Jolly Reader Club: February 2023 – Signal Fires

February 2023 – Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro 

I’m a sucker for family saga stories, especially ones that span multiple decades and multi POV. In Signal Fires, you will meet the Shenkman family on a warm summer night in 1985 where a careless lapse in judgement will end in tragedy and lifelong held secrets. These painful secrets will affect the lives of the two children and their parents in unique and painful ways.

Weaving and connecting throughout the story is that of a neighbouring young boy, who is passionate about stars and the interconnectivity of our lives. 

Signal Fires is an introspective, quiet story that examines the ways in which our lives are connected not just with those alive today, but those that have passed. A story of grief, growing up, marriages, family ties, what we get right, what we get wrong, friendships, love, healing … the whole messy spectrum of human existence. For a short novel, it is packed with emotion, but as with all my Jolly Reads recommendations, it is a book that should leave you in a happier place. Filled with hope, perspectives, and maybe new resolutions. 

You can find Signal Fires here: Bookshop.org

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