The Burning Side - by Sarah Damoff (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

"This one is special. It's a real challenge to write a compelling drama with such decent, self-aware and eminently likable characters. This novel reminded me of how much good still exists in the world. Highly recommend!" --Elin Hilderbrand

When April and Leo's house burns in the middle of the night, they escape with their two young children and the quiet knowledge that the fire is not the only thing threatening their family. They retreat to April's childhood home in Dallas, where her spirited parents and siblings provide both comfort and complication.

As the family reckons with the aftermath--grief, guilt, logistics, and memories scorched and intact--the fire exposes the cracks already forming in April and Leo's marriage. The novel unfolds in alternating perspectives: from April, who feels the crushing weight of motherhood, marriage, and self-blame; from Leo, a high school history teacher shaped by a lonely, fractured childhood; from Deb, April's generous and no-nonsense mother who has to contend with her husband's recent Alzheimer's diagnosis; and from flashbacks that trace April and Leo's relationship from its earliest days of connection to the devastating decisions that led them here.

A family saga suffused with humor, longing, and heartbreak, The Burning Side is about what we inherit and what we choose, about forgiveness and the ache of being known. It is, above all, about the meaning of home and the costs of long love.

Review Quotes

"[A] layered family saga... Damoff skillfully paints a picture of April and Leo's rich, complex marriage...in The Burning Side, family--however unwieldy and difficult--is too precious a thing to throw away lightly."--Bookreporter

"One of my all-time favorites...The Burning Side is just perfection. I feel more connected to all of humanity after connecting so deeply to this family--and feel honored to have spent time with these fictional souls."--Zibby Owens, Totally Booked with Zibby

"Following the breakout success of her debut, The Bright Years, Damoff continues to explore the interplay of the many relationships that make up a family with rare sensitivity."--Oprah Daily

"[A] heartbreaking tale of a family contending with its fractures in the wake of a devastating house fire...This will stay with readers."--Publishers Weekly

"Rich in poignant moments and nuanced characters...Damoff writes with lyrical precision, weaving fire imagery throughout the novel as both literal catastrophe and emotional metaphor. Her characters feel achingly real in their flaws and vulnerabilities...a compelling choice for book clubs."--Southern Literary Review

"A deeply human story about marriage, caregiving, and the fragile ways families hold each other together."--Maria Shriver's Sunday Paper

"Sarah Damoff has a rare gift for creating endearing characters who are recognizable human beings, flawed people striving to do their best for those they love."--Dallas Morning News

Praise for The Bright Years

"Sarah Damoff's debut novel, The Bright Years, carries the sensitivity and knowledge of her years of experience as a social worker...Damoff's careful approach to depicting alcoholism, and her expressions of what it means to love (and be loved) amidst the wreckage of addiction, set this tender novel apart."--Elle

"The Bright Years is more than just a good novel. It is so masterfully constructed and so sensitively, satisfyingly written that one finds it hard to believe it is a first novel. It contains all the realism of everyday life for millions of everyday people: passionate romance, betrayal, abandonment, survival and overcoming the odds. It's a family saga filled with heart and hope, pain and joy, love and grief."--Dallas Morning News

"In Damoff's heartfelt debut, which spans four generations, the impact of addiction is threaded tightly into a family's story. The novel examines the joys and sorrows of Lillian Bright and addresses a timeless theme: how alcohol decides what to destroy and what to leave alone."--People

"Unforgettable characters and life-affirming moments shine in this powerful debut novel."--Woman's World

"To attempt to tell a convincing love story at this late stage in the history of the novel is to set the bar ambitiously high, and yet Sarah Damoff somehow pulls it off twice in a single book, penning two thoroughly persuasive, interrelated relationship histories, each with appealing texture and depth...The Bright Years builds symphonically, polyphonically, reaching emotional crescendos and gliding into perfectly calibrated decrescendos that mimic the rhythms of real life."--Lit Hub

"The Bright Years is a dazzling, true-to-life depiction of adoration and damage, and the lovely ache of living as the pendulum swings between them."--Shelf Awareness (starred review)

"Outstanding...through Damoff's beautiful, at times almost poetic narrative, we see hope through the darkness, and how love--and forgiveness--can make us whole."--BookReporter

"Tender and heartbreaking, but ultimately hopeful...will make the reader feel like they are actually living through it alongside the characters."--Booklist (starred review)

"Social worker Damoff's heartfelt debut focuses on the impact of alcohol addiction on a family over four generations...This family drama rings true."--Publishers Weekly

About the Author