Book Review: Flicker by Matthew J. McKee

Reviewed by Chelsey Tucker

Flicker ignites thrill and excitement while examining humanity’s chaos and despair.

The Northern District has an arsonist who is consistently burning down houses in the middle of the night. This arsonist is Flicker‘s narrator and protagonist, Heat Agaki, a teenage girl who dreams of setting everything aflame. 

The passion for fire lives within Heat, and soon that drive to burn it all down begins to take on a mind of its own. Heat always tries to apply a set of morals within her arsonist activities, thus, justifying doing the crime for noble reasons. However, her justification falls short: “Because, in reality? Fire doesn’t care. Fire doesn’t hate or anoint a cause with its rage. Fire just burns.”

Heat burns down her classmate Mori’s house and is unfortunately spotted at the scene by her. Mori is a social outcast with schizophrenia who claims to blackmail Heat, but her true motive soon comes to light. Mori says she wants in on the operation to burn it all down, but it quickly becomes clear that a bond with Heat is really what she is looking for.

Another person is searching for something—or rather someone—and that is the Detective, looking for the arsonist. It’s not long before she knows exactly who it is she is looking for. With her sights set on Heat, the situation begins to warm up after Heat escapes repeatedly by impossible means.

The houses Heat Agaki burns down hold dark and disgusting secrets that must be eradicated. She is a bringer of flame and destruction to situations that are sick or abusive; she met their evil deeds with vigilante flames. However, Heat is not a vigilante in the strictest sense of the name. Some may say she is selfish and cruel, and she may even tell you that, too.

When the fireball within her takes more control, Heat continues to self-ignite and spin out of control. “And I tell myself it’s okay to have thoughts—they’re just thoughts! But what do you do when the thoughts have you, Sarah? What do you do then?” With the first-person point-of-view, Heat’s emotional turmoil feels intimate and raw, especially when Heat talks directly to the reader.

Many moments of high tension or mental distress are given special attention through the visual effects of the text. McKee adds depth and heightens the overall engagement by utilizing different fonts and sizes throughout. To add to this almost graphic-novel feel, a few pieces of artwork are included. They aren’t just great to look at but add great insight into the story’s characters.

Flicker engages with moments of heavy discomfort and adeptly explores the human psyche—an additive thought-provoking layer to the novel. This is a great choice for young adults and those drawn to the light of the fire. One thing’s for sure: It will leave you with a burning desire for the sequel.

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