Rating: 5/5
Review:
Absolutely excellent
I thought this was absolutely excellent. I had to be persuaded to read it because the
idea of an updated Antigone about terrorism, radicalisation and its
consequences didn't appeal at all. In
fact, I found it gripping, convincing and very moving as well as saying
important things about modern Britain
– and the world.
The story is told successively from several points of view,
which worked very well for me. We have
members of the Muslim Pasha family in North London plus
a Muslim Home Secretary, determined to show the world that he is tough on
radical Islam, and his son who becomes involved with the Pasha family. I won't give any spoilers, but what emerges
is beautifully evoked responses from all the characters involved, whose internal
lives are convincing and vividly real.
The complexities, deceits and decencies of what happens are
exceptionally well done, and I found the whole thing completely involving and
ultimately extremely moving.
Kamila Shamsie writes beautifully. Her prose is extremely readable and simply
carried me along. She creates some beautiful,
evocative sentences; for example:
"The sky was a rich blue, the water surged like blood leaving a
heart, a lean young man from a world very distant from hers was waiting for her
to walk back to him." Or: "Months
after their mother died, Parvaiz, a boy suddenly arrived into adolescence in a
house where bills and grief filled all crevices…" It's wonderful writing.
I was surprised by how very much I liked this book. It's one of the best I've read for some time,
and warmly recommended.
(I received an ARC via NetGalley.)
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