Home Fire (2018)
Who wrote it?
Kamila Shamsie (1973- ; active 1998-), born Karachi, Pakistan. Shamsie was born into an affluent family of intellectuals and writers, including her mother, the journalist Muneeza Shamsie. She studied in the US, first as a college exchange student before completing a BA in creative writing at Hamilton College and and MFA from the University of Massachussetts.
Her first novel, In the City by the Sea (1998) was written while Shamsie was still at college and published when she was just 25. In 2000 she was named as one of Orange's 21 Writers for the 21st Century, and two of her first three novels were shortlisted for the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize in the UK for young writers. She moved to London in 2007 and now has dual British / Pakistani citizenship.
Her fifth novel, Burnt Shadows (2009) was shortlisted for the Women's Prize, losing out to Marilynne Robinson's Home. She repeated the feat in 2015 with A God in Every Stone, in the year that How to be both by Ali Smith took the Prize. It was a case of third time lucky with Home Fire, which was also longlisted for the 2017 Booker Prize. In 2019 she was awarded the Nelly Sachs Prize in Germany, but it was controversially rescinded following the jury being made aware of her support for the pro-Palestinian BDS movement. Her eighth novel, Best of Friends, was published in 2022.
What's it about?
Home Fire is based on Sophocles' Antigone, in which two sisters respond differently to the repercussions of their brother's act of treason. Shamsie transplants the play's themes to the modern day, focusing on the Pasha family of Muslims based in suburban London, with the two sisters - Isma and Aneeka - responding to their brother Parvaiz moving to Syria to join ISIS (following in his late father's jihadist footsteps).
The novel shifts through a series of perspectives, first that of Isma, who we learn has been responsible for bringing up her two younger siblings since the death of their mother. We find her in the US, starting her postponed graduate studies at the University of Massachussetts. While there she meets Eamonn Lone, the half-Pakistani son of the British politician Karamat Lone, who is already notorious for marshalling anti-Islam sentiment to further his political ambitions in the UK. They form a casual friendship, with Isma wanting something more but Eamonn describing their relationship more as that of siblings. They fall out over Isma's obvious dislike of Eamonn's father, who we learn failed to help the Pasha family in their quest to find out what happened to their own father, who died while in transport to Guantanamo Bay.
The next section is from Eamonn's perspective. Back in London, he delivers a parcel from Isma to her aunt's house in Wembley, where he meets Aneeka. The two form a passionate but secretive relationship, which is threatened when Aneeka reveals the truth about her brother's whereabouts and that she initially grew close to Eamonn in order to try to get help for Parvaiz. Eamonn ultimately chooses to stand by her and asks his father for support for Parvaiz, which he firmly refuses.
We next hear Parvaiz's story from his own perspective. Feeling isolated at home as his sisters pursue their academic careers, he is approached by an older man named Farooq, who uses his knowledge of Parvaiz's father to encourage him to join him in moving to Syria to join ISIS. He eventually does so, becoming part of the media wing of the organisation. He soon finds most of Farooq's promises were empty, and learns of the impact of his decision on his family. He wants to return home, but his mission to do so is curtailed when he is killed in a drive-by shooting outside the British embassy in Istanbul.
The final section of the book, largely told from the very different persepctive of Karamat Lone, now the Home Secretary, details Aneeka's attempts to have Parvaiz's body repatriated to the UK, which Lone's policies have forbidden. The final section takes place in Karachi and is full of vivid and memorable images, culminating in an unforgettable and tragic final scene.
What I liked
First up, I have nothing more than a passing knowledge of Antigone and I was pleased to find that this didn’t in any way impact on my enjoyment of the novel. In fact I