#the needfire

After We Burned by Marieke Nijkamp (1st) A terrible accident. A horrible loss. A regrettable tragedy. That’s all anyone in Fenix can talk about when a fire consumes the local high school, taking the life of a student. The town mourns, except who really knew―let alone cared about―Eden when she was alive? And why was she in the building that night? Five teens each hold a piece of the truth about…

We have to talk about him, our problem child. :p

That is three times in a row in very different Rebecca itterations I’ve enjoyed Favell! What’s wrong with me? I could never stand the guy.

In Jamais Plus, = the theatre version earlier this year, he was more sympathetic, funny with his laid back poses, the song, the cap on his head, it is hard not to partly like him.

In the musical at Bruxellons! he was fassionable, flamboyant, creepy yet fun and he came across as actually caring about Mrs Danvers. As much as I adore Ich and Bea, what I care about above all is Mrs Danvers.

And he held her during the inquest and drove her home after, asking if she is okay. The time yanked her arm when her gaze and voice drifted off about Rebecca and the time he cut her off during questioning, it came across to me in this version more as a ... can you believe how gay she is? Got to get her out of her lesbian daydreaming.

Honestly in the musical her heartbreak look, when Max shouts that he does not care about what happens to the cupid, I want to send her a team of therapists. Why is the closest thing we get freaking Favell?

The Needfire by MK Hardy

It is another one for me to recommend ^^ That is 3 out of 3 Rebecca’s this year that I recommend. I love the variety these three very different incarnations of Ich and Mrs Danvers bring.

The stage version: friends

(that feminist finale, my heart is still cheering for what they did here. +the song, the sea, the curtains, the shoes...)

The musical: enemies?

Novel: lovers!

The Needfire, it’s... my birthday book. It arrived that very morning ^^ the day when it came out. I took it with me on my birthday for an Etan Mess and rum and family singing happy birthday while carrying a sparkling party fusee. In the evening I started reading. I drew it out for a few days because I love it so.

Onto the novel,

Soft Spoilers:

It is Scottish ^^ and Gothic.

Norah (Ich) is 32 and chubby, I love this. And I love her sketching.

Location is everything.♡ fog and sea

The language, sound and imagery are beautifully as I love them.

Gunn (our Mrs Danvers), Norah asks ”Mrs...?” ”Gunn.” and we leave it at Gunn without anything more. Yay!

Max is barely there, barely speaks: top points (also for how he is handled later, sweet!, but those would be hard spoilers)

Certain plotpoints are predictable, that is not bad or annoying, it was done in a charming manner.

I love every time Norah blushes.

I love Gunn being caring towards her from the start. Aaawe

♡ every time we watch Gunn take on heavy menial tasks from a very beautiful gay perspective provided by Norah.

”My lady” vs ”madam”, where do you stand with personal preferences?

So much TEA. Gunn’s first line even. It immediately put me in mind of ’put the kettle on’ in Keeping Mum and soon of My cousin Rachel as well.

Frank and Favell are one.

It’s Rebecca, without Rebecca. (But not as Rebecca did that.) Even less Rebecca. She is a tree now. ^^

I love scary tree horror ♡ branches, roots, violence, a favourite of mine since I was a child, I wrote bloody murder tree poems for fun, and as an adult I do like Mother Miranda.

In short I love Murder Tree and all the shadows♡, swirlplay ♡ and ghosts...

Mrs Danvers has a the Force voice now.

Whenever I feel like witnessing a Witchie Danvers I watch City of the Dead and now I can reread this too. ^^

More things this novel reminded me of:

It is very E.A. Poe in the house. Fall of the house of Usher mainly, (What moves the Dead by T Kingfisher too, love for mushrooms a.o.), mentioned are ”the tell-tale heart(beat)" and there is a ’’only this and nothing more’’ moment.

Rebecca, My Cousin Rachel,

A major plotpoint is very... de Baron 1898.

I am totally guilty of breaking into my vervain tea when this was over.