A Fire Story by Brian Fies recounts the effects of the 2017 California wildfires from the perspective of a family that lived it. The Fies’ lost everything. They fled with the fire knocking at their back door. Brian was among the handful who went back and valiantly tried to make a difference. Unfortunately, not even fire trucks made a difference. The description/ depiction of the aftermath was horrifying. Metal was twisted, plastics melted to puddles, and houses were vanished, leaving foundations and detritus to be shifted through. But only after the EPA deemed it safe. Thousands lost homes, and all documentation. They had to go through complicated processes to replace birth certificates, passports, SSN cards, etc., and fight to cancel gas/power/water services. That cartoon panel was hilarious with the facial expression changes. Reading about the fires, and seeing it via drawing, it was kinda hard. I’m terrified of fire. Where I live in CA we haven’t had a wildfire. We’re right on the coast. But they’ve been close enough that we can smell the smoke. And I work at an inn, so we housed fire victims who ended up staying weeks with us.

***Many thanks to Netgalley & Abrams for providing an ecopy in exchange for a fair and honest review.