A Slow Fire Burning

Laura is one of the major characters in the novel, and significant portions of the plot are narrated from her perspective. She is the main suspect in Daniel’s murder investigation but is finally exonerated when the real killer is revealed. Laura is in her mid-20 and suffers physical and neurological disabilities as a result of getting hit by a car when she was 10. Laura experiences “anger management issues […] depression [and] disinhibition” (37), all of which make her seem suspicious during the investigation. Laura has had problems with the law, has a strained relationship with her parents, and lives in financial precarity: Miriam describes Laura’s home as a “pitiful little flat” (164). One of the few bright spots in Laura’s life is her friendship with Irene, whom she describes as “my best mate” (276).

Laura does not experience much character development, but readers gain insight into some of the characteristics that initially make her unsympathetic. Laura’s traumatic history of learning about her mother’s adultery and her choice to protect her lover at the expense of her daughter leave her embittered and unable to trust people. Her suspicion is reinforced by the many people who betray her and treat her badly, especially authority figures like the police, her ex-boss, and her stepmother.