A week before the accident that put her in a persistent vegetative state, Dryden's wife gave him a key. Now, four years after their accident, Laura is waking up. Kind of: she responds occasionally to questions and has been provided with a machine which she can type out words if she wants. It's a bit like an Ouija board, though, so the messages are often garbled. She now has a roommate, a woman named Maggie Beck, who is dying of cancer but wants to confess her sins to Dryden and to her daughter before she goes. Her confession dovetails with the break in a person-smuggling-and-porn ring based in the area. Dryden is stuck trying to figure out what the repercussions of her confessions mean to her family after her death. He is also trying to figure out what to do if his wife never actually wakes up. During all of his searches for good copy for the local paper, he compulsively tries his key on every lock he comes across. In the end, no one goes home happy, although there is some sense of contentment and commitment in some parts.This is not a story that will cheer the reader, nor likely bring tourism to the fens around Ely, but Dryden is an absolutely human and clearly-written character; one can't help but feel for him as he sleepwalks through his days, insisting that he's not a particularly good person.
This is the second book in Jim Kelly's series featuring Philip Dryden. I gave The Water Clock five stars, as I found it captivating.I'm not sure why I don't feel the same about The Fire Baby. The plot, while complicated, is legitimate and deftly played out. Philip Dryden is still a great lead character, and I still enjoy him. Kelly's prose still crackles with vivid and rich imagery, and his description of the Cambridgeshire Fens is wonderful. So what was the problem?My one word answer: bleak. This is not a happy book, and there is precious little in the way of a happy ending (although the last page is a gem in that respect). Everything in this book, from Dryden's personal life to the characters and events he encounters, is very negative, often tragic and sometimes twisted. I see why; there is a very strong and honest message in this book about how the choice made by one person can affect so many lives as a pebble falling into a quiet pond sends ripples in all directions. To make that point apparently required a very dark canvas.I will visit with Dryden again, though...it is very difficult not to care a bit for this character!
What do You think about The Fire Baby (2004)?
Rather depressing overall. Nothing good happens to any of the characters. The most annoying part for me is that it is filled with egregious errors about the US Air Force. Almost everything the author says about Air Force combat history, personnel, aircraft, uniforms etc. is incorrect. As an example the first Air Force character introduced is a major who has received a purple heart (the US decoration for being wounded in combat) in Korea. Since the Korean War ended in 1953 this character would have to be at least in his 70s (the book was published in 2003 and takes place around that time). There are so many other problems like this that could have been fixed by someone like myself in 30 minutes, I can't understand why this wasn't done. It would not have interfered with the story.
—Gary Van Cott
