A Personal Journey to Seek One's Identity: A Review of Robin Greene's "The Shelf Life of Fire" (Durham, NC: Light Messages, 2019)

"Raw". "Vivid." "At times disturbing." These descriptions describe Robin Greene's latest novel, The Shelf Life of Fire. It is a personal journey of a woman who receives a phone call notifying her that her brother is dying of cancer. The brother was irresponsible and self-centered, and he hurt his family in deep and far-reaching ways. This call throws the woman into a depression in which she questions her identity and whether there is any point to her life or to life in general. It is an existential journey, but one that is concrete, raw, and emotionally wrenching (at times) to read, for the author writes about excruciatingly painful events. The tension is present within the main character's self from the start of the novel onward, but there is still room for a surprise near the end. The woman is caught between the poles of self-destruction and self-acceptance. The novel explores the journey that ends with one of these options. It is well worth the effort for the reader to take that journey with the main character and see it through to the end.