Book #258 of 2017:
How to Set a Fire and Why by Jesse Ball
The troubled teenage anarchist (and budding arsonist) at the heart of this story got under my skin in the best way. She’s so well-drawn in her roughness and her vulnerabilities, with her darkly biting perspective on life immediately distinctive and unforgettable. She’s a Holden Caulfield for a whole new generation, with less posturing and more focus on burning out injustice at its root. I think someone like Lucia Stanton would scare me a little in real life, but as a fictional character I just want to protect her and rave about her to anyone who’ll listen. I wish this book were longer, but it still gets my highest recommendation as is.
★★★★★
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