emmascc's review against another edition
4.0
With the last season of wildfires being particularly awful, this book hurt even more.
eli5za's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
bibliobliss_au's review
4.0
In her Author’s Note, Helen FitzGerald says she set out to upset people when she wrote this disaster thriller. She believed the story should be upsetting. And she’s right. And it is.
I’m a little in awe of this book. It gripped me, it shook me and it made me feel so much. It’s fantastically written and paced with time-jumps galore, it’s atmospheric and an absolute page-turner. FitzGerald has used great skill to pack a whole heap of story and emotion into this short novel.
The rhythm of the writing took a little bit to settle in to. Things felt left unsaid and thoughts incomplete at first but the brevity of the language succeeds in building the pace as the reader rushes towards the impending disaster.
There are powerful and harrowing moments throughout this book - both in the present timeline and in the town’s dark past. I fought back tears and shook my head at times but loved the characterisation and depiction of small-town, rural life. Living in a community that is frequently bushfire-affected, this story hit hard but the pitch and story-telling is masterful.
Ash Mountain is an incredible read that evokes so much feeling, emotion and reflection. The pitch and story-telling is masterful. This is a story that will stay with me for quite some time.
TW: bushfire, child sexual abuse, suicide, rape
Thank you to the publisher for gifting me an advance review copy of this book.
I’m a little in awe of this book. It gripped me, it shook me and it made me feel so much. It’s fantastically written and paced with time-jumps galore, it’s atmospheric and an absolute page-turner. FitzGerald has used great skill to pack a whole heap of story and emotion into this short novel.
The rhythm of the writing took a little bit to settle in to. Things felt left unsaid and thoughts incomplete at first but the brevity of the language succeeds in building the pace as the reader rushes towards the impending disaster.
There are powerful and harrowing moments throughout this book - both in the present timeline and in the town’s dark past. I fought back tears and shook my head at times but loved the characterisation and depiction of small-town, rural life. Living in a community that is frequently bushfire-affected, this story hit hard but the pitch and story-telling is masterful.
Ash Mountain is an incredible read that evokes so much feeling, emotion and reflection. The pitch and story-telling is masterful. This is a story that will stay with me for quite some time.
TW: bushfire, child sexual abuse, suicide, rape
Thank you to the publisher for gifting me an advance review copy of this book.
noveldeelights's review
4.0
Helen Fitzgerald combines one of the most devastating events in recent times with a healthy dash of humour in Ash Mountain. It seems like this combination shouldn’t work but it actually really does. Just like in her previous book, Helen Fitzgerald tackles an incredibly serious topic but she does it in such a way that it doesn’t leave you wanting to curl up into a tiny ball under your duvet, lamenting the current state of the world. Even if it at times I chuckled and immediately wondered if it was an appropriate moment to do so or not.
Fran is returning to her hometown of Ash Mountain. She thought she’d escaped this small town with its claustrophobic atmosphere and judgmental residents. But when her father has a stroke and needs care, Fran begrudgingly returns. Not only is she faced with childhood memories, there is also the taking care of her father and falling in love. All this during one of the most unbearably warm summers in Australia and devastation is just around the corner.
I’m sure many of us remember the horrible scenes from last Summer when Australia was ravaged by extremely fierce bush fires. I can’t even begin to imagine what it’s like to step out of my front door and see nothing but a wall of fire and smoke but Helen Fitzgerald paints such a realistic, believable and harrowing picture that I almost felt like I was right there. Just take a look at that cover, which is an actual photo from a father taking a picture of his daughter watching the fire from their home. That photo and Helen Fitzgerald’s writing almost made me feel the heat, smell the smoke and sense just a tiny inkling of the panic that must course through people.
It’s not all doom and gloom though. Fran is one of those characters I instantly warmed to. With a high dose of humour and snark, she had no problems getting me onside from the beginning. Every character in this story came across as highly realistic and believable, which makes some of the harrowing choices and circumstances they find themselves in every harder to read about. Because you know this won’t end well. Just like it didn’t in real life. The final chapters are immensely tough and distressing, leaving me feeling breathless and as if someone had punched me in the stomach.
Ash Mountain is raw, it’s sometimes brutal but it’s also extremely honest and a terrifying portrayal of a disastrous reality. But you know, it’s witty too at times
Fran is returning to her hometown of Ash Mountain. She thought she’d escaped this small town with its claustrophobic atmosphere and judgmental residents. But when her father has a stroke and needs care, Fran begrudgingly returns. Not only is she faced with childhood memories, there is also the taking care of her father and falling in love. All this during one of the most unbearably warm summers in Australia and devastation is just around the corner.
I’m sure many of us remember the horrible scenes from last Summer when Australia was ravaged by extremely fierce bush fires. I can’t even begin to imagine what it’s like to step out of my front door and see nothing but a wall of fire and smoke but Helen Fitzgerald paints such a realistic, believable and harrowing picture that I almost felt like I was right there. Just take a look at that cover, which is an actual photo from a father taking a picture of his daughter watching the fire from their home. That photo and Helen Fitzgerald’s writing almost made me feel the heat, smell the smoke and sense just a tiny inkling of the panic that must course through people.
