Why read Once in a House On Fire?

Book cover of Once in a House On Fire

Book description

Set in 1970s Manchester, ONCE IN A HOUSE ON FIRE tells the harrowing true story of three sisters and their mother, from the point of view of the eldest sister Andrea. They are a close-knit, loving family but are forced to battle with poverty, depression, and terrifying abuse at the…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Once in a House On Fire as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Paddy Docherty

Author

Having read Once in a House on Fire about twenty years ago, I was recently drawn back to the book by the memory of a beautifully told story of trauma and quiet triumph, and it was no less compelling the second time around.

As the author’s memoir of growing up in a poor family in Manchester in the 1970s and 80s—dominated by not one but two violently abusive stepfathers—it is powerfully and disconcertingly raw and honest, leaving the reader aghast and willing the youthful author to make her escape.

From Paddy's 3 favorite reads in 2023.