About We Are Smoke
We Are Smoke is a captivating mystery novel that spans three generations of the Burnett family.
Jack Burnett is the last of the Burnett men, and despite the fact that three generations of Burnett men have died on the eve of their 40th Christmas, he never believed in curses. However, when he suddenly disappears while trying to uncover the truth behind his family’s curse in Italy, it’s up to his best friend, Nora Rodgers, to find him before it’s too late.
As Nora sets out to find Jack, she must confront her own grief and come to terms with her feelings for Jack. As she wanders through the great cities of Italy, retracing Jack’s steps, a new picture of her former lover begins to develop—of a man wrestling with sadness, a sadness that reaches palpably into Nora’s very soul. Could she be remembering Jack wrong? Even more, could she be remembering her own history wrong? Could she and Jack not only have been former lovers, but married as well? Questioning her own sanity, Nora is plunged deeper into a mystery involving the marginalized Romany people of Europe, a century-old grudge, and a riddle with Nora seemingly at its center.
Part psychological thriller, part meditation on grief and loss, We Are Smoke is a literary fever dream that blurs the lines between reality, self-mythology, and the lies we tell ourselves to make sense of our worlds. We Are Smoke delves deeply into the rich history of and culture of the Romany people.
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Author Bio:
William Bryan Smith is a graduate of the Bennington Writing Seminars and holds an MFA in Creative Writing & Literature. He is the author of five previous novels, including Free Range Men (Main Street Rag, 2014). His short fiction has appeared in such magazines and journals as Spectrum, The Bennington Review, Marrow, Close to the Bone, and Conte.