A book review: Incendiary by Chris Cleave

“You aren’t stupid.
You know there’s no such thing as a perfect mother.
Plenty of other books will tell you there is, but this one won’t lie to you.

I was weak and I cheated and I was punished, but my god I loved my child through all of it.
Love means you never break, and it means you’re stronger than the things they do to you. I know this is true because I have been through fire, and I am the proof that love survives.

I am not a perfect mother but I will tell you the perfect truth, because this is you and me talking.
This is my story.”

‘Incendiary’ takes the form of an extended letter, beginning ‘Dear Osama’ then revealing how the narrator’s four year old son and ‘copper’ husband were killed in a terrorist attack at Arsenal’s football stadium. While her husband and son were being blown apart, the narrator was involved in ‘something’ that would leave her utterly consumed by guilt.

For me, it is the simplicity of the storytelling that almost startled me into submitting to this remarkable story. The damaged but perceptive female narrator recounts events to Osama, struggling with her all-consuming guilt and grief. Chris Cleave does not shy away from taking the reader right into the heart of the moment. I was left feeling that I’d witnessed, tasted and experienced the devastation and the pleasure being described.

‘Incendiary’ is an incredibly beautiful story, but not in a clichéd or expected way. The narrative voice is raw, accessible and utterly convincing. I felt my throat grip, being moved by human weakness and despair and then I heard myself chuckling at the witty one-liners and honesty of person. I’ve said it before, but Chris Cleave has such a talent to capture the female voice. He manages it to perfection. His writing is sharp, offering a message to every parent longing and moaning for just one moment to themselves or for any wife longing for just one moment of excitement or pleasure. This woman, Cleave’s narrator, is left with those guilt-filled moments and with little else.

‘Incendiary’ is an utterly and devastatingly brilliant debut. I recommend it to you all.

You can buy ‘Incendiary’ here.