Wolk, Lauren 1956-

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WOLK, Lauren 1956-

PERSONAL: Born 1956.

ADDRESSES: Agent—c/o Author Mail, Random House, 299 Park Ave., New York, NY 10171-0002.

CAREER: Nelson Canada, Toronto, Ontario, senior editor.

WRITINGS:

Those Who Favor Fire: A Novel, Random House (New York, NY), 1998.

Contributing editor for children's magazine Owl.

SIDELIGHTS: Lauren Wolk impressed critics with her debut novel, a romantic drama called Those Who Favor Fire. The book's title is taken from a Robert Frost poem and its setting, with the fictional name Belle Haven, is based on a real Pennsylvania town where uncontrollable, unpredictable fires in underlying coal mining shafts have forced most of the residents to leave the area. Wolk peoples her story with individuals who refuse to flee in the face of this peculiar danger and she imagines what life would be like in such a place.

The novel occurs more than ten years after the fires began. A few residents remain, including Rachel Hearn who has only recently returned to Belle Haven because of the deaths of both her parents in a car accident. Rachel is also leaving college before graduation, fleeing the memory of an abusive encounter with a fraternity member. In her hometown she meets a young man who is simply known as "Joe." He is also trying to escape an unhappy past, namely his wealthy family. Joe has learned that his father has long abused his twin sister. After finding a safe haven for her, Joe adopts a new identity and home in Belle Haven. The two characters are drawn to each and fall in love.

Rachel becomes something of a leader among the locals when a government agent tries to buy out the remaining homeowners. Guilt and grief have tightened the young woman's grasp on the security she finds in her home, even when Joe's trailer is burned and his dog is cruelly killed. Joe builds a nearby community for his neighbors and tries desperately to convince Rachel to leave Belle Haven.

Reviews of Those Who Favor Fire found many merits and a few flaws in the debut novel. In Library Journal, Starr E. Smith commented that despite some slow intervals the book's combination of romance, danger, and developing friendships "keep the often preposterous but entertaining plot moving along to a satisfying conclusion." Christian Science Monitor writer Merle Rubin also praised the author: "Wolk writes clean, well-crafted prose, and she paints an appealing picture of life in a small, close-knit community." However, Rubin found fault in two areas: first, that Wolk sometimes fails to flesh out details such as explaining Joe's father's behavior, and secondly, that Rachel's "pig-headedness becomes downright infuriating."

Booklist's GraceAnne A. DeCandido enjoyed Wolk's picture of small-town life and the relationships between characters, especially Joe and Rachel. "Wolk has made a ravishing love story in this lyrical novel," DeCandido wrote. "The fire scenes are horrific, the eroticism etched in honey and heat, all of the language supple and creamy." A Publishers Weekly reviewer commended the book's "engrossing plot" and "appealing characters," and likened Wolk's work to that of Shirley Jackson: "folk elements and environmental caveats combine with a subtle yet unrelenting sense of horror."