A finalist for the prestigious Carnegie Medal, this novel is a stunning tribute to fathers and daughters, and to the unique power of art to connect and change us.
Sixteen-year-old Iris itches constantly for the strike of a match. But when she´s caught setting one too many fires, she´s dragged away to London before she can get arrested. At least, that´s the story her mother tells. Soon Iris finds herself in the English countryside, where her millionaire father--a man she´s never met--lives. Though not for very much longer.
Iris´s father is dying, and her self-interested mother is determined to claim his life´s fortune, including his priceless art collection. Forced to live with him as part of an exploitive scheme, Iris quickly realizes her father is far different from the man she´s been schooled to hate, and everything she thought she knew--about her father and herself--is suddenly unclear. But there may be hidden beauty in Iris´s uncertain past and hopeful future, if only she can see beyond the flames.