Beth Ryan's first novel, If We Caught Fire, was published in April 2023 by Breakwater Books in St. John's, NL.

The book has been profiled or reviewed by The Telegram, CBC Radio, The Artisanal Writer, Downhome Magazine, Compulsive Overreader, The NL Quarterly, Atlantic Books, the Winnipeg Free Press, and the Northeast Avalon Times.

If We Caught Fire was also featured on several lists of best books for 2023:

where to find If We Caught Fire
  • In book stores, giftshops, specialty shops, and other local businesses in Newfoundland and Labrador
  • Through NL Public Libraries and other libraries in Canada - in print and as an e-book 
  • By ordering a print copy or an e-book directly from Breakwater Books or through a variety of online booksellers like Chapters or Amazon

ABOUT THE BOOK

If We Caught Fire brings two families together for a wedding in St. John’s, an event that sets off a summer of fireworks in the lives of the people around them.​  

Edie’s calm and contained life is knocked awry when her mother decides to marry a man she met online after just a few months of dating. The groom's son, Harlow, is a joyful adventurer who shows up for the wedding and quickly recruits Edie as his sidekick.​

Harlow runs toward risk and adventure with arms wide open, unconcerned about what other people expect from him. Edie plans every step carefully and keeps her dreams small and attainable, even when others encourage her to want more. 

Over a few months, they develop a connection that defies definition, a situation that leaves Edie queasy with fear and tingly with possibility. Edie and Harlow (and the rest of their new unwieldy family) do an elaborate dance, trying to discover just what they are to one another.    

When Edie thinks she's figured him out, Harlow reveals a depth and darkness she didn't see coming. By Labour Day, they've created connections, tested boundaries, and found they've come together and apart in unexpected ways.

REVIEWS 

Amazon.com, May 8, 2024 - JoAnne Soper-Cook, the author of many brilliant literary and crime novels, says If We Caught Fire  is " a ‘slow burn’, but what a burn it is."  She describes the supporting characters as "complex and multifaceted" and notes that Harlow is "devastatingly portrayed", concluding that the characters "continue to haunt the mind of the reader, long after the final page is turned."

Compulsive Overreader, December 30, 2023 - Acclaimed novelist Trudy Morgan-Cole describes If We Caught Fire as "a quiet and introspective novel " and a "thoughtful exploration of a complex family dynamic". She applauds it as "a well-evoked picture of contemporary St. John’s life among artsy young people. It felt absolutely real and believable."

Downhome Magazine, December 2023 - Denise Flint writes that If We Caught Fire "keeps the reader's interest right to the end".  She notes that the plot might have elements of a romantic comedy but Ryan turns them into "an earnest examination of what makes us tick and how we can improve ourselves". 

Kerry Clare, Canadian novelist and book reviewer, calls If We Caught Fire  "a book that’s really hard to put down.“ She notes: “I love its St. John’s setting, how no character is quite who you think they are but is instead more complex and brilliant (Daphne!) and how this is fundamentally a story of the tangled web that is FAMILY.”

Winnipeg  Free Press, July 22, 2023 - Dave Williamson reviews If We Caught Fire  in a piece headlined "Debut novel offers intriguing spark", calling the book "a lively and contemporary first novel".

Northeast Avalon Times, July 2023 -  Jean Graham says she's been "waiting patiently" for Ryan's second book, after reading the "biting and heart-wrenching" stories in What is Invisible. She writes of If We Caught Fire: "If this book were just the story of Edie and Harlow, it would be a joyous romp through the summer of 2016 and that would be fabulous. But there's more. Ryan's storytelling skills are really evident in the way she tells several simultaneous stories."   

The Telegram, May 31, 2023 - Joan Sullivan calls the novel "a much-anticipated follow-up to (Ryan's) well-received short story collection “What is Invisible” and it doesn’t disappoint". She describes the writing in If We Caught Fire  as "authentic, involving, tactile and affecting" and concludes that "the story that unfolds, across several levels and layers, is accomplished, assured, and rewarding."

Atlantic Books, May 25, 2023 - Heather McBriarly says If We Caught Fire is "(o)verflowing with an abundance of well-rounded characters" and calls it "a lovely portrait of life in St. John’s." Shepraises the book's  "eloquent and evocative prose" and notes that "it is a testament to Ryan’s mastery in creating sympathetic characters, even the ones you are meant to dislike, that I was left wanting more of these people who are the heart and soul of this book."