Fire Year

Starred review from August 5, 2013
These seven funny, fearless outsiders’ tales set in Savannah and Atlanta—some depicting bygone orthodox Jewish communities, others the rife-with-irony “New South”—gravitate toward taboo. One preoccupation of Friedman’s Mary McCarthy Prize–winning debut collection is the breakdown of traditional mores, but its standouts specifically tackle pent-up sexual desire. In “Blue,” a bar mitzvah celebrant recalls the religious awakening inspired by a plate of veal parmesan that extinguished his “fascination” with men’s bodies; the narrator of “Reunion” finds himself pursued by a onetime high school golden boy, for surprising reasons both friendly and libidinous; and in “There’s Hope for Us All,” a curator discovers an erotic secret behind his latest art exhibition—and another in his personal life. Throughout, Friedman’s warm, lively voice and characters fluently convey the region’s contradictions and just-roll-with-it humor. (The narrator of “Reunion” notes the Confederate flag hanging alongside the American one at a hometown karate tournament, then quips, “The hospitality of Southerners is exaggerated.”) In other stories in which people wrestle with grave religious concerns, Friedman tunes his pacing and diction to the moral issues at stake. Strengthened by the diversity in subject matter, the through-line of sexual coming-of-age and temptation gives this volume a satisfying coherence.

November 1, 2013
Friedman's adept first story collection, winner of the Mary McCarthy Prize, evokes several weighty themesreligion, sexuality, coming-of-agewhile remaining grounded in the everyday culture and communities of its characters, many of whom find themselves on the outside looking in. Reunion follows the narrator, gay New Yorker Edward, as he returns to Savannah for his 25-year high-school reunion, where he struggles to feel any connection with his brother while being pursued by a former classmate. In All the World's a Field, Miriam's adult son, with whom she lives, demands that she no longer speak Yiddish, leading her into a self-imposed code of silence. The standout, There's Hope for Us All, follows Jon, an assistant curator at an art gallery in Atlanta, who is tasked with editing a catalog essay about an enigmatic, 500-year-old Italian painting. His work is put into flux when his boyfriend unwittingly uncovers a surprising discovery that challenges years of critique as well as their relationship. In a collection that marks its own territory, Friedman's seven tales offer a compelling exploration into shifting social norms.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)