Notes on Surviving the Fire

A razor-sharp, darkly funny literary novel about male violence, a woman's vengeance, and whether killing can ever be justified

By: Christine Murphy

Narrated by: Jesse Vilinsky

'Savage, brilliant, merciless and mad as hell' FINANCIAL TIMES
'A thriller's bones, a satire's glare, and a comeuppance story's anarchic spirit' NEW YORKER
'Lives up to the hype' SUNDAY TIMES STYLE

Nathan says he loves me because I let him see me, and he knows how hard that is. He appreciates that I let him in. I say I love him because he is not a dick, in a world full of dicks.

Sarah Common is a survivor. She survived the brutal Maine winters where she learned to hunt; she survived the petty politics of the university where she teaches; she survived the fact that her attacker escaped justice and still walks free around campus. Or at least that's what she tells herself.

Nathan was the only person who believed what happened to Sarah. And now Nathan is dead. For Sarah to survive once again, she must find out what happened to Nathan - and decide whether, this time, she should seek justice . . . or revenge.

More praise for NOTES ON SURVIVING THE FIRE:

'A seething, fearless story wound so tight I held my breath from page one. Brilliant!' - NATALI SIMMONDS, author of GOOD GIRLS DIE LAST

'Murphy writes with the nimbleness of a hunter: muscularly and with precision, while also propelled by undercurrents of cold, simmering fury and hot, big-hearted empathy.' - AUBE REY LESCURE, Women's Prize-shortlisted author of RIVER EAST RIVER WEST

'Furious, fast-paced, emotionally resonant and memorable. I'll be thinking about this one for a while yet.' - ILANA MASAD, Los Angeles Times©2025 Christine Murphy

Critic reviews

Lives up to the hype.

Savage, brilliant, merciless and mad as hell. (Suzi Feay)

Bitterly dark, full of vengeance and bite. A seething, fearless story wound so tight I held my breath from page one. Brilliant! (Natali Simmonds, author of GOOD GIRLS DIE LAST)

The novel's strength lies in Sarah's duality . . .The narrative is equally layered, with a thriller's bones, a satire's glare, and a comeuppance story's anarchic spirit.

A wild horse of a plot . . . Fiery on many levels . . . An author to watch.

A bold and complex thriller that tackles rape culture and academic bureaucracy with a pinch of Buddhist philosophy . . . Murphy establishes a convincing sense of psychological realism while making salient points about the challenges women face in the aftermath of sexual violence . . . Those in the mood for more challenging fare will be rewarded.

A furious, fast-paced, emotionally resonant and memorable novel. I'll be thinking about this one for a while yet. (Ilana Masad)

A biting, savage, unflinching story of how the culture of sexual assault is systemically tolerated and tucked out of sight into the dark corners of ivory towers. Part campus satire, part murder mystery, and most importantly a tale of formidable survival, Notes on Surviving the Fire asks: who among us is a perpetrator, and how do we keep on living once we know? Christine Murphy writes with the nimbleness of a hunter: muscularly and with precision, while also propelled by undercurrents of cold, simmering fury and hot, big-hearted empathy. (Aube Rey Lescure, author of RIVER EAST, RIVER WEST)