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by Kirk Glaser (Author)
Glaser's writing beautifully balances the uncanny atmosphere of the house's haunted memories and the devastating aftermath of the fire with moments of radical vulnerability, making the emotional stakes of the story deeply personal as this family turns devastating loss into a bridge for healing and insight. The House That Fire Built invites readers to walk through the fire of life with a wise, courageous practice in mind-to be a witness to our lives moment by moment and cross the threshold of suffering, no matter how painful that might be. This skillfully crafted collection of poems weaves a tale of resilience, redemption, and forgiveness that deepens our sense of humanity.
-Juan Velasco-Moreno, author of Massacre of the Dreamers
In an era when giant California wildfires often dominate the news, Glaser's shocking fire-and ghost-story is uniquely personal, so eerie that its haunting imagery and fearsome narrative are seared into my memory like a horror movie. Read it if you enjoy good poetry, and a good scare, knowing the hero survives: "Let be demon fire that saved us from a future / shadowed in nightmare." I feel certain that Edgar Allen Poe would have appreciated The House That Fire Built.
-April Ossmann, author of We
Compelling, accessible, and remarkably honest, The House That Fire Built is filled with stark, realistic poems that paint an intimate portrait of loss, family, and the ever-present need for empathy. Each poem maps out the human heart in relation to that larger earth heart, in all their internal conflicts, with precision and grace, imbuing the smallest human details with authenticity and layered meanings. Overflowing with vivid and accessible language, The House That Fire Built is both intellectually stimulating and emotionally engaging, reminding us of the beautiful complexities of being human.
-John Sibley Williams, author of Scale Model of a Country at Dawn
Part narrative mystery, part meditation on loss, trust and acceptance, The House That Fire Built toggles between literal and figurative fire with dextrous verse and vivid storytelling. As I read, I kept recalling the relayed dialectic early in the book-"Abundance. Futility. / What is wished for. / What is."-and how it informs so much of our experience. Glaser proposes, "After fire and dust/what is a life?" As I came to the end, I had my own questions: Can grief at once be caused by fire and be the fire itself? What are the true sources that ignite the fires in our lives? And where will asking such questions even lead? The beauty of this book lies in its awareness that wisdom is ultimately evidenced in our queries, not our decrees.
-Miah Jeffra, author of American Gospel
