How to Start a Fire

Retail From a bestselling writer, a story of unexpected friendshipthree women thrown together in college who grow to adulthood united and divided by secrets, lies, and a single night that shaped all of them When UC Santa Cruz roommates Anna and Kate find passed-out Georgiana Leoni on a lawn one night, they wheel her to their dorm in a shopping cart. Twenty years later, they gather around a campfire on the lawn of a New England mansion. What happens in betweenthe web of wild adventures, unspoken jealousies, and sudden tragedies that alter the course of their livesis charted with sharp wit and aching sadness in this meticulously constructed novel. Anna, the de facto leader, is fearless and restlessmoving fast to stay one step ahead of her demons. Quirky, contemplative Kate is a natural sidekick but a terrible wingman (If you go home with him, might I suggest breathing through your mouth). And then theres George: the most desired woman in any room, and the one most likely to leave with the worst man. Shot through with the crackling dialogue, irresistible characters, and propulsive narrative drive that make Lutzs books so beloved, How to Start a Fire pulls us deep into Anna, Kate, and Georges complicated bond and pays homage to the abiding, irrational love we share with the family we choose. " How to Start a Fire will keep you captivated from beginning to end."? Town & Country "Excellent . . . Over the course of the novel we come to know intimately these three complicated women."? Chicago Tribune "Whip smart and cunning, deeply funny and profoundly moving . . . A knockout."?Megan Abbott, author of The Fever When college roommates Anna and Kate find Georgiana Leoni passed out on a lawn, they wheel her to their dorm in a shopping cart. Twenty years later, they gather around a campfire at a New England mansion. What came between?the wild adventures, unspoken jealousies, and one night that changed everything?is the witty, poignant story of our strongest friendships, the people who know us better than we know ourselves. Anna is the de facto leader, as fearless as she is reckless. Quirky Kate is the loyal sidekick, until she's pushed too far. And stunning George is always desired, but just as frequently dumped. Alive with Lutz's crackling dialogue and propulsive storytelling, How to Start a Fire pulls us into the tangled bond shared by three intelligent, distinctive, and deeply real women and pays homage to the abiding, irrational love we have for the family we choose. "Lutz joins the ranks of authors who write deeply and sensitively about the shadowy yet life-affirming terrain of female friendship."? Globe & Mail "Lutz hits a home run in this glorious exploration of friendship . . . [she] portrays three fully drawn, flawed, and compelling women with fresh insight into the mysterious terrain of female friendships?a mix of shared experiences, affection, empathy, jealousy, anger, and love."? Publishers Weekly , starred review From the bestselling author of The Passenger, a novel about three college women who are united by a single night that shaped all of them that will "keep you captivated from beginning to end" (Town & Country) ¶ "Whip smart and cunning, deeply funny and profoundly moving . . . A knockout."—Megan Abbott, author of The Fever ¶ When college roommates Anna and Kate find Georgiana passed out on a lawn, they wheel her to their dorm in a shopping cart. Twenty years later, they gather around a campfire at a New England mansion. What came between—the wild adventures, unspoken jealousies, and one night that changed everything—is the witty, poignant story of our strongest friendships, the people who know us better than we know ourselves. Anna is the de facto leader, as fearless as she is reckless. Quirky Kate is the loyal sidekick, until she's pushed too far. And stunning George is always desired, but just as frequently dumped. How to Start a Fire pulls us into the tangled bond shared by three intelligent, distinctive, and deeply real women and pays homage to the abiding, irrational love we have for the family we choose. ¶"Lutz hits a home run in this glorious exploration of friendship."—Publishers Weekly (starred review) ¶ "Excellent."—Chicago Tribune A trio of former college friends reunite 20 years later to share the stories of their adventures, rivalries, secrets and losses while reevaluating the events of a single night that shaped all of them.