Night of Fire

Thubron's (Shadow of the Silk Road) latest novel is built on the dying thoughts of seven tenants who perish in an apartment fire. The tenants, who include a priest who has lost his faith, a neurosurgeon, a naturalist, a drug-addicted photographer, an old man remembering his school days, a traveler- turned-invalid, and their astronomer landlord, each receive separate chapters and at first appear to be distinct characters recalling defining moments in their pasts. However, as the novel unfolds, listeners learn that each tenant's life story contains impossible coincidences: a mother who died young, a fascination with butterflies, and a brother with the same name, among others. These parallels suggest, although it is never confirmed, that the tenants are not distinct persons but rather aspects of a single person. As might be expected, some of the stories are more compelling than others. Narrator Michael Page was miscast; his overly posh and mannered delivery hinders enjoyment of Thubron's prose.