Fire Colour One by Jenny Valentine

This book is brilliant. Like lots of the books that come from Lovereading4kids, it’s not something I’d normally read, plus I don’t particularly like Jenny Valentine as an author, but I was gripped from the first page. It is unbelievably compelling as well as thought provoking and clever. It addresses problems that are very relevant to everyone, and interesting to read, things which are normally skirted around; death, lies, love. The characters are huge, and are people you love to love, and love to hate, from the despicable and shallow MOTHER to the remarkable and inspiring Thurston. They are what really drives the story; the depth of the characters draw you into the story, and keeps you glued to the page.

The story is about Iris, who is troubled, to say the least. Hannah is addicted to spending, Lowell is addicted to fame, and Iris is addicted to something quite different, not a thing, not a drug, but to burning. Her world is complicated, and difficult, with quite enough to deal with without an absentee father writing from his death bed to ask for one last thing: to see Iris again, before he dies. Leaving behind everything that you know is always hard, whether it means anything to you or not, and it’s especially hard when everything you know contains the enigmatic genius that is Thurston Shaw.

This book has endless layers that unravel as the story continues, leaving you guessing until the very end. It’s sweet and thought provoking, with an extremely satisfying ending, and I’d recommend it to absolutely anyone.