All her life, the only things Iris has heard about her father have been less than complimentary. All her life, she has been dragged along by her mother and step-father, chasing money and running from debts. Now that particular pursuit has led them back to England, desperate and hungry for money, back to Iris’s father who isn’t going to live for much longer.
Iris just wants to go back home. She has lost her only friend and isn’t interested in money or in the father she’s never met. However when Ernest starts to tell her his story, Iris’ feelings begin to change, despite the fact that there is nothing she can do; he is going to die and her mother is waiting like a vulture, ready to swoop in and claim the wealth he’s left behind. Or will she?
It is plain to see that a great deal of effort, creativity and imagination must have gone into writing this book, all 256 pages of it. Every single aspect felt unique, imaginative and creative, not to mention incredibly inventive. The use of flashbacks was fresh and interesting; it worked extremely well and didn’t feel choppy or disjointed. In fact, they really helped to progress the story and I felt they were vital when it came to advancing character development. There wasn’t an awful lot of description in this book, but I don’t think that was a disadvantage – it meant that a reasonable pace was maintained and allowed us as readers to really focus on the events taking place.
Each character had clear, distinct personalities: from Iris, a pyromaniac with a very insightful view of the world, to Hannah and Lowell with their sneaky and shallow personalities. Thurston was genius - bright, clever and philosophical - his opinions were refreshing to read about. I could also tell that Ernest really loved Iris and genuinely cared for her so much... sometimes I feel father-daughter relationships like that are hard to come by in YA novels these days.
Although, I’ll admit, in the beginning I found Iris quite cold and found it hard to connect with her. She seemed a bit disconnected from the reader and since the book is narrated in first person, it felt more like I was reading about her instead of with her. That being said, it didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the rest of the book. Towards the end, she was much easier to like. In fact, the ending was my favourite part. I didn’t see it coming at all! Then when it did, I just couldn’t stop smiling. The build up to it was great and so worthwhile. I won’t tell you what happened, so you’ll have to go read the book!
One of the main themes in this story was art, which worked really well. Art can be interpreted in many different ways and since a major element in this book was about discovering the other side of the story, it fit in really well. I enjoyed reading about characters who preferred appreciating art as opposed to creating it.
Essentially, this book is a fire. It started off slow and perhaps a little weak, but then it grew into something bright and powerful, dazzling and radiant. It showcases how money and material objects aren’t everything as they can be snatched away in instant; be it by the lick of a flame or sheer bad luck. Appearances can be deceptive and most things hold an inner layer, most things have something to hide. Therefore everyone deserves a second chance to show who or what they really are. Fire Colour One is sprinkled with clever humour and boasts witty narration. It is full of art and has a spectacular ending. I would strongly recommend it.
But people believe what they see. And mostly they see whatever is put in front of them, if it’s in their interests to believe.
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