It’s not all doom and gloom though. Fran is one of those characters I instantly warmed to. With a high dose of humour and snark, she had no problems getting me onside from the beginning. Every character in this story came across as highly realistic and believable, which makes some of the harrowing choices and circumstances they find themselves in every harder to read about. Because you know this won’t end well. Just like it didn’t in real life. The final chapters are immensely tough and distressing, leaving me feeling breathless and as if someone had punched me in the stomach.
Ash Mountain is raw, it’s sometimes brutal but it’s also extremely honest and a terrifying portrayal of a disastrous reality. But you know, it’s witty too at times
mandylovestoread's review
4.0
For a book with less than 300 pages, Ash Mountain really packs a punch. It is an incredibly emotional, real and funny story set in a rural town in Australia at the height of summer .I will definitely be checking out Helen Fitzgerald's other books after reading this. Thanks to Affirm Press for sending me this surprise bookmail and putting it on my radar.
Single mum Fran returns to her childhood home to care for her father. Ash Mountain has never been a happy place for Fran and she never thought she would return. But she does, with her teenage daughter in tow. She has to face her past, with reminders and memories on every corner. Ash Mountain is full of big characters and secrets - huge secrets.
There is a bushfire headed straight for the town and all she can think of is saving her family. The story is told in multiple timelines and we learn about Fran's past and why she hates the town so much. But this time, Ash Mountain might not be so bad.
Single mum Fran returns to her childhood home to care for her father. Ash Mountain has never been a happy place for Fran and she never thought she would return. But she does, with her teenage daughter in tow. She has to face her past, with reminders and memories on every corner. Ash Mountain is full of big characters and secrets - huge secrets.
There is a bushfire headed straight for the town and all she can think of is saving her family. The story is told in multiple timelines and we learn about Fran's past and why she hates the town so much. But this time, Ash Mountain might not be so bad.
yvo_about_books's review
4.0
Finished reading: May 7th 2020
"This town is no more shit than any other place. It's just that when you live in a small town, you know everyone, you know their tragedies, and you feel their pain."
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
Spoiler
I keep hearing excellent things about Helen Fitzgerald's writing, and I just couldn't pass up on the opportunity to join the blog tour for her most recent title as the blurb of Ash Mountain simply sounded irresistible. The Australian setting, the bushfire, the combination of domestic noir and disaster thriller... Oh yes, bring it on! I was mesmerized as soon as I started reading and this feeling didn't go away at any point. Brazen, sharp and a dose of humor mixed with an emotional rollercoaster as well as a topping of danger... Without doubt a mind-boggling thriller sundae with a truly unique flavor, and something you shouldn't miss out on!
The first thing that stood out for me was the writing. It's my first experience with her style, and I must say that I'm a fan. The sharp and sometimes even snarky and self-deprecating humor added an interesting tone to this story that is part domestic noir and part disaster thriller. You get the best of both worlds as you learn more about the town and its inhabitants, while also knowing that danger is just around the corner... The bushfire really gave the story that sense of foreboding as you got to know the characters and wonder where they would be on the day of the fire and if they would survive... It also gave the story a sense of urgency and stressed the vulnerability of those characters.
I loved the structure of the plot. Not only do we have multiple POVs of different people in Ash Mountain, but we also have a lot of timehops and flashbacks to deal with. As the bushfire is basically the main event that affects everyone in town, each timeframe is compared to the day of the fire, going back days and sometimes years in the past. The story starts with a proper bang as Fran experiences the bushfire... I mean, the story is basically on fire from the very start! Afterwards, we get to see the events both days before the fire and 30 years in the past back when Fran was 16. Time and character hops keep you on your toes without being confusing, and it is truly fascinating to learn more about the people in town while only YOU know the threat that hangs above them. The sense of foreboding definitely added a healthy dose of suspense; the building up to the day of the bushfire was brilliantly done and it's easy to say that the story both started and finished with a bang.
The setting in the Australian outback is brilliantly described. The descriptions really made the small Ash Mountain town come alive for me and I loved the use of Australian words to make the story feel more authentic. The same goes for the thorough descriptions of the bushfire and its aftermath. I've heard of bushfires before of course, but I would never have pictured it this well without the brilliant descriptions of Helen Fitzgerald. The wall of fire, the smoke, the seemingly random path of destruction... An image of fear, helplessness and danger and very current after the terrible fires in 2019. I particularly loved the story behind the cover too, as it was an actual photo taken during those fires.
Ash Mountain also had a very interesting cast of characters and I had a great time getting to know them. Fran is the main focus of the story, and we can see her features both in the flashbacks as well as the present. That said, the story also shares multiple POVS to help you to get to know the people in town as well as learn more about several events in the past and present. The story furthermore includes difficult themes as child abuse, teen pregnancy, sickness and death, although the bushfire is the actual star of the show and its danger is omnipresent. The story does show that even a small town has secrets you can't run away from...
