I felt like the symbolism just hits the reader over the head ... volcanos are unpredictable and completely destructive = lust also unpredictable and completely destructive and neither one can be stopped. I don't agree with the sentiment and I was disappointed that the excitement of the volcano eruption was nothing more than a larger than life metaphor for the main character's life choices. Well written but ultimately not engaging. ( )

I sort of slogged through the information about the volcanoes that began most chapters. Such a complicated story---trying to understand Mother Nature. I was wondering how on earth the book could end but the author probably came up with the only possible conclusion....very difficult. I could never live in earthquake prone areas that were known to have that potential....eg., California??? ( )

Icelandic Volcanology 101
Review of the Amazon First Reads Kindle eBook (Jan. 1, 2023) released in advance of the official Amazon Crossing paperback/Kindle/audiobook (Feb. 1, 2023) translated by Larissa Kyzer from the Icelandic language original "Eldarnir: ástin og aðrar hamfarir" (The Fires: Love and Other Disasters) (2019).

This isn't an amusement park, I say. Volcanic eruptions are some of the most dangerous and unpredictable events on earth, we have to show them respect. - the lead character attempts to debate the government reps on the Science Council who seek to monetize volcanoes for the Icelandic tourism industry.

"Volcanoes are boring. Eruptions are boring."
I recoil, it's like she's kicked me. - the lead character's young daughter voices her opinion about her mother's job in "The Fires".

[3.5]
I chose The Fires for my Amazon First Reads pick for January 2023. It was listed as a “disaster drama” and described as “heart-wrenching” in its promo synopsis. I’ve had good luck with Icelandic lit recently and also enjoyed an earlier translation by Larissa Kyzer (of Kristín Eiríksdóttir's A Fist or a Heart) so this was an instinctive choice.

My rating is a compromise as the book did deliver a very dramatic, and yes, a "heart-wrenching" conclusion. This was after about 60% of the book felt like reading a science essay about the history of Iceland's volcanoes though. Volcanologist Anna Arnardóttir's is Iceland's leading expert on its volcanoes and sits on its Scientific Council where she is battling against the government's interference. She is obsessed with her job and somewhat distanced from her family, an issue she worries about as she herself had a somewhat dysfunctional upbringing with her mother abandoning her and her volcanologist father. Her professional and personal lives reach a crisis when eruptions on the Reykjanes peninsula (the southwestern tip of Iceland, near to its capital of Reykjavik) signal an imminent disaster at the same time as Anna begins an extramarital affair.

See photograph at https://images.prismic.io/visiticeland/2abc8602-86f8-46d7-b7b2-78842a3f7061_Volc...
Iceland’s Fagradalsfjall volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula as it began erupting on March 19, 2021. Image sourced from www.VisitIceland.com.

This became a compelling read in its several final chapters, but the amount of Icelandic volcano history (which all seemed very well researched) was a bit overwhelming and somewhat repetitive. You begin to get impatient for the human drama to start. When it finally does, you can't stop reading. But how many readers will have the patience to sit through all of the earlier science lecture sections?

Trivia and Links
Amazon Prime First Reads advance reading copies (ARCs) are available to Amazon Prime subscribers. They offer advance reads of books in Kindle eBook format one month before the date of official release. The current month's selection is available here (Link goes to Amazon US, adjust for your own country or region). ( )