The book begins alluding to a secret, an almost-eery one. And as you progress into Part I of the book, you begin to suspect that every person you meet will have one (or perhaps several). 'The Arsonists' City' echoes Khaled Hosseini's 'And the Mountains Echoed' with its phyllo pastry-thin layers of stories across continents, with each character at one point their own individual—with their own hopes and desires and shame—before connecting to other characters (creating family units) and giving part of themselves away. In the same way a murder mystery is so irresistable, so too are stories of families recovering an unknown thing they either lost or buried long ago.
What I loved most about this excerpt is the looming threat of heartbreak: you know you're about to be devastated as the secrets connecting this family intergenerationally begin to unspindle.
What I loved most about this excerpt is the looming threat of heartbreak: you know you're about to be devastated as the secrets connecting this family intergenerationally begin to unspindle.