The follow-up to Center’s breakout hit, How to Walk Away (2018), in which Cassie had a brief cameo, has all the hallmarks that made readers fall in love with the previous book: an appealing (if guarded, in this case) heroine, a compelling love story, a tear-jerking twist, and a thoroughly absorbing story. Cassie, who has spent her adult life avoiding romantic attachments, falls head over heels for the handsome rookie at the station. And then the worst thing in the world happens. Cassie reluctantly moves in with Diana and is forced to start over with a new fire department, one more sexist and backward-thinking than the one she came from. Now a firefighter in Austin, Cassie loves her job and her team until a run-in with the man who assaulted her on the night her mother left costs her both. So, a decade later, when Diana calls to tell Cassie that she’s lost her vision in one eye and asks Cassie to move across the country to take care of her, Cassie is anything but eager. Thanks.Cassie Hanwell has never forgiven her mother, Diana, for leaving her and her father on Cassie’s sixteenth birthday. Please feel free to use them, online and off, with attribution. How do both Cassie and Diana change? What do they learn about themselves and others?ħ, What might the book's title mean? What are the things you save in a fire? In a good novels, the main characters usually undergo change Things You Save in a Fire is no different. How would you describe Cassie's relationship with her mother? Do you blame her hesitancy to connect with Diana? What does Cassie begin to learn about herself that she has been suppressing for decades?Ħ.

In what ways are the Austin, Tex., and the Boston, Mass., fire departments different-both in procedure and culture? Talk about the challenges Cassie faces as the Boston crew's first woman?ĥ. What prompted her to forge a career in emergency rescue?Ĥ. Describe Cassie Hanwell's character, her background, and her flaws. ( Follow-up to Question 1) What does it take to be a firefighter, both physically and mentally? Is is something you could ever envision yourself doing?ģ. There are hundreds of memories within these simple things. These are the reasons why I would save the box of letters in a fire. Handwritten letters are personal, and it’s nice to know that someone cares. What surprised or intrigued you most? What about, for instance, the frequent pranks and jokes?Ģ. It’s comforting to know that someone thought of you and took the time and effort to write down something to tell you. Katherine Center's novel offers fascinating insights into the world of firefighting. We'll add publisher questions if and when they're available in the meantime, use our LitLovers talking points to help start a discussion for THE THINGS YOU SAVE IN A FIRE … then take off on your own:ġ.

Things you save in a fire