After the Fire

LoveReading Says

Beth and Nick meet in the first week at university, become fast friends and soon fall in love. But their happily ever after is derailed after a fire tears through their accommodation block in the first term, killing one of their flatmates.  

After the Fire by Charlotte Rixon charts the highs and lows of their relationship for the next fourteen years. The highs: Getting their degrees. Finding their feet in their careers. Finding love elsewhere. The lows: The bumps of new adulthood. Medical emergencies. Career changes. They remain friends throughout, but the timing for one or the other is never right to continue their love affair. 

Over the years, Beth becomes a successful (but sad) actress living in Los Angeles and London, injecting some much-needed glamour into the proceedings. Nick starts to work for a hedge fund, ending up overworked and rich (but also sad). 

The dual narrative structure—switching between Beth and Nick—allows the reader to take in the full picture. This clever device also means the story never gets stale. The novel doesn’t shy away from bigger issues, either, including hoarding and domestic violence, which are sensitively handled.

Much like the beloved novel One Day by David Nicholls, readers get to see all the twists and turns of their relationship through the years. The question of 'Will They or Won’t They Get Together’ hangs in the air for all fourteen years. You’ll have to read this lovely book until the end to find out what happens. 

Reviewed by Maureen Stapleton
Maureen Stapleton, a writer and journalist, has written for The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Radio Times, Heat, and many others.
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