Trapped by love

Mark Spragg writes about ordinary people extraordinarily well. Spragg’s newest novel, Bone Fire, focuses on the tales of an intertwined group of people echoed in the unorthodox artwork of the protagonist, Griff. She’s a college dropout who wants to pursue her dreams as an artist in Chicago, but finds herself trapped by love and obligation to her ailing grandfather. Griff and the other residents of Ishawooa, Wyoming, are constantly coping with loss on a myriad of levels. Griff’s boyfriend wants to move away; her mother is an alcoholic; her father is dead; and her stepfather is the town’s sheriff, suffering silently from a deadly disease. Riddled with grief, Griff is a smart and sophisticated young woman with the potential to be great if she can just escape this small town. Emotionally charged and well-written, Bone Fire is truly an exceptional story, with a main character everyone can relate to.