The Burning Heart of the World

Kricorian’s fourth novel (after All the Light There Was), about the experiences of Armenian families, begins with Vera and her family all packed tightly in a car going to visit cousins in the country. Vera lives in Beirut where the 1975 Lebanese Civil War is starting, and as the novel unfolds readers see her growing up and going to school, having crushes on boys, and squabbling with her brothers, all while they have to hide out from shelling and shooting in the streets. Her family comes to the United States, and readers next see Vera as an adult living in New York City with her own family, which narrowly escapes grave danger on 9/11. The story also goes back in time to detail how Vera’s grandmother’s life was affected by the Armenian genocide. Readers will see the long-lasting effects of political violence and danger on a family.