Review: How Fires End by Marco Rafala

/

Summary:

A dark secret born out of World War II lies at the heart of a Sicilian American family in this emotional and sweeping saga of guilt, revenge, and, ultimately, redemption.After soldiers vacate the Sicilian hillside town of Melilli in the summer of 1943, the locals celebrate, giving thanks to their patron saint, Sebastian. Amid the revelry, all it takes is one fateful moment for the destiny of nine-year-old Salvatore Vassallo to change forever. When his twin brothers are killed playing with an unexploded mortar shell, Salvatore’s faith is destroyed. As the family unravels, and fear ignites among their neighbors that the Vassallo name is cursed, one tragedy begets another.Desperate to escape this haunting legacy, Salvatore accepts the help of an Italian soldier with fascist ties who ushers him and his sister, Nella, into a new beginning in America. In Middletown, Connecticut, in the immigrant neighborhood known as Little Melilli, these three struggle to build new lives for themselves. But a dangerous choice to keep their secrets hidden erupts in violence decades later. When Salvatore loses his inquisitive American-born son, David, they all learn too late the price sons pay for their fathers’ wars.Written with elegiac prose, How Fires End delves into the secret wars of men; the sins they cannot bury; and a life lived in fear of who will reveal them, who will survive them, and who will forgive them.

Review:

Words can’t describe how beautiful this debut is. How Fire End sparks the light of a voice that shares the journey of a family’s requital of their sins bore from their past and the consequences of generational guilt leading to their atonement bringing their story full circle. The richness of the old and new Italian culture permeates through their voices placing you in a different time savoring every moment.

I loved the breakdown of the book from the different character perspectives. It brought something special that complemented the narrative of their experience from the past, present and future. I felt starting with David was so powerful because it brought to the crossroads the past and the present being the catalyst for atonement from the sins of his family’s past and the sacrifices the weight of guilt being relinquished at the history repeating itself. His wonderful storytelling kept me turning the pages slowly not wanting to rush because it was a story worth reading. Overall, beautiful writing and characters that you can become absorbed into, How Fire Ends was an outstanding debut. I’d recommend reading this one.