And Fire Came Down

And Fire Came Down

A novel about the nature of family and belonging, and the grip our pasts can have on us.

Deaf since early childhood, Caleb Zelic is used to meeting life head-on. Now, he's struggling just to get through the day. His best mate is dead, his ex-wife, Kat, is avoiding him, and nightmares haunt his waking hours. Depressed and struggling with PTSD, he's stubbornly and frequently placing himself in unnecessary danger.

When a young woman is killed, after pleading for his help in sign language, Caleb is determined to find out who she was. The trail leads Caleb back to his hometown, Resurrection Bay. The town is on bushfire alert, and simmering with racial tensions. As Caleb delves deeper, he uncovers secrets that could ruin any chance of reuniting with Kat, and even threaten his life. Driven by his own demons, he pushes on. But who is he willing to sacrifice along the way?

And Fire Came Down reflects modern Australia through its diverse characters and themes such as the nature of family and belonging, and the grip our pasts can have on us, both good and bad. Viskic draws on her own experiences of growing up in outer suburban and small country towns to outline representations of the family unit – both can be supportive and suffocating in their unique ways. Racism and whiteness is challenged, and the influence of indigenous culture and its intimate knowledge of landscape is illuminated through the characters' trauma and healing in the novel.

Tense, gripping, and deeply reflective, And Fire Came Down is a stellar follow up to the award-winning Resurrection Bay.

Emma Viskic is an award-winning Australian crime writer. Her critically acclaimed debut novel, Resurrection Bay, won the 2016 Ned Kelly Award for Best First Fiction, as well as an unprecedented three Davitt Awards: Best Adult Novel, Best Debut, and Readers' Choice. Resurrection Bay was iBooks Australia's Crime Novel of 2015. She has also won the Ned Kelly and Thunderbolt Awards for her short form fiction.

A classically trained clarinettist, Emma's musical career has ranged from performing with José Carreras and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, to busking in the London Underground. Emma studied Australian sign language (Auslan) in order to write Resurrection Bay. And Fire Came Down is her second book. And Fire Came Down is supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria.

And Fire Came Down
Bonnier Publishing
Author: Emma Viskic
RRP: $29.99