Notes on Surviving the Fire

Murphy debuts with a bold and complex thriller that tackles rape culture and academic bureaucracy with a pinch of Buddhist philosophy. After police dismiss the death of Sarah Commons’s best friend, Nathan, as an accident, Sarah decides to launch her own inquiry. The two were graduate students in a Southern California religious studies program, and Nathan became Sarah’s main supporter after she was raped by another man in their department. While investigating Nathan’s death, Sarah starts to wonder if his demise is linked with the many deaths documented in a memorial tunnel on campus, and begins to suspect her rapist might be involved. As she contemplates revenge, she draws on lessons from the religious texts she’s studying, as well as those she learned while hunting with her father as a child. Murphy traverses multiple genres over the course of Sarah’s investigation, dark academia, amateur detective fiction, revenge thriller, and social satire among them. Though the tonal shifts can induce whiplash, Murphy establishes a convincing sense of psychological realism while making salient points about the challenges women face in the aftermath of sexual violence. Readers seeking a tidy conclusion may be unsatisfied, but those in the mood for more challenging fare will be rewarded. Agent: Catherine Cho, Paper Literary. (Feb.)

Correction: A previous version of this review mistakenly referred to protagonist Sarah Commons as Susan Commons.