Like a House on Fire

Cate Kennedy’s collection of contemporary short stories, Like a House on Fire (2012), focuses on daily life and the humorous complexities of human existence. The collection received various award nominations, winning the 2013 Queensland Literary Awards for a Short Story Collection. An Australian writer, Kennedy graduated from the University of Canberra. Before writing full-time, she lectured on various Australian campuses, including the University of Melbourne. She is best known for her award-winning short fiction collections and poetry, but she also writes full-length novels and travel memoirs.

Like a House on Fire contains fifteen short stories, which, though unrelated, all focus on the human condition. The characters fall into the roles that other people choose for them, or they shut themselves off from new opportunities. They must learn to understand their own unique natures and what makes them human. Through their stories, Kennedy explores what happens when one decides to redefine oneself.

The passage of time is significant in Like a House on Fire. Specifically, Kennedy considers how relationships change over time, and how our feelings towards other people evolve without us realizing it. The central theme linking the stories together is that we must develop compassion, empathy, and understanding in order to maintain healthy relationships and boundaries.



A woman discovers the true meaning of empowerment in the first story, “Flexion.” One day, she watches a heavy tractor crush her husband on their farm. Powerless to do anything to stop it, she assumes he is dead. Somehow, he survives, but he is crippled and unable to look after himself. He is a proud, cold, and cruel man, and she secretly loves seeing him miserable. However, she soon understands that empowerment means using her strength to help others.

“Ashes” concerns a mother and her son, Chris. She is a demanding woman who makes Chris constantly feel like a disappointment. When his father dies, they travel across the country together to scatter his ashes. It is the longest journey of his life, and he recognizes that right now, his mother needs him; loving someone means accepting their faults.

“Laminex and Mirrors” follows a teenage girl working her first job. She lands a job in the local hospital, planning to move to London once she has saved enough money; however, she finds herself enjoying the work. Life is more varied and colorful than she ever realized; she should make the most of every opportunity.



Fearing for her family’s future, a woman faces a breast biopsy in “Tender.” Her husband isn’t very caring, and she knows he won’t look after the children properly. In “Like a House on Fire,” a man suffers a serious back injury. He goes from being an intensely active individual to sedentary and helpless. He can’t work or play with his young sons. He feels that he is failing as a father. Only when he sees how unhappy everyone is, does he realize his attitude is making them miserable. It is up to him to change.

A new mother stars in “Five-Dollar Family.” She hates her boyfriend, and he isn’t interested in her, but she wants one “family” photo to show her baby eventually. In “Cross-Country,” a broken-hearted woman obsesses over her ex-boyfriend, pursuing a new hobby to get closer to him. However, when she discovers that he is over her, she makes positive changes in her life.

“Sleepers” follows a man who steals sleepers from the roadside because he thinks he is entitled to them. “Whirlpool” centers on a young girl enduring the annual family photo shoot. Her mother makes her feel bad about her appearance, ruining her entire Christmas.



Another new mother can’t balance work with motherhood in “Cake.” She is overwhelmed, and she cannot leave her maternal instinct behind while at the office. She worries that she is missing precious moments in her baby’s life. “White Spirit” concerns a woman’s vain attempt to inject life into her community by commissioning an expensive art project.

“Little Plastic Shipwreck” is about a zookeeper who finds out that his favorite dolphin died. Realizing that he is the only one who cares about the park animals, he quits his job. “Waiting” concerns a woman who struggles with endless miscarriages. Maybe this time she will carry a baby to term—she never loses hope. In “Static,” a man suffers an existential crisis on Christmas Day. His life is not how he planned it, and now he is miserable and trapped with a family. The final story, “Seventy-Two Derwents,” follows a teenage girl who writes a diary about her abusive home life. She doesn’t trust her mother’s new boyfriend.