Chasing Fireflies: A Novel of Discovery by Charles Martin

Chasing Fireflies: A Novel of Discovery by Charles Martin
Series: A Standalone
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (February 10, 2008)

REVIEW BY GWEN M. PLANO

Chasing Fireflies is ultimately a journey of self-discovery. Through the struggles of the impoverished but proud Southern family of Willie McFarland and the skill of author Charles Martin, readers are drawn into the pain associated with loss, shame, and disgrace.

A young boy is orphaned and handed over to multiple foster homes. Because of the cruelty he experiences, he does not talk and only communicates through a sketch pad. McFarland sees the child’s distress and takes him in. The old man says to the child, “Inside you is a thing worth putting on a pedestal—worth putting out there for all the world to see. That piece of rock might have been knocked around, roughed a bit, considered scrap, and thrown on the trash pile. . .but that’s only because they don’t know what’s on the inside. They can’t see like Michelangelo. I’m sorry for the hammer and chisel. I wish life didn’t work that way.”

Journalist Chase Walker is assigned to the boy’s case and soon realizes a common devastation. Like the child, he was in foster care as well. As Walker connects with the child and McFarland, he struggles with his own unknown past and ponders: Men spend their lives asking Who am I when the real question is Whose am I?

“The only monster you need to worry about in this life is the one that stares at you from the mirror each morning. You tame him, make friends with him, and the rest of life is nothing you can’t handle.”

“If God can make a firefly’s butt light up like a star, then anything is possible. Anything.”

-CHARLES MARTIN, CHASING FIREFLIES

Sometimes a story finds a place in your heart where it lives. Chasing Fireflies is one of those stories for me. It began slowly and somewhat confusingly with multiple timelines, but then it grabbed my heart, shook it, and didn’t let go. The writing was, at times, breathtaking. For example: “I ran through the ferns . . . the branches tearing at my chest like the arms of a jealous lover.” ~ “His body was rigid, every muscle a bowstring.” ~ “When she was just a kid, I used to call her my Band-Aid—cause she stuck to me and healed all my hurts.”

With themes of belonging, good over evil, redemption, and justice, this story has broad appeal. The characters are strong and unforgettable. And the narrative is original, giving the story a haunting and lasting quality.

I’ve given Chasing Fireflies: A Novel of Discovery four and a half fish because of the slow start, but otherwise it is a high-five for me.

I purchased the Paperback version of Chasing Fireflies: A Novel of Discovery.