• How to Set a Fire and Why

  • A Novel
  • By: Jesse Ball
  • Narrated by: Emma Galvin
  • Length: 5 hrs and 32 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (66 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
How to Set a Fire and Why  By  cover art

How to Set a Fire and Why

By: Jesse Ball
Narrated by: Emma Galvin
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $13.50

Buy for $13.50

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

A teenage girl. A shattering loss. An obsession with a secret arson club. This is the story of a girl who has nothing and will burn anything.

Lucia's father is dead, her mother is in a mental hospital, and she's living in a garage-turned-bedroom with her aunt. And now she's been kicked out of school - again. Making her way through the world with only a book, a Zippo lighter, a pocketful of stolen licorice, a biting wit, and the striking intelligence that she tries to hide, Lucia spends her days riding the bus to visit her mother and following the only rule that makes any sense to her: Don't do things you aren't proud of.

But when she discovers that her new school has a secret Arson Club, she's willing to do anything to be a part of it, and her life is suddenly lit up. As Lucia's fascination with the Arson Club grows, her story becomes one of misguided friendship and, ultimately, destruction.

©2016 Jesse Ball (P)2016 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Jesse Ball began his writing career as a poet, which explains a lot. His novels Silence Once Begun and A Cure for Suicide are both spare and elliptical, frog-hopping from scene to scene, making stories that aren't plot-driven into page-turners. How to Set a Fire and Why seems to be no exception; it's told by a teenage protagonist who can't manage to stay in school in spite of her knack for seeing straight through to the truth that underlies things. She's a lovable misfit worth hanging out with." (Maddie Crum, The Huffington Post)
"Lucia is a seriously troubled teen girl, ready to burn it all to the ground, who has her world entirely changed when she discovers the Arson Club at her new school. Covering questions of morality, choice, and destruction, the novel hits a chord with the rebellious, feeling, overwhelmed teen in all of us." (Elena Sheppard, HelloGiggles)
"Jesse Ball has written an unforgettably memorable character in the pyromaniac Lucia, who anyone who was once a cynical teenager will recognize and relate to." (Jarry Lee, Buzzfeed)

More from the same

What listeners say about How to Set a Fire and Why

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    28
  • 4 Stars
    19
  • 3 Stars
    17
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    35
  • 4 Stars
    17
  • 3 Stars
    9
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    23
  • 4 Stars
    17
  • 3 Stars
    16
  • 2 Stars
    7
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Girl after my own heart, jaded sans pyro

Story was well laid out, I could see her world as she saw it. Perfect voice for the character also.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!