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A review by jacki_f
Fire in the Blood by Irène Némirovsky
3.0
This novel was discovered many years after Irene Nemirovsky's tragic death. It is technically unfinished, but not to the point where it cannot be read and enjoyed. The narrator is Silvio, aged in his 60s, who lives alone just outside a small French village. In his youth he traveled the world and had affairs, but now he regards that younger self as being so removed from him that it's almost as if it were someone else. He believes that "fire in the blood" is only for the young: living life with passion and disregard for the consequences.
The book takes place over a few years, as Silvio observes the actions of the younger people in the village. It is only towards the end of the book that we realise the secrets that connect them all.
It's a beautifully written story that develops at its own pace. You can almost see the village, smell the lavender, hear the insects buzzing, taste the rustic soup. It's a shame that the ending is as abrupt as it is. It's not that you're left wondering what was going to happen, but more that you feel cheated of having the ends neatly tied up. Nevertheless a lyrical, evocative read.
The book takes place over a few years, as Silvio observes the actions of the younger people in the village. It is only towards the end of the book that we realise the secrets that connect them all.
It's a beautifully written story that develops at its own pace. You can almost see the village, smell the lavender, hear the insects buzzing, taste the rustic soup. It's a shame that the ending is as abrupt as it is. It's not that you're left wondering what was going to happen, but more that you feel cheated of having the ends neatly tied up. Nevertheless a lyrical, evocative read.