Fire in the Blood by Irène Némirovsky - Book Review

Fire in the Blood is a recently discovered novella by Irène Némirovsky, written in French in 1941 before Némirovsky was killed in Auschwitz during World War II and translated into English by Sandra Smith. Fire in the Blood is a simple but well written story of village life in France before the war and the passions of youth. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a book that only takes a couple hours to finish, but that is packed full of insight, beautiful descriptions and a good story.

Suite Française became a bestseller for Irène Némirovsky when it was published for the first time more than 50 years after her death. You can imagine, then, that publishers were thrilled to discover another previously unknown work by Némirovsky--Fire in the Blood. Fire in the Blood depicts a French village, much like the village described in "Dolce," the second part of Suite Française. Unlike Suite Française, Fire in the Blood has no hint of war and is a complete work, making it a more satisfying, if less poignant, story.

Fire in the Blood read like a journal. The old, reclusive Silvio observes life around him with care, and shares his observations and perspective. The novella moves through approximately three years, covering highlights in the lives of his cousin's family including marriage, births, death and the revealing of secrets. What starts as a seemingly simple story of provincial life evolves into a page turner as soap opera like events unravel.

Because Fire in the Blood is a short novel, character development and details about the plot are minimal. Rather than detract from the story, however, I felt that the simple structure kept the book moving and allowed Némirovsky's contemplation on "fire in the blood" of youth to remain central.

I would recommend Fire in the Blood to anyone interested in stories from other time periods. It is a quick but thoughtful read, and would be great for book clubs or classes.