Reviews with content warning for Grief - Signal Fires

I liked how the themes of family, grief, and trauma were explored through the different characters at various points in their lives, but I know this won’t be a very memorable read in the long run

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katiejohns's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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abbieday's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book is a beautiful, painful, and haunting look at how souls are entertained and how we as people exist in the universe with ourselves and one another. The exploration of what happens to us when we keep big secrets is so poignant. My favorite line/reflection: “his gratitude is so wide and deep that it feels, instead, like shame.” I liked Shapiro’s use of shifting narrator’s and timelines to piece together their stories and of course, I cried.

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serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Signal Fires is the story of two families living in the same suburban street, whose lives intersect in sometimes surprising ways. It’s a book that spans several decades, albeit in a non-linear fashion, and with much of the action happening off page. As a reader I felt the blurb for this one was misleading. The car accident isn’t really the focus of the story at all. Certainly it had ramifications particularly the impact of secrets and things not spoken about, guilt and regret. However, I was expecting this to be more fleshed out. What really impacted me as a reader was the character of Waldo, his obvious giftedness, his sensitivity, his wonder at the universe, the way his father struggled to connect with him, and the bond he and Dr Wilf forged with each other. Kids like Waldo always grab a piece of my heart. I enjoyed the character studies of the others also. There was a strong philosophical, spiritual element to this book, almost magical realism, and that didn’t work so well for me. It felt heavy handed and not well-integrated with the plot, almost emotionally manipulative. To me it was unnecessary - the details already in the novel were strong enough for the reader reach the desired conclusion, to see the author’s message, on their own accord.

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nickthebooktoker's review against another edition

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reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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onmalsshelf's review against another edition

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reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

This is my first read from Dani Shapiro, and while I've heard great things on her other works, it may be the only one I pick up.

Pulled right from the synopsis, I would like to examine the following, a "riveting, deeply felt novel that examines the ties that bind families together."

I do not think Shapiro was successful in sharing the how exactly the secrets from one night shattered lives and bound a families together. The idea and the writing had a lot of potential, but it all fell flat for me.

Each story line and character felt unfinished and underdeveloped. There was no real examination of the ties that bound Ben, Theo, Mimi, and Sarah together, it was just jumbled timeline jumps.

We don't know what drove Theo to go off on his own or what drove Sarah in her actions in her marriage. We found out more about Waldo and his love for constellations and Waldo's dad than the all of the first characters we were introduced to.

Nothing was riveting (completely engrossing; compelling.), nothing. While this was a quick read, there was nothing that made me feel engrossed in the plot or with the characters. Shapiro spent more time developing the Shenkman family and not enough time developing the Wilfs, whom we were supposed to be examining.

Things that would've helped my reading experience:
- at least one chapter from Misty's POV
- less time with Waldo, more time with Theo and Sarah
-expansion on the why behind some actions from Theo, Sarah, and Ben
- more time spent with Mimi before her diagnosis

and who is Misty Zimmerman?

Well that's a secret Dani Shapiro will never tell.

xoxo, you know you love me
Mal

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alaina's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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