Setting Fires - Tapa dura

So explains Annie Fishman Waldmas, who in middle age enjoys a fulfilling New York existence as a documentary filmmaker, wife, and mother of two. Life is good. And even if the whole Fishman clan -- Annie's siblings, her divorced parents -- shares a marked skittishness about family intimacy, they still remain connected, if only in the marginal way that's become the signature of modern living. Setting Fires is the gripping story of what happens when a pair of phone calls forever shatter Annie's contentment. The first brings news that Annie's country house in Connecticut has been destroyed by fire. Not just fire, but arson -- in an area where two other Jewish-owned buildings recently burned down. Bringing far worse news is the second call, notifying Annie that her father -- the family patriarch dedicated to overcoming a life of shame -- may be dying.In an era of introspective fiction, Kate Wenner's eagerness to explore societal issues, such as anti-Semitism, makes Setting Fires a startling, and singular, debut.

Kate Wenner's groundbreaking reporting at 20/20 on issues such as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Adult Attention Deficit Disorder led to new national awareness and legislation. She is also a print journalist whose work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine as well as in The Village Voice. Ms. Wenner lives in New York City with her husband and their two children.