What Once Was Fire

Viktor Banke

‘I don’t know if there’s any particular moral to this story, only that the defence lawyer isn’t concerned with either justice or the truth’

What Once Was Fire is an outstanding debut novel about boys who commit violent crimes and the lawyer who defends them. An ambitious and newly qualified lawyer takes every case he can find and is quickly dragged into a world of gang-related violence where the perpetrators are more often than not, children. In the tedium of the judicial process, they show their vulnerability and age. Relationships are formed before the stark reality of grieving mothers shake the courtroom and the unspeakable nature of their crimes are laid bare.

We follow three repeat offenders who charm and horrify our lawyer. As he meets the same boys again and again, their stories hurtle toward the inevitable. The media representation of the societal problems clash with the immaturity and humanity of the individuals involved. Who is to blame and how can this be fixed? Can he save at least one of these boys? The lawyer has no answers and, as the crimes develop in severity, spirals into despair.

What Once Was Fire is an intense story, inspired by real events. A story about differences between justice and the judicial system and the effect this has on the lawyer who watches criminals become victims.