How to Start a Fire

From the bestselling author of The Passenger, a novel about three college women who are united by a single night that shaped all of them that will “keep you captivated from beginning to end” (Town & Country) ¶ “Whip smart and cunning, deeply funny and profoundly moving . . . A knockout.”—Megan Abbott, author of The FeverWhen college roommates Anna and Kate find Georgiana passed out on a lawn, they wheel her to their dorm in a shopping cart. Twenty years later, they gather around a campfire at a New England mansion. What came between—the wild adventures, unspoken jealousies, and one night that changed everything—is the witty, poignant story of our strongest friendships, the people who know us better than we know ourselves. Anna is the de facto leader, as fearless as she is reckless. Quirky Kate is the loyal sidekick, until she’s pushed too far. And stunning George is always desired, but just as frequently dumped. How to Start a Fire pulls us into the tangled bond shared by three intelligent, distinctive, and deeply real women and pays homage to the abiding, irrational love we have for the family we choose. ¶“Lutz hits a home run in this glorious exploration of friendship.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) ¶ “Excellent.”—Chicago Tribune

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Published May 17, 2016

352 pages

Average rating: 6.67

3 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

AlexGJ
Aug 16, 2023
10/10 stars
Characters just compelling enough to make up for the messy structure. The time jumps were probably meant to be artistic and to allow for surprises/plot twists, but instead was just confusing and made the twists seem shallow. It's hard to track anything approaching character development when it's this jumbled. It made it hard to get emotionally invested.

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