Book Reviews: Where Wildfires Glow by Mutch Katsonga

Trigger Warning: The book reviewed in this post, Where Wildfires Glow by Mutch Katsonga contains depictions of abuse and violence. If you are triggered by such depictions or otherwise wish to avoid them, proceed with caution.

Well, everyone, my county has been through Hell the past week, but for the most part, we’re still here. In case you did not see in my previous post, a rapidly-growing wildfire has been devastating my neck of California, getting within twenty miles of my parents’ house. Fortunately, the fire has since changed directions and slowed down its growth, and our amazing firefighters have now brought it to thirty percent containment. Unfortunately, we’re not out of the woods yet, as made evident by the fact that my grandparents’ area is still under evacuation orders. Still, life goes on, and I am here to bring you another book review. Proving that the universe has a twisted sense of humor, today’s book is Where Wildfires Glow by Mutch Katsonga.

The grass is always greener on the other side. At least, that’s what they say. We always envy those who have more than us materially. We assume that because they have a good house, a nice car, and financially comfortable lives that they must not have any problems to complain about. Yet money or no money, all humans have problems and at one points, everything has to come to a head. Such is life at Resnik Manor in Mutch Katsonga’s Where Wildfires Glow.

State Trooper Elmer Reed is on the trail of a supposed stalker terrorizing hikers and campers. He has finally caught up to the suspect, and things are about to take a very bizarre turn. Instead of an adult creep, Reed has discovered a twelve-year-old runaway from one of the richest, best-known homes in the area, Resnik Manor. But who is this boy? If Resnik Manor is so well-off, why did he run away? Most importantly, what will become of him now that he has been caught by the authorities?

What unfolds is the heart-wrenching story of a poor boy forced, alone, into a very unfamiliar environment filled with lies, deception, sex, alcohol, and violence. Where Wildfires Glow follows this boy as he tries to adapt to his new life, survive mistreatment, and make sense of this complex, drama-filled family which has taken him in. While everyone, including his social worker, thinks that he is lucky to be taken into this world, looks can be deceiving. After all, everyone has skeletons in their closet just waiting to claw their way out into the open.

Regular readers of this blog might recognize Mutch Katsonga as an author I have reviewed before, first for Beyond the Spiral Gates and then for The Ghost Years. I have come to expect emotionally real, dark, and somewhat bizarre stories from this author, and I am happy to say that Where Wildfires Glow does not disappoint. That also means that this story is not for the faint of heart. Katsonga ensures to keep things just detailed enough readers to understand what is happening while not being overly-graphic. Regardless, the inclusion of child abuse, teenaged sex, and alcoholism is not censored or softened. They are represented in their full reality, something which sets Katsonga apart from and above other writers like him but might also cause more sensitive readers to steer clear of his works.

Where Wildfires Glow explores parts of society which are too often overlooked in mainstream works, including homosexual couples, single-parent families, and abused children. Better yet, Katsonga does not just make the characters stereotypes; he explores their individual personalities, making each character stand out as unique individuals. From Dave, the “Clark Kent” tutor, to Raven, the Gothic and rebellious teenager, and even the main character himself, each character clearly has their strengths, their weaknesses, and their vulnerabilities, some of which are puzzling until revelations are made later in the story. Yes, some character stereotypes are used—Raven in particular comes to mind here—but Katsonga turns these stereotypes on their heads and uses them as a way to critique how we view “different” people through a very shallow lens.

There is a lot of exposition and commentary on the lessons and emotions the character face in the narration. At first, I thought this would annoy me as I am usually a strong advocate for “show, don’t tell” unless the writing style calls for a different approach. In the case of this novel, it seems that the writing style does justify “telling” over “showing”. I soon found that the exposition and commentary enhanced my emotional engaged with the story and established a certain tone and much-needed backstory, and the story would not be the same without it.

Katsonga takes some chances in the writing style of this novel, in particular with trying to write a journal entry, in a transcript style for a radio show, and trying to record TV coverage of an event. I believe these risks paid off, although more so for the transcript and TV coverage than the journal entry. These experiments make the book even more realistic, especially in regards to how tragedies are covered, and most of the methods are executed surprisingly well.

My only real complaint comes from some proofreading errors in the copy I read. A few were more noticeable, such as a missing word here and there, but most were minor enough that only a perfectionist such as myself would notice. They do not detract from the overall quality of the work; I would just like to see better proofreading in today’s novels overall.

All in all, Where Wildfires Glow is a wonderful, if emotionally draining, read. The writing is brisk and easy to get through, making the 296 pages a quicker read than one would expect. Katsonga combines controversial topics with a creative, experimental writing style to create a gripping, emotional, and all-too-real novel. While some of the events in this book are extraordinary and make the book border on the supernatural, they also help make the story feel even more real as they highlight some of those feelings most common among humans: grief, loneliness, sadness, and, at the bottom of this Pandora’s box, hope.

You can buy Where Wildfires Glow by Mutch Katsonga on Amazon.

Do you know of any books I should read? E-mail me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com and let me know!