We Are The Ashes We Are The Fire is the story of Em Morales and her struggles to cope with the verdict of her sister's rapist's trial. Em is angry and determined to make a difference with her words as a budding journalist. She makes several missteps using her social media platform to call out her sister's rapist and his supporters, and she actually makes things worse for her sister.
Part of Em's journey to process this traumatic event that has affected her whole family deeply is to make friends in Jess and Marguerite. Jess becomes Em's closest friend as Em begins writing the story of a legendary medieval warrior woman who sought vengeance against the men who killed her family and raped her sister, also known as Marguerite. Telling Marguerite's story becomes Em's sole focus and she makes several more missteps that get her into trouble, but she finds love, understanding, and a will to keep fighting along the way.
The writing in this novel is beautiful. It's smart, biting, and lyrical. It doesn't shy away from the tough stuff, but really forces the reader to be in the moment. It's also a huge plus that the story Em is writing within the text about Marguerite is also fantastic and Jess's illustrations are gorgeous. I was even more interested in reading the story within the story than the actual plot with Em at several points throughout the text. I think this was a really sophisticated novel that achieves its aims really well. I honestly believe this novel can help people understand the process rape victims and their families go through to achieve healing. It is a really strong piece of literature, and it shines light on such an important topic.
I would highly recommend this book to men and women alike. It's one I'll be thinking about for a long time to come.
Part of Em's journey to process this traumatic event that has affected her whole family deeply is to make friends in Jess and Marguerite. Jess becomes Em's closest friend as Em begins writing the story of a legendary medieval warrior woman who sought vengeance against the men who killed her family and raped her sister, also known as Marguerite. Telling Marguerite's story becomes Em's sole focus and she makes several more missteps that get her into trouble, but she finds love, understanding, and a will to keep fighting along the way.
The writing in this novel is beautiful. It's smart, biting, and lyrical. It doesn't shy away from the tough stuff, but really forces the reader to be in the moment. It's also a huge plus that the story Em is writing within the text about Marguerite is also fantastic and Jess's illustrations are gorgeous. I was even more interested in reading the story within the story than the actual plot with Em at several points throughout the text. I think this was a really sophisticated novel that achieves its aims really well. I honestly believe this novel can help people understand the process rape victims and their families go through to achieve healing. It is a really strong piece of literature, and it shines light on such an important topic.
I would highly recommend this book to men and women alike. It's one I'll be thinking about for a long time to come.