Signal Fires is a novel that explores the connections between two families who live on Division Street, a quiet suburban street in Avalon, New York. The novel spans fifty years, from 1985 to 2035, and shifts between different perspectives and timelines. The novel begins with a tragic car accident that kills a teenage girl and injures her two friends. One of the witnesses is Ben Wilf, a young doctor who tries to save the girl’s life.signal firessignal fires
The accident becomes a secret that haunts Ben and his family for decades. Many years later, the Shenkmans move into the neighborhood. They are a young couple expecting a baby boy, who they name Waldo. Waldo is a gifted and curious child who loves astronomy and philosophy. He befriends Ben, who is now retired and struggling with his wife’s dementia. Waldo also discovers a mysterious box in his attic that contains clues to the past. As Waldo and Ben grow closer, they realize that they have met before, in different times and places, and that their lives are intertwined in ways they never could have imagined. Signal Fires is a novel that examines the themes of family, memory, secrets, fate, and the nature of time. It is a work of haunting beauty and compassion by a masterful storyteller
About The Author
Dani Shapiro is an American writer who has published six novels and four memoirs. She is best known for her memoir Inheritance, which tells the story of how she discovered that her father was not her biological father through a DNA test, also the creator of a podcast called Family Secrets, where she explores the impact of hidden truths on people’s lives. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and son123.
Some of her novels are:
- Family History (2003): A novel about a family that falls apart after a tragic accident involving their teenage daughter.
- Black & White (2007): A novel about a photographer who returns to New York to confront her estranged mother, who used her as a model for controversial nude portraits when she was a child.
- Signal Fires (2022): A novel that spans fifty years and follows the lives of two families who live on the same street and are connected by a secret.
Some of her memoirs are:
- Slow Motion (1998): A memoir about her turbulent youth, her parents’ near-fatal car crash, and her affair with a married man.
- Devotion (2010): A memoir about her spiritual journey and her search for meaning in the midst of a midlife crisis.
- Hourglass (2017): A memoir about her marriage and the challenges and joys of growing older together.
- Inheritance (2019): A memoir about her shocking discovery of her true paternity and the implications for her identity and family.
Dani Shapiro is a talented and prolific writer who explores the themes of identity, family, secrets, and time in her works. She has been praised for her honesty, insight, and grace as a storyteller, has also appeared on various media outlets such as The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Today Show, and NPR. She teaches writing workshops and lectures at various venues around the world45.
