of getting into the heads of teenagers in a way that's not lurid or melodramatic.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the different voices that spoke throughout the story and the way the author slowly revealed various aspects of Aiden's personality. However, I didn't find the bullying of Rob very realistic. His house is burnt down, but before that there's no hint of bullying problems in school.... given the mindset of several of the characters in the book, i think he would have had a lot of problems in school. So, well done, with depth, but not a completely realistic view of bullying.

From Booklist:
Ehrenberg’s latest is a challenging pastiche of stories, each told from a different teenager’s point of view, that chronicle the lead-up to and fallout from an arson incident in a small Appalachian community. With the very first story, readers will think they have it figured out: Aiden, a religious zealot in training, seems to bear all the marks of a potential sociopath. But everything in Tillmon County—and by extension, the world, Ehrenberg seems to suggest—is more complicated. The clues come out as characters cross paths, and it soon becomes clear that the arson has something to do with Rob, a new kid in town who happens to be gay; Albert, a “slow†kid who devotedly follows his twin brother; and Lacey, a pregnant store clerk who sells some lighter fluid. Using distinctive voices (and fonts) for each troubled teen, Ehrenberg’s gambit never seems like a gimmick—each of her characters lives and breathes, and though their own tangents may test the patience of some readers, it is precisely these qualities that make their sum total so gripping.

[Nance · Rating 3 out of 5]

A multiple perspective text that centers around the events before and after a small town fire. None of the characters like the small town in which they live but they all represents outcasts from the typical small town like. Rob is new in town from NYC and is gay. Ben has lived in the town his whole life but discovers he is gay through his interactions with Rob. On the night they were supposed to have a “sleep over” Rob’s house is burned down. Two kid—both out casts burn it down. Jeremy was looking to do something that mattered where the Aiden was looking to “punish” Rob for being gay. They don’t succeed by Jeremy’s brother does (although no one but the brother knows this for sure). Cait is also a loner who learns that she is not who she thought she was. Lacey sold the lighter fluid and had a miscarriage. There are so many subplots that it seems as though nothing is really studied in depth. I did enjoy the books multiple perspectives and styles but each of the characters were such loners that things did not connect as well as it could have. The struggle to find self is present; but the end seemed to blame bullying for Aiden’s actions.

[Meaghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good sophomore effort by author Pamela Ehrenberg, describing the story of an arson on a house in a remote Appalachian town, and how it affected the rest of the community. Although there were many narrators, each had a distinct voice and I had no trouble keeping track of them. I thought the voice and character of Albert, a teenager with high-functioning autism, was particularly well done. (I've got Asperger's Syndrome myself.) The author also made excellent use of the rural West Virginia setting -- so many YA books are set in a Generic Suburb Near You.

This is the first of Ehrenberg's books I've read, but her second published novel. I will keep an eye out for her other one and hope it will be as good as this one.

[Dodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ehrenberg gives readers a look at a seemingly simple-to-categorize group of teens from a small remote area in Appalachia in a unique format, with chapters alternating between each point of view, and each with a unique font or style. A lot happens in this slim volume, and the edgy secondary stories involving a teen's miscarriage, a mentally retarded twin, the break up of a marriage or being adopted, are guaranteed to appeal to a wide young adult audience, including reluctant readers. There is a steady element of suspense as the plot begins to focus on a fire which destroyed a gay teen's home, which will keep readers going til the end. Very appealing cover for teens, too!

[Wynnter Mcgee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tillmon County Fire is a book for people who like mystery books with a teenage flare on it. This book goes through the lives in the point of view of 5 teenagers who tell on account of what they know and or saw about the fire. A guy who is adopted, a in the closet (homosexual) teenager, a kid from New York who hates living in Tillmon and wants to go back to Manhatten, a pregnant store clerk, and a kid who has autism that tells things on what he imagines. They live in this town where nothing ever happens. Until this fire starts and now the whole town is wondering who started it and why?

[Robin]

I read this because my friend Pam wrote it. I love Pam, but I didn't love the book. I liked her first novel, Ethan Suspended, much better. Even though I can't support the subject matter (gay teenagers), TCF is told in an interesting, exciting manner. Multiple voices and fonts and styles. That's my best effort at a fair review.

[Enola · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the multiple voices and the feeling that the book was a snapshot of their lives centering on a significant event in their small town (the fire of the title). That said some of the characters were more developed than others, which was disappointing. The flow of the narrative from one speaker to the next was for the most part well done albeit predictable. A good discussion starter...

[Sarah Mae · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an ARC

When an openly gay youth moves to a small town in Tillmon County, WV, things change in unexpected ways. Told in alternating view points, this novel makes you think about the effects bullying and hate crimes.

[gwen g · Rating 5 out of 5]

My wonderful friend Pam wrote this YA book, and it is amazing. We're currently going back and forth so that Fiction Writers Review can be a stop on her blog tour this Thursday -- I'll post the link when it's up. Hooray for Pam!

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read for professional review.

[BCPL Youth Services Librarian]

link to book in BCPL's catalog

[Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lyrical and powerful. Highly recommended.

[Clint Heitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very intriguing book. Its realistic look at the struggles of teens really pulls the reader in, but it is a bit disturbing at the same time. This one will definitely make you think.

[Lizanell]

Very thought provoking, I enjoyed the format with each chapte being a different charavter

[Chris Jones]

This Is A Very Interesting Book I'm Only 3 Chapters In And I Can't Put It Down!!

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Multiple perspectives of an arson.