The Fireman's Fair

In the aftermath of the storm of the century, Rob Wyatt, a thirty-two-year-old Charleston bachelor, finds himself assessing his life as well as his property damage. Life changes culminate at the annual Volunteer Fire Department Fair, as Rob's past and future collide in what could either be catastrophe or salvation.

"Shortly after Hurricane Hugo, Rob Wyatt—a divorced, 32-year-old Charleston attorney—takes note not only of the ruins within the city, but within his own life, as well. Discouraged by what he sees, he quits his job and allows the chips to fall where they may. His spirits are renewed, however, when he is asked to help a penniless (though captivating) 19-year-old Billie Poe out of an unconventional marriage. Though a number of characters are undeveloped and a handful of scenes are downright mawkish, the author's details of the social, physical, and architectural intricacies of Charleston and its surroundings are exemplary." Reviewed by Andrew Witmer, Virginia Quarterly Review (Copyright 2006 Virginia Quarterly Review)

Josephine Humphreys is the author of Dreams of Sleep, which won the 1985 Hemingway Foundation Award for a first work of fiction; of Rich in Love, made into a major motion picture; and of The Fireman's Fair (all available from Penguin).