This book turned out to be a real firecracker! Unique, sharp and with that ominous feel, Ash Mountain is the perfect balance between domestic noir and disaster thriller set in a small Australian town. Highly recommended!
P.S. Find more of my reviews here.
thewanderingpaperbacks's review against another edition
3.0
Ash Mountain had a writing style that I hadn’t really come across before. It appeared to be scattery but captivating and it was told mostly from one point of view but across 2 different time periods; every now again a chapter was dedicated to another character to gain insight on different topics. When I finished this book, it didn’t really leave my mind. As the natural disaster the book is based on actually happened only in the last 12-18 months in Australia, it really made me think and it lingered for days later. The ending didn’t really give me any closure which sucked, I had plenty of questions and would have loved ever a chapter “10 days after the fire” but it did tidy everything up and turned the scattered bits in to something that made sense and clicked in my mind. I definitely would recommend this read, its not a light fluffy read by all means, its more emotional and rawer and touches on topics, even though it only hits the surface, that might be triggering for some people. Thank you to the team at Affirm Press for my gifted review copy. It was a beauty of a read.
staraice's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury and Child death
Moderate: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Child abuse, and Pedophilia
bantambookworm's review
4.0
Having read Worst Case Scenario last year, I am familiar with Fitzgerald's writing style, which blends humour and poignancy to create a story which really stands out and makes you think. Ash Mountain is exactly the same and I enjoyed it even more.
Fitzgerald's sense of place is wonderful. I've never been to Australia before but I could picture the setting in my mind as if I was reading the book there myself. Having grown up in a small town myself, I can relate to Fran and her desire to get away and her trepidation in coming back. These emotions were conveyed really well.
The small town setting gives Fitzgerald the opportunity to introduce us to a number of interesting characters. Although the novel is relatively short, I felt that each character had great depth and their motivations and emotions were explored in a lot of detail.
Fitzgerald explores some really important issues in Ash Mountain which will give the novel relevance many years to come. Themes such as sexuality, sexual abuse and death make this novel really poignant.
Fitzgerald's sense of place is wonderful. I've never been to Australia before but I could picture the setting in my mind as if I was reading the book there myself. Having grown up in a small town myself, I can relate to Fran and her desire to get away and her trepidation in coming back. These emotions were conveyed really well.
The small town setting gives Fitzgerald the opportunity to introduce us to a number of interesting characters. Although the novel is relatively short, I felt that each character had great depth and their motivations and emotions were explored in a lot of detail.
Fitzgerald explores some really important issues in Ash Mountain which will give the novel relevance many years to come. Themes such as sexuality, sexual abuse and death make this novel really poignant.
prdgreads's review against another edition
5.0
you’re going to roll your eyes because I’m going to say it again, I knew nothing about this book going into it and I’ve never read anything by Helen Fitzgerald before, but a friend of mine adores her writing and told me I had to give this one a go, and my god was she right.
The story starts off with Fran being woken up by the town siren, with nothing online to tell her why she goes in search of her daughter Vonny and realises that the emergency is a gigantic bush fire!
Fran has just begrudgingly returned to the small town she grew up in, her dad is ill and needs full time care, it’s not that she doesn’t want to care for her dad, she just doesn’t want to go back to Ash Mountain, straight away you get the feeling that she’s hiding something & I personally couldn’t wait to figure out what it was.
The book is told from too different timelines – the now, which obviously goes without saying is present day, and the then, which follows Fran at various stages of her life growing up. The background parts are integral to the story and they’re the chapters that hold the most mystery and really pack a punch!
The present day chapters and events lead up to the bush fire that puts everyone she loves in danger, will they make it out alive?
Will Fran figure out exactly why being in Ash Mountain makes her feel uneasy?
The joy of a thriller is all the twists and turns, trying to work out if you can figure out where the story is going and then being proved wrong over and over again, this story does that multiple times and I just couldn’t put it down.
The story starts off with Fran being woken up by the town siren, with nothing online to tell her why she goes in search of her daughter Vonny and realises that the emergency is a gigantic bush fire!
Fran has just begrudgingly returned to the small town she grew up in, her dad is ill and needs full time care, it’s not that she doesn’t want to care for her dad, she just doesn’t want to go back to Ash Mountain, straight away you get the feeling that she’s hiding something & I personally couldn’t wait to figure out what it was.
The book is told from too different timelines – the now, which obviously goes without saying is present day, and the then, which follows Fran at various stages of her life growing up. The background parts are integral to the story and they’re the chapters that hold the most mystery and really pack a punch!
The present day chapters and events lead up to the bush fire that puts everyone she loves in danger, will they make it out alive?
Will Fran figure out exactly why being in Ash Mountain makes her feel uneasy?
The joy of a thriller is all the twists and turns, trying to work out if you can figure out where the story is going and then being proved wrong over and over again, this story does that multiple times and I just couldn’t put it down.