On the face of it, Freya lives a gilded existence, dancing solely to her own tune. She has all the trappings of wealth and privilege, a responsible job as a surgeon specialising in skin grafts, a beautiful flat in a sought-after development, and a flash car. But it wasn’t always like this. Hers is a life founded on darkness.
Did what happened to Freya as a child one fateful summer influence the adult she would become – or was she always destined to be that person? Was she born with cruelty in her heart or did something force it into being?
In Fire, John Boyne takes the reader on a chilling, uncomfortable but utterly compelling psychological journey to the epicentre of the human condition, asking the age-old question: nurture – or nature?
Book Info: Print length: 176 pages. Publisher: Doubleday. Publication Date: 7 Nov 2024
My Thoughts
Fire is the 3rd book in John Boyne’s Elements series. I personally recommend reading them in order because some of the characters do overlap.
The story centres around Freya who we briefly met in Earth during the court case. She is a well-respected doctor who specializes in burns and skin grafts. She has spent her career building up a reputation as one of the best surgeons in this field.
Something traumatic and horrific happened to her in her youth, which has affected her in a very dark and disturbing way.
This short story of 176 pages is possibly the most disturbing of the series so far. It’s harrowing, uncomfortable and deeply traumatic.
This book is shocking. It probably should come with a trigger warning. The topics of child abuse, rape, and child sexual assault are covered throughout the book.
Another powerful, deeply disturbing story and I can’t wait for the final book Air in this series.
