Home Fire

A Novel

By: Kamila Shamsie

Narrated by: Tania Rodrigues

“Ingenious… Builds to one of the most memorable final scenes I’ve read in a novel this century.”—The New York Times

WINNER OF THE 2018 WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION

FINALIST FOR THE 2019 INTERNATIONAL DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD

LONGLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE

The suspenseful and heartbreaking story of an immigrant family driven to pit love against loyalty, with devastating consequences, from the author of Best of Friends

Isma is free. After years of watching out for her younger siblings in the wake of their mother’s death, she’s accepted an invitation from a mentor in America that allows her to resume a dream long deferred. But she can’t stop worrying about Aneeka, her beautiful, headstrong sister back in London, or their brother, Parvaiz, who’s disappeared in pursuit of his own dream, to prove himself to the dark legacy of the jihadist father he never knew. When he resurfaces half a globe away, Isma’s worst fears are confirmed.

Then Eamonn enters the sisters’ lives. Son of a powerful political figure, he has his own birthright to live up to—or defy. Is he to be a chance at love? The means of Parvaiz’s salvation? Suddenly, two families’ fates are inextricably, devastatingly entwined, in this searing novel that asks: What sacrifices will we make in the name of love?

©2017 Kamila Shamsie (P)2017 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Ingenious and love-struck … Home Fire takes flight. … Shamsie drives this gleaming machine home in a manner that, if I weren’t handling airplane metaphors, I would call smashing. … Builds to one of the most memorable final scenes I’ve read in a novel this century.”—New York Times

“[U]rgent and explosive … near perfect ... a difficult book to put down.”—NPR

"[A] haunting novel, full of dazzling moments and not a few surprising turns...Home Fire blazes with the kind of annihilating devastation that transcends grief."—Washington Post

Slow to get into but so worth it

I loved how we got to know all the characters on their own, their different motivations and desires. The narrator was wonderful and brought life to the story. The story was a sad one but not like one I'd read before which was a great change of pace for me. Highly recommend.

Great read!

A book that grabs reader from the start with beautiful complex characters and an unpredictable storyline that is well written and compelling.

Slow Start, Big Ending

I liked, but didn't love this book. It provided insight to me on the not so subtle discriminations against Muslims in the UK and the tactics used to find new recruits for jihad. The description of the interrelationships between family members was a bit tedious. The narrator was excellent!

Was a hard book to get through

I had a really hard time with this book, it was really hard to get through And I really hated the ending.

Outstanding and Powerful.

impossible to forget. Beautiful treatment of a major social and political issue not only in the UK but everywhere in the western world. And oh so readable. I couldn't put it down.

Splendid!

A solid, thoughtful and timely take on Antigone. The characters are vivid and well drawn, full of the kinds of contradictions and hard to manage impulses that real people have. Excellent pacing. A couple of minor missteps -- the ending felt a bit "off" -- but very deserving of a wide audience, particularly among reader groups. Tania Rodrigues does a masterful job narrating.

summary

A very good story regarding different religious beliefs, yet still families who love each other.

Exceptional and timely story

Great books like this one offer a look into lives the reader could not know on his own, and the author does a wonderful job bringing the complexities of Muslim Londoners to life. Fascinating characters and a surprise ending also contribute to making this a fascinating read.

Another Superb Offering from Shamsie

Characters excellent. IS recruiters seem a bit of a caricature though. The story was riveting and heartbreaking as well. I loved that the women were portrayed in full dimension including being sexual beings. This is a rarity for Muslim women, especially Pakistani women in literature. I also appreciated the "true feeling" of characters who live in the west, and may have warm memories of the warmth of family traditions/holidays etc but do not embrace the religion as an adult. This is seen all the time in movies and literature and art with Jews and Christians in the modern world, but rarely with Muslims. I appreciated this variety of portrayals of Pakistani immigrants now living in the UK and US. There is no "typical', just like with all people, just the infinite variety.

Fantastic performance!

Intriguing story. A couple of loose ends in the end and the ending is a bit abrupt but overall I liked the book.