I can definitely see why Home Fire made such waves in the literary world last year - such a powerful and unapologetic book, Shamsie is an incredible writer who pulls no punches when it comes to tackling sensitive, politically relevant material head on. She forces you to look at the way the UK treats Muslims, forces you to see the human side of those you might be tempted to write off as ‘terrorist’. It’s uncomfortable and shocking and hugely pertinent to today’s society.
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The Pasha family finds themselves torn apart, more so than they already were with their father long absent from their lives and their mother dead too young, when Isma’s brother and Aneeka’s twin Parvaiz succumbs to the temptation to follow in his unknown father’s footsteps and flies out to Syria, effectively severing all ties to the UK in the eyes of the public and government.
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Shamsie fearlessly attacks the malicious ways some young men (and women) are targeted and brainwashed for the jihad, as well as the everyday discriminations and prejudices lived by British Muslims - the most powerful part for me was the way the media turned on Parvaiz’s twin once the scandal breaks, a scathing commentary on the way Muslim women are vilified by the media.
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We follow the story through the perspectives of five main characters, but I personally thought the last chapter was a bit of a let down, being narrated by the Home Secretary. While his son plays a large role and I enjoyed his section, his father’s voice doesn’t feel as authentic and I think it would have been more powerful had the ending been narrated by another character. BUT, an overall excellent and topical novel that I would recommend highly!