I read Fires Which Burned Brightly by Sebastian Faulks, one of my favourite authors (see my blogs on Snow Country, Paris Echo, Where My Heart Used to Beat and A Possible Life) in the heatwave in the shade by the beach at the end of June, having wanted to read it before finding it in my local train station book exchange.

This is an autobiography of sorts, a collection of reflections on periods of Faulks’ life before and after he became a writer. It’s fascinating to see the journey he has been on and to discover more about his experience of boarding school and his relationships with his much-loved parents and his brother. His relationship to alcohol is also laid bare, his drinking defended in an age where many autobiographies catalogue the negative impact that alcohol has had.

We accompany Faulks on his days of hitchhiking, early parenthood, and book tours being hampered by a fear of flying, getting a sense of how he fell in love with France and hearing of his struggles with mental health and how it has influenced his writing. We discover 1980s journalism, which seems completely incredible looking back on it now, explore the landscapes of war that led to his breakthrough bestseller Birdsong, and see what its like to see your book made into film or television, and to deal with grief.

All in all, this was like a long and fascinating dinner party conversation with someone whose writing I have always loved and would love to be able to emulate. A great read.