Out of the Fire - A Young Adult Novel - Deborah Froese

Jul 30, 2026

Out of the Fire is a young adult novel that opens with a traumatic night haunting the narrator in fragmented memories. The story centers on Dayle and Amy as unsettling events force them to face fear, loss, and the hope that can still persist. Through reflective narration and escalating conflict, the text explores how destructive “fires” can flare suddenly or build beneath the surface until they erupt. Emotional recovery and resilience form a key through-line.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryStory & Novel

FormatPDF

Pages290

Reading Time7 h 27 min

Prologue

Chapter One

Out of the Fire,FROESE AYOUNG ADULT NOVEL DEBORAH OUT OFTHE FIRE byDeborah Froese SUMACH PRES S To my mother and father;who planted seeds forthe character of Gram. NATIONAL LIBRARY OF CANADA CATALOGUING IN PUBLICATION DATAFroese,Deborah,1957- Out of the fire:a young adult novelISBN 1-894549-09-0 I.Title. PS8561.R59082001 C813'.6 C2001-902018-XPR9199.3.F775082001 This is a work offiction with events and characters derivedfrom the author's imagination.Any resemblance to actual occurrencesor real persons,living or dead,is coincidental. Copyright ◎2001 Deborah FroeseThird printing June 2003 Edited by Rhea TregebovCover &Book Design by Liz MartinCover portrait by Jen Duncan Printed in Canada Published by SUMACH PRESS 1415 Bathurst Street,Suite 202Toronto ON Canada M5R 3H8sumachpress@on.aibn.com www.sumachpress.com # ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This story exists because some incredible people werewilling to share their time and personal experiences.My good friend Barbara-Ann Hodge,an occupationaltherapist specializing in burn injury at Winnipeg’sHealth Sciences Centre,provided me with researchmaterial and answered countless questions about themedical aspects of burn recovery.She shared her pro-fessional and personal insights and lent a guiding handas I shaped all of that information into a story.Barb,Icould not have written this book without you. Barb also introduced me to Jane,a young womanwho shared with me the pain and triumphs of her ownburn recovery.I was in such awe of what she had gonethrough that I could not write for weeks after meetingher.Thank you,Jane,for your generosity.I was—andam—deeply moved. I would also like to thank George Nytepchuk fordemonstrating physical therapy for burn injuries;Linda Sparrow,RN,for reading one of my early drafts;and friends and fellow writers Melissa Kajpust,LindaHoleman and Patti Grayson for all of their support,reading and otherwise. When this project was in its early stages of devel-opment,the Manitoba Arts Council was kind enoughto award me a grant.I'′m very grateful to them,notonly for the financial benefits of that grant but also forthe accompanying morale boost. Thanks also to Lois Pike,Beth McAuley and LizMartin —the women of Sumach Press—for takingon this project with such enthusiasm.My editor,RheaTregebov,saw clearly what I could only sense.She wasa delight to work with,generous with her criticism andpraise —keys,I believe,to a polished work.Thanks,Rhea!I'll never look at commas the same way again Last,but certainly not least,I'd like to thank“theboys,"all four of them,for letting me leave the laundryfor another day. *** The following materials were of great assistance in writing thisnovel:Patricia N.Watkins,MD,et al.,"Psychological Stages inAdaptation Following Burn Injury:A Method for FacilitatingPsychological Recovery of Burn Victims,"Burn Care Commentary:A Forum for Burn Care Issues,Augusta Regional Medical Center,Winter 1989;and Stacy Robberson,RN,BSN,An Introduction toa Pictorial Book for Burn Patients and Their Families,SherwoodMedical Company,1992.The brief quotations from Tennyson arefrom Alfred Lord Tennyson,"In Memoriam A.H.H."(1850),and“Come Not,When I Am Dead”(1850),both of which are foundin The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations,Revised Fourth Edition,Oxford University Press,1996.The references to the Mockingbirdsong are taken from "Hush Little Baby,"a Southern lullaby whoseauthor is unkown. # PROLOGUE For weeks after it happened,images of that nightcame to me in fragments,like scraps of shreddedpaper or parts of a jumbled puzzle.Some days Iwanted to put the pieces together;most days I justwanted to bury them in the past with the person Iused to be.But the memories refused to rest. Of everything that happened,it's the light Iremember most clearly,a light that gave me hopewhen nothing seemed hopeful and courage to go onwhen I knew that nothing would ever be the sameagain. The light stays with me even now,shiningthrough cl

FAQs

What is the prologue focused on?

The prologue presents the aftermath of a night that leaves the narrator with vivid, fragmented memories, emphasizing a guiding light that symbolizes hope and resilience.

Where does Chapter One begin?

Chapter One begins with Amy sitting under an old elm tree, showing tension and distress that soon turns into a troubling disclosure.

What news does Amy tell Dayle in Chapter One?

Amy tells Dayle that someone broke into their house the previous night and that they were robbed, with the damage centered on smashed entry and destroyed belongings.

Jul 30, 2026

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