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ADENA — Local author Beth Raymer’s recent book, “Fireworks Every Night” published by Random House, has made Oprah’s Best Novels of 2023.
The book is number nine on the list.
Raymer was born in Adena and moved to Palm Beach County, Florida, with her family when she was 5 years old. She said that her book was inspired by her family and partially takes place in Adena.
“My book is a coming-of-age story. It takes place in 1990, South Florida. It revolves around a dysfunctional family. … It is a tale of escaping and overcoming, but it also kind of explores the slow process of remembering and reconciling,” Raymer said.
“I grew up in a family where my father did become homeless, my sister did become homeless. I kind of spent a long time thinking about how did that really happen. I once had a very intact family, and then, quite suddenly, I did not,” she said.
Raymer said her father had a complex relationship with Adena and with his parents, so he believed that moving to Florida was the best move for his family.
“My father took kind of great pride in leaving Adena. … My father had a used car lot that burned down, and we used the insurance money to move to Florida. The question has always been you know, did he burn it down? Were there any suspicious circumstances? That’s very much explored in the book,” she said.
Raymer said she has fond memories of growing up in Adena. She said that she still visits Adena even though she currently lives in New York City, and not much in Adena has changed.
“My memories of Adena growing up are just so awesome. It’s hard for me to believe even now that a place like that still exists. You know, it’s like truly small-town America — the brick road, the little creek, how you don’t have cellphone reception when you’re there,” she said.
Raymer said this was her first time writing a novel. She said she has experience writing nonfiction pieces and has previously written memoirs and news articles for several publications including the “New York Times.”
She said that writing the novel took her almost 10 years.
“It was a very long time for me. … I think what took so long was it was my first novel, and novels are more difficult than nonfiction writing or reporting,” Raymer said.
“Novels are a little different. You’re using your imagination a lot. You have a lot more freedom, a lot more possibilities, and you’re always trying to kind of rein yourself in. At least that’s how I felt,” she said.
She said she worked on the 240-page novel nearly every day and put in a lot of hard work during the writing stage.
“I am very much a writer who gets up and writes every day. It’s a very unglamorous job in that respect, but you know, that is the process no matter what. You have to get up and sit in your chair and stay in the chair and get your words down, pour out your heart or whatever it is, and then also, live your little life,” she said.
Raymer said she also dealt with many family hardships during the writing process.
“My father died while I was writing it. My sister was experiencing homelessness while I was writing it. I felt like a little boat on the ocean, just getting, like, knocked around all the time,” she said.
Raymer said she is honored to be featured in Oprah’s Best Novels list, and she also recently sold the film rights for the book.
Raymer said she is already working on her next book, which will be a nonfiction story about another family who moved from Ohio to Palm Beach County, Florida.
“They say that writers kind of tell the same story over and over again, and I think they’re right. There’s something we’re always trying to figure out that we keep returning to, and that’s definitely what I’m doing,” she said.
“Fireworks Every Night” is available to purchase on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and at other stores that sell books.
According to the Belmont County District Library’s website, copies can be found at the St. Clairsville Public Library and the Caldwell Public Library.
To view the entire Oprah’s Best Novels of 2023 list, visit oprahdaily.com.