The Stars are Fire

The Stars are Fire (2017), a historical novel by Anita Shreve, centers on a lonely housewife who finds herself torn in new directions when her house burns down in a city-wide fire. Critics praise the book for its take on post-World War II women and for how well it captures the idea of personal growth. Shreve was a bestselling writer who taught high school English before writing fiction full-time; she once spent three years working as a journalist in Kenya. Many of her works became features films. In March 2018, she died from cancer.

The Stars are Fire takes place in Hunts Beach, Maine, during October 1947. The protagonist, Grace Holland, is married to Gene, a property surveyor. Together, they have two children: Claire, who is almost one, and Tom, who is a few months old. Gene doesn’t pay much attention to her and he neglects her sexually. She can’t remember ever enjoying sex with her husband; she prefers it when he’s on the road working. She focuses on her children to distract herself from an unhappy marriage.

One day, Gene comes home from work in a foul mood. Grace wants to placate him, not wanting him to frighten the children. She offers him sex, but this only angers him more. He assaults her, telling her that he doesn’t love her anymore. He only stays with her because he feels that he doesn’t have any other choice. Grace wishes he would just leave the family home.



Everything gets worse for Grace when she finds out that she is pregnant again. She feels that her fate is sealed; she will never escape from Gene. Gene insists on moving the family into his late mother’s seaside home. It’s bigger and it will be easier for him to ignore Grace and the children there. Grace, however, refuses to go anywhere.

Wildfires spread all around the state. The fires creep ever closer to Hunts Beach. One night, the fires reach the town, and Grace flees to her friend’s house with the children. Gene sets off to help fight the fire. Between stressing over the fire and worrying about Gene’s increasingly violent behavior, Grace miscarries; her friend, Rosie, consoles her.

The fires displace everyone. Grace loses track of Rosie and Gene. Her house burns down and now she must find somewhere new to stay. She moves in with her mother and another family. Rosie writes to her that she is heading for Nova Scotia to live with relatives. No one knows anything about Gene’s whereabouts.



Although Grace doesn’t love Gene, she needs his money; she is worried that he has abandoned the family. The only option is for Grace to find a job. One day, while she is out looking for work, she meets Aidan, an Irish pianist who sweeps her off her feet. They have a brief but passionate relationship before he leaves to join the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Thoughts of Aidan sustain Grace as she continues her job search. Eventually, the local doctor, Dr. Lighthart, takes her on as a secretary. This is Grace’s first job and it is not easy. It is a busy clinic and she is under intense pressure. She’s exhausted when she gets home at night, but she saves up enough money to buy a small car which cuts down her commute.

Day by day, Grace builds confidence, adjusting to single life. She’s a good mother to her children, and Dr. Lighthart gives her more responsibility around the office. However, the moment Grace stops thinking about Gene and his money, he walks back into her life. He spent the last few months in a coma and, now that he has been discharged from the hospital, he needs Grace to care for him.



Unable to work at the clinic anymore, Grace spends her life running around after Gene. He makes constant demands of her, and he shouts at any nurses who come near him. Even his own children find him terrifying. Grace knows that she must make a choice. She can either leave Gene and reclaim her independence or spend her life in a loveless marriage.

Gene makes Grace’s choice easy for her. He assaults her again and puts water in her fuel tank. She packs up the family, takes her car to the shop, and then heads northwards to Nova Scotia. She tracks down Rosie and settles into a new home close by. For the first time, her children seem happy and relaxed.

One day, Rosie suggests they head over to Halifax for a concert. At the concert, Grace sees Aidan again. He still takes her breath away, and she decides to take a chance on him. She makes her excuses to Rosie and waits for Aidan after the concert. When he sees her, he smiles and takes her hand. It is implied that they walk into the night together.