Our Hearts Will Burn Us Down

by Anne Valente

Book Overview

One of Refinery29's Best Reads for October

One of Ploughshares Most Necessary Books for the End of 2016

The lives of four teenagers are capsized by a shocking school shooting and its aftermath in this powerful debut novel, a coming-of-age story with the haunting power of Station Eleven and the bittersweet poignancy of Everything I Never Told You.

As members of the yearbook committee, Nick, Zola, Matt, and Christina are eager to capture all the memorable moments of their junior year at Lewis and Clark High School--the plays and football games, dances and fund-drives, teachers and classes that are the epicenter of their teenage lives. But how do you document a horrific tragedy--a deadly school shooting by a classmate?

Struggling to comprehend this cataclysmic event--and propelled by a sense of responsibility to the town, their parents, and their school--these four lucky survivors vow to honor the memories of those lost, and also, the memories forgotten in the shadow of violence. But the shooting is only the first inexplicable trauma to rock their small suburban St. Louis town. A series of mysterious house fires have hit the families of the victims one by one, pushing the grieving town to the edge.

Nick, the son of the lead detective investigating the events, plunges into the case on his own, scouring the Internet to uncover what could cause a fire with no evident starting point. As their friend pulls farther away, Matt and Christina battle to save damaged relationships, while Zola fights to keep herself together.

A story of grief, community, and family, of the search for understanding and normalcy in the wake of devastating loss, Our Hearts Will Burn Us Down explores profound questions about resiliency, memory, and recovery that brilliantly illuminate the deepest recesses of the human heart.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0062429116
• ISBN13: 9780062429117
• Release Date: October 2016
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 1.22 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.2" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

interesting storyline, but written way too poetically

the description sounded really interesting, so i picked it up from a bargain book bin. the plot had potential for sure, but the way the book is written is a bit too much. i'm trying to read a story, not a poem or art project. i found myself skimming through pages to get to actual details. the ending was also a bit corny. unexpected (to a degree...), but corny nonetheless. not terrible because i was able to push through to get to the ending, but not something i would read again or recommend.