- One-Match Fie
- Paul Lamb
- Publisher : Blue Cedar Press (October 18, 2022)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 250 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1958728047
- ISBN-13 : 978-1958728048
- Item Weight : 13.1 ounces
- Dimensions : 6 x 0.57 x 9 inches
One-Match Fire is the story of love given and withheld among a grandfather, a father, and a grandson, and the Ozark cabin where they could usually find peace amid their struggles with each other. It is a saga of three generations. A late-in-life, reluctant father of an adoring son, learns he can atone for his own father's abandonment. A man who became a father far too young, adores his resistant son and feels inadequate in the role thrust upon him. A son distances from the father he has profoundly misjudged and hides a secret he fears to confess.
For three generations the family cabin had healed their hesitant hearts and subtly shaped their souls. It granted these men and boys a respite from the quarrels that pulled them apart, and gave them moments of unguarded love in many subtle guises. Their cabin had been a place of campfires and confidences, of stargazing and skinny-dipping, and of clandestine acts of love that echoed through lifetimes. A place of coming together and coming of age.
When their sanctuary must be sold to pay inescapable debts, each is certain this will fracture their brittle family forever. One-Match Fire is the story of relatable men living ordinary lives. But nothing feels ordinary to a man within his life.
This novel looks deeply into the extraordinary of the everyday. It is a story of three men who love each other but struggle to express it before it's too late.
I received a copy of this manuscript from the author for my honest review.
Review: One-Match Fire
I have found a sense of comfort in reading Paul's journaling!
A childhood memory of my dad handing me my first book on rocks and gemstones came to mind as I gazed at Paul Lamb's round rock that use to reside where his cabin now stands. I too have a fondness for balancing and stacking rocks, or stones, of different shapes and sizes.
Paul let me know that his novel, One-Match Fire, is about relationships between fathers and sons.
He notes it's a glimpse into the emotional lives of men and boys. It follows the story of a grandfather, son, and grandson and their cabin in the Ozarks.
I find this book is an incredible tale! The story speaks of simple things like the joy of watching a fire burn down, the comforting sound of rain on the metal roof, and the heartwrenching sadness of burying a beloved pet.
Moreover, the story quickly drew me in. It emphasizes aspirations and looks at the many ways we validate others by just being present with them and recognizing these cherished images often are burned into memory.