Above the Fire (Blackstone Publishing, 2023), the debut novel from Boston College Law School graduate Michael O’Donnell, tells the story of Doug, a widower, and his 7-year-old son, Tim, who find themselves tested by nature and the unknown in an unexpected challenge to survive. It’s October and father and son are backpacking through the White Mountains in New Hampshire when chaos of an unclear nature takes out electricity and electronic communications, forcing the duo to remain in the mountains throughout the winter. They must endure the elements, solitude, and threat of outsiders. As their isolation intensifies, and the nature of the country’s catastrophe becomes more unsettling, their bond with each other grows more fierce. O’Donnell, an avid hiker, told the Boston Globe that the novel is a “love letter” to his son, whom he spent many intensive months with during Covid lockdown. O’Donnell’s writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and other publications. Read a review in the Washington Independent Review of Books.