Burn by Heath Gibson

Published: August 8th, 2012

Publisher: Flux

Pages; 264

ecopy: Courtesy of publisher and Netgalley

Summary: Goodreads

All it takes is one spark.


William Tucker loves being a volunteer firefighter (maybe it's no coincidence that a pastor's son would enjoy saving people). And after he rescues his crush, Mandy Pearman, she undergoes a profound transformation for the better. In fact, it seems like a lot of good comes from the embers of tragedy in his small Alabama town. William may not be able to meet his father's expectations, force his mother to ditch the gin, or protect his gay brother, but for those who need a second chance at life, William isn't afraid to light the match--and become the hero the town needs.


Burn is a surprisingly good little gem that I hope does not get missed by readers.  When I first started it I was hesitant, not sure that it was my style, but it surprised me, got under my skin, and then blew my socks off with it's ending.  Can't say a lot without major spoilers, but WOW, I wasn't expecting it.

The main character, William is from a dysfuntional southern family that at times reminded me a little of the Beautiful Darkness series - minus anything supernatural.  He has a very self-deprecating sense of humour that was both sad and amusing and it's easy to like him as a character.  He is a good friend and he has a good heart, but all is not as it seems.  I wondered a little at why he started behaving the way he did, but really, with a family like his, it wasn't all that surprising - something had to break.

Burn is a short but very interesting  look at why we might be tempted to do something wrong, for the right reasons.  A compelling read.