Home Fire: A Novel [B0466]

2018 PB. "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?

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "An impossible dilemma: to love or to obey. In Home Fire, love is a political risk. A crime. A challenge to power. The way the story unfolds is suffocating - almost unbearable, in the best possible way. This is a story that demands to be felt. Home Fire stands out for its political force, its familial grief, and the profound questions it raises about who we are and where we belong."; "Home Fire is such a compelling read! Just the exploration of identity and belonging is SO incredibly powerful. The characters' struggles and the intertwining of their lives. Shamsie's writing is both poignant and thought-provoking. I loved every second of this book. Also didn't even realize this was a retelling of Antigone until I was halfway through, so incredible!!"