Author: Hollye Dexter
Format: Ebook
Publisher: She Writes Press
Publish Date: April 14, 2015
Source: I received a copy as a part of BookSparks' Truth or Dare Blog Tour; however, this did not affect my review.
What's the Story?:
From Goodreads.com: "Hollye Dexter and her husband Troy woke one night to find their house ablaze. To escape the fire, they had to jump from their second-story window with their toddler son—and then watch their house and home-based businesses burn to the ground. Over the next two years, the family went bankrupt, lost their cars and another home, and got dropped by their best friends. As the outer layers of her life were stripped away, Dexter began to unravel emotionally; but then she found herself on the brink of losing her marriage, and she realized that if she was going to save her family, she would have to pull herself back together somehow.
As she fought to reassemble the pieces of the life she’d had, Dexter discovered that a shattered heart has the ability to regenerate in a mighty way; that even in the midst of disaster, you can find your place; and that when everything you identify with is gone, you are free to discover who you really are. Poignant and inspiring, Fire Season is a story for anyone who has ever lost hope—and found it again."
My Two Cents:
After Hollye Dexter and her family wake up to discover their houses on fire, all of their belongings are destroyed and they feel like they're losing all hope. This book is about the family trying to find hope again and trying to get back on their feet after it seems like their life has totally been destroyed. This is a memoir that is about family and about what it means to lose hope and to, more importantly, regain it.
The Dexter family not only loses their house in a fire but their social circle is shaken as the friends that they thought would be there and the family that they thought cared for them weren't necessarily there. This book meanders from event to event after the fire that takes their house to show how the family copes and how they try to rebuild their life. The part that really hit home for me is how the Dexter's family and friends acted after they lose their house. I've always heard that it's the most difficult circumstances that show you who your true friends are. It's those life changes where friends or family either rally together or fall away. It shows you who's going to be with you when the going gets tough and who is simply a fair weather friend.
Like I said this book meanders quite a bit and it covers a lot of ground, not just the fallout from the fire. I did find myself wishing that the book covered a little bit less and was a little bit tighter because they've meandering takes away from the story actually and makes some of the events feel unrelated to each other.
The writing is very honest and because the narrative meanders so much, the book almost feels like stream of consciousness. You really feel like you are getting into the authors head and we are getting a front row for everything that she and her family go through. Overall, this book is for those two cars that give you a front row seat to be unimaginable.
Sounds like a very emotional read....
ReplyDeleteKate @ Ex Libris