The Echoes of Trauma in A Slow Fire Burning: A Critical Review

Dr. N. Brindha¹, Ms. S. Hannah Ranjani²

¹Assistant Professor, Department of English, TDMNS, Kallikulam, Affiliated to Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Abishekapatti, Tirunelveli – 627012. 

²Research Scholar, Department of English, St. John’s College, Palayamkottai, Affiliated to Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Abishekapatti, Tirunelveli – 627012. 

Abstract

A Slow burning fire by Paula Hawkins deals with the point of view of five characters. Each of them deals with their own grief, trauma and abandonment. The novel begins with a map which is the setting of the novel and all the characters are connected to each other. Then the narrative directly jumps into a marvellously planned mystery, starting with a murder. Each character gives the reader more context and slowly builds a sad story that leads to something unimaginable. Daniel Sutherland is brutally murdered on his houseboat, and it turns out that those closest to him are inadvertently connected. Is it his grieving relatives, his socially awkward neighbor who spies from her windows or the woman with a criminal past that he meets at the pub? As the book moves forward while giving the reader glimpses into the past, everything becomes clearer piece by piece.