Flames Themes

Flames depicts grief as an immense force that can become destructive when characters attempt to suppress it, ignore it, or manage it alone. When Levi and Charlotte lose Levi and Charlotte’s mother, their reactions to her death contrast dramatically. Charlotte expresses her emotions visibly and audibly, often screaming or sobbing uncontrollably. Meanwhile, Levi thinks he’s gotten over his mother’s death and that Charlotte’s behavior is inappropriate and unhealthy. Levi arranges to have a coffin…

A battle between human effort and the power of nature lies at the heart of Flames. The novel’s human characters find themselves overwhelmed by the natural world, often in ways that completely disrupt their lives. For instance, when Thurston Hough, a self-obsessed coffin builder, kills the Esk God, a deity in the form of a water rat who rules over Tasmania’s Esk Rivers, he treasures its golden pelt without realizing he’s upset…

Flames repeatedly shows that miscommunication can weaken relationships. As siblings, Levi and Charlotte have a deep bond, but they seem to have very little in common besides their parents. Though they attempt to demonstrate their love for each other—Levi by building Charlotte a coffin because he’s misinterpreted her grief over their mother Edith’s death as a fear of being reincarnated after death, and Charlotte by running away so she can deal with her emotions…