Fireproof (the book)

Title: Fireproof
Author: Eric Wilson
Major Themes: Firefighting, Marriage
Synopsis: When his wife files for divorce, Caleb must decide whether he will give up and sign the papers or fight for his marriage.

Probably every Christian who watches movies has at least heard of, if not watched, Fireproof. We watched it a few years ago. What a well-done, powerful story of a man who set out to save his marriage. I didn’t know there was a book based on the movie until I came across it in a second-hand shop a few days ago—but I snatched it up when I saw it!

Eric Wilson has taken the story told in the movie and expanded it, adding in details and scenes, as well as back-story, to make a fast-moving novel. I ended up reading it in one day, thanks to a sick baby who needed held all afternoon; I found myself unable to put it down even though I knew the end of the story.

In case you have never watched the movie, the story features Caleb, the captain of a crew of firemen, and his wife Catherine. Married for seven years, they have now reached the point of disconnection where Catherine is ready to file for divorce. Caleb’s father tells him to wait 40 days before signing any papers, and sends him a hand-written notebook titled The Love Dare, which gives Caleb a challenge every day. Every day, he is to do a different thing for Catherine, to try to win her heart back. Will it work? Will their marriage fail? Or will they learn to love each other again? Meanwhile, a handsome young doctor at the hospital where Catherine works is also wooing her—will he succeed? Fireproof is a great encouragement for any marriage, or anyone who is concerned about Godly marriages.

I found that some scenes fell flat, so to speak, in the book as compared to the movie. For instance, the nosy neighbor scenes didn’t work well in print, although they were spectacular in the movie. On the other hand, the two very intense rescue scenes were just as well executed in the book as in the movie. I found it very interesting to compare the movie and the book; all the dialog in the movie, as far as I could tell, was quoted verbatim in the book. Overall, I recommend Fireproof, the book, as wholesome Christian literature.

No warnings!