Title: Fire Conditions
Author: Thomas C. Malin
Genre/page length: Fiction, coming-of-age/268 pages
Date published/publisher: October 2024/Wisconsin Writers Association Press
Artfully written, tender story with plenty of suspense and surprises
While Fire Conditions by Thomas C. Malin is indeed a snapshot of two young brothers’ unconventional lives in the summer of 1958, it is so much more. This coming-of-age novel harkens back to when building a secret fort was every boy’s summer goal, and when kissing a girl was every boy’s dream (not that he would admit it!).
These thoughts and activities were front and center for 13-year-old Mike, but when his fire-enamored little brother Jimmy is kidnapped, Mike is plunged into the throes of a seemingly endless nightmare. The depth of Mike’s angst is further complicated by the fact that he takes looking out for his brother seriously. After all, the brothers had been deposited on their quirky grandmother’s doorstep for the summer, a strategy their parents concocted due to a need to sort out their mess of a marriage.
Malin deftly navigates the complexities of adolescence that in this story is punctuated by some amazing, unusual, and completely believable circumstances. For instance, the boys spend their summer living in a rustic room over their grandmother’s bar – a place where a cast of characters becomes enmeshed in the brother’s lives in positive and negative ways. Fireworks take place in every sense of the word. Love is given, taken, and given back. The author demonstrates to the reader that children seek love, approval, and forgiveness, and that with family love, what seems to be insurmountable can be surmounted.
This artfully written, well-paced and tender story also contains plenty of suspense and surprises, keeping the reader engaged throughout every chapter. The volume is sprinkled with engaging details of the era that will ring true for those who experienced the ‘50s in real time. I heartily recommended Fire Conditions for adult and mature adolescent readers.
Reviewer: Rebecca Hallie Swanson worked for 30 years leading communications in the arenas of health care, insurance, higher education, the arts and membership associations in the Twin Cities and Chicago. She is a member of Wisconsin Writer’s Association, the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets and the American Academy of Poets. Rebecca and her partner live in Northwest Wisconsin, where she devotes time to writing across genres, volunteering for her lake association, taming culinary challenges and planning new adventures.
