I read 'Incendiary' by Chris Cleave. I was riveted by 'Incendiary'. I was moved and touched and amazed by 'Incendiary'. To fully describe my experience of reading this beautiful and also horrifying story, I will utilize the reaction of someone who did not share my love of this book. They stated that they found the writing to be choppy and somewhat juvenile. I will contest this claim with my own opinion as follows: I truly believe that I have never read a more powerful piece of literature.
The story follows an unnamed woman's life as it is torn apart by the senseless killing of her husband and son (in what is categorized as a terrorist attack in London, UK, in a football stadium). Her uneducated and somewhat simplistic, but brutally honest and viscerally emotional letter to Osama Bin Laden, detailing her life prior to and following this tragedy is heart wrenching and life changing. Her loss, on a variety of levels, is palpable in every word, every paragraph and on every page. The reader can absolutely choke on her pain as it is slowly revealed through her evident frailty. My heart broke as I imagined the sadness of this fictional character and then all of those women, mothers, and fellow human beings who lost loved ones in time of war; at home or overseas. This book is not for the faint of heart, but it is filled with heart, and I highly recommend it to all.
The story follows an unnamed woman's life as it is torn apart by the senseless killing of her husband and son (in what is categorized as a terrorist attack in London, UK, in a football stadium). Her uneducated and somewhat simplistic, but brutally honest and viscerally emotional letter to Osama Bin Laden, detailing her life prior to and following this tragedy is heart wrenching and life changing. Her loss, on a variety of levels, is palpable in every word, every paragraph and on every page. The reader can absolutely choke on her pain as it is slowly revealed through her evident frailty. My heart broke as I imagined the sadness of this fictional character and then all of those women, mothers, and fellow human beings who lost loved ones in time of war; at home or overseas. This book is not for the faint of heart, but it is filled with heart, and I highly recommend it to all.
