Chasing Fireflies: A Novel of Discovery is another novel by Charles Martin set in the south with engrossing characters, frequent shifts in time and character and characters who are deeply mistreated but maintain grace throughout.  In Chasing Fireflies we have three stories:  Chase, who desperately wants to know who he is and whose he is, Sketch, an abused boy who is mute but communicates via drawing, Unc, who was framed and looted by his high-rolling brother Jack.

Chase narrates and seamlessly brings us between his memories growing up as Unc’s foster child and his current-day work investigating Sketch and his relationship with Unc and Unc’s niece Tommye who is dying of Aids.  I admired how Martin flipped between times and character focus.

Martin has a gift for making his characters come to life.  Unc is the most developed but we get a solid taste of Sketch.  Chase develops himself partly through his narration – some of which is self-pitying – and partly by his actions and observations of Unc and others.  We also see side characters like Jack, Unc’s wife Lorna, Chase’s friend Mandy.  Tommye tells her own story but it was the weakest of the bunch.  Her motives were unclear.

Chasing Fireflies has a very complex plot with lots of side journeys, some of which seemed a bit too much.  I did not understand why Unc, portrayed as a Christian man with deep grace, would have tossed a body into the river.  That seemed out of character and unnecessary.  We also heard at the beginning and near the end that evil brother Jack was after the last thing Unc owned, the Sanctuary in the middle of the 26,000 acres of swamp and timberland that Jack already extorted from Unc, but we never heard the pretext for the seizure.

The plot is melodramatic but still manages to be excellent.  I read this very fast one evening, then thought I may have missed something that would have clarified Tommye or Jack, so re-read it.  I hadn’t missed anything but the second time through I noticed a few plot and character false notes that hadn’t struck me as off kilter the the first time.

Chase’s constant refrain about wanting his Dad (no mention of Mom) and the aching hole he had as a foundling got a little tiresome.  The point of the book is family and belonging, but at some point we all have to face what is, good or bad.  Even those of us who grew up in loving families have aches in our hearts, it is part of life.

We see that Chase and Mandy are falling in love but their romance is a side conversation.  Martin could have explored that a little more, perhaps having someone to love would help heal Chase’s broken heart.

Overall I loved the book and will continue to look for books by this author.

This is a hard review to write.  I cannot do justice to this book.

Sarah Addison Allen came to prominence with her novel Garden Spells, about a family in a small southern town that is blessed with unusual gifts. Claire includes flowers from her garden in her catered meals, pansies to make children thoughtful, rose to remember one’s first love.  Claire’s sister Sydney left home immediately after high school and returns with a small child. Garden Spells ends with hope for both sisters.

First Frost takes place 10 years later.  Sydney owns a successful beauty salon, is happily married to Henry.  Daughter Bay is now a freshman in high school with the gift of knowing where everything is supposed to be.  Sometimes she knows where people are meant to be, and this gift is on overdrive the first day of high school when she sees Josh Matteson and knows immediately she belongs with him.

Claire began making candy infused with her garden flowers, at first for family, then neighbors with sick kids, then she got noticed by Southern Living and now cannot keep up with the candy demand.  She is married to Tyler and has a small daughter.

All the Waverly women and their families are facing the usual problems.

• Bay’s should-be Josh is popular and a senior, and his father is the Matteson who broke Sydney’s heart.
• Sydney’s receptionist Violet takes gross advantage of her kindness and doesn’t do  her job.  She also brings her darling baby Charlie to work where he stole Sydney’s heart.
• Sydney wants another child, a boy for Henry.
• Claire wants to quit the candy business and go back to catering, but worries about finances.

Enter a silver-haired older gentleman, Russell Zahler, a heartless ex-carnival performer and con man.  Russell is 80 nowbroke and looking for the easier scores, the fast in and out.  He knew Claire and Sydney’s mother years before and kept a photo of her with the children and another couple.

Russell tells Claire that she is really not a Waverly but the daughter of the couple in the photo and asks for a pay off to keep quiet.  Being a Waverly matters to Claire because she believes her skills and gifts are based on her family.

All Set Up for Resolution

Sarah Addison Allen’s genius is in how she builds out real people as she resolves these problems.  The characters do what they do best, act as they would every day and things just work out.

True, Sydney must help Josh and Bay but all she does is build a bridge, she doesn’t even put a sign up saying it is there.  Sydney’s relationship with Violet and Charlie works to its inevitable end, again based completely on Violet’s character and personality.

Claire works out what to do about candy vs. catering and handles Russell the same way she does everything.  She talks to Tyler and her cousin Evanelle and her sister and the decision suddenly is easy.

I am on Sarah Addison Allen’s email list for a reason.  I love her books.  They are hard to describe.  Southern?  Yes, but that’s trivial.  Romance?  A little, sure.  Suspense?  A tiny bit.  Normal contemporary fiction?  Yes it’s contemporary but there is no angst, no divorce, no miserable sins and lies.  Fantasy?  Nope.  Her books are all of these but so much more.  Truly excellent, well done characters you want to see be happy, interesting plots and a touch of magic.