Joe sits in a hotel room, suffering from jet lag and aching hands. New York will be his, but on the TV screen he sees his own death announced.
Mick has grown up with his grandmother, in a block of flats where the stairway reeks of urine, and the guitar is the only way out. Finally he has become everything he ever dreamt of.
Paul is the most beautiful boy of his generation, but Pearl is the only one he wants. Pearl who falls into a coma and is rushed to the hospital.
Topper is the king of Broadway, the best drummer in the world for two hours every night. The rest of the time, he does his best to destroy himself.
Burn Down the House is the story of four men who together formed an exceptional punk band. The novel starts in early summer 1981, when New York is struck hard by a heatwave and by British rock’n’roll. The band is at the peak of their career, and at the edge of an abyss.
