Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro - 4+ stars (BWF)

[Joy D]

Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro - 4* - My Review

Ben and Mimi Wilf are married with two children, Sarah and Theo. They live in the suburbs of New York. Sarah and Theo are involved in a tragic accident that changes the course of their lives. The Shenkmans live nearby. The lives of these two families intersect in two main incidents, one involving a birth and the other a death. Shenkman’s son, Waldo, is a socially awkward child genius who is obsessed with astronomy, which angers his father, who wants him to be like other “normal” kids. The storyline follows how these two families handle tragedy and conflict. The characters make mistakes and must deal with the aftermath.

The timeline moves back and forth between the years 1970-2020. Themes include guilt, interconnectedness, and many forms of isolation. It emphasizes the importance of confronting issues rather than burying them in layers of secrecy. It is a story of parenting, time, memory, and chance. There is more than a hint that science and spirituality can peacefully coexist within a single consciousness. It was easy for me to become absorbed in the story. I wish it had not included one totally unnecessary episode of sexual violence. It is sad but also offers hope.

PBT August BWF Extra S and tagged "5-stars" x9:
https://www.goodreads.com/work/shelve...

[NancyJ]

I really loved this book, even though I DNF’d it the first time I tried it. I’m so glad I gave it a second chance. I don’t remember what turned me off at first (maybe it was the topic you mentioned, or the Alzheimer’s topic). I ended up liking the Alzheimer’s part, I found it oddly comforting. I lloved her book Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love, which is probably why I gave this one a second chance.

I’m finding it easier to ignore sexual assault episodes in novels these days. First, I was desensitized by the sheer frequency of these accounts. Now I think it’s become a literary device to quickly inspire sympathy for female characters, or add grit to a book that might be seen as too light weight, or add a feminist veneer to a story.

I compare it to all the classic children’s books with orphans. I’ve always been a sucker for this trope, even after I learned that some authors used it as an artless device to make a character more sympathetic. I’m not quite as cynical as pretend to be. I still get angry at characters who abandon their kids.

[Joy D]

I have an aversion to sexual violence in books, especially when it could easily be left out and not affect the overall point the author is making. I tend to dislike books that dwell on child abuse for the same reasons.

I hope our society never becomes desensitized to these horrors.

I really hate it when they are used as plot devices (which was not the case in this book). I can't ignore it or "just skip it" as I'm often advised to do. I can skim, but it's difficult in audio format and it always affects my ratings. There are ways to handle it that do not sensationalize it and I admire writers who can do this. I also fault publishers for pushing for the inclusion of sex and violence in books, which I know happens (based on authors disclosing that they are pressured).