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As an everyday person, putting my untrained book thoughts out onto this site for no one in particular is a fun pastime to my daily life. That is until I find a 5⭐️ book that is just so good in a way I don’t know how to put into words, then I wish this was my job, and I was trained, instead of overusing commas and thinking “ugh YES, the writing maybe, or the characters, well, my feelings, THEIR feelings, just YES��.

Anyway, Morgan Talty brings remarkable life and reality to an otherwise somber and depressing story. In “Fire Exit��, Charles Lamosway has spent over two decades secretly watching his daughter Elizabeth grow up from across the river on Maine’s Penobscot Reservation. Burdened by a sick mother, an alcoholic best friend, and his own troubled past, he grapples with the decision to keep the truth of his relationship with his daughter a secret, until she suddenly goes missing.

Talty’s prose feels like stepping in Charles�� shoes and truly empathizing with his life. I felt so frustrated for him every time he found himself between a rock and a hard place because of someone else’s misgivings, lack of care, or ill-will. But I was also frustrated with Charles whenever he seemed to just let life slap him around. Ultimately, I just needed to accept the characters as they were and let the story flow. For me, what stood out the most is that this novel is a wonderful, powerful, and heartbreaking depiction of taking care of a parent with dementia. As Charles navigates his decisions involving his daughter, he takes care of a mother who often does not know who he is and increasingly refuses help. It reminded me of the high praise Anthony Hopkins received for his role in "The Father" (2020), where he played a man with dementia coming to terms with his changing circumstances. Both are done so well that you hope to never relate to the experience, but are grateful for the honest representation.

A brilliant debut novel, excellently narrated by Darrell Dennis. Once published (June 4), I think I will have to add the physical copy to my library. I very much look forward to reading more from Morgan Talty.

Thanks to Netgalley, RB Media, Morgan Talty, and Darrell Dennis for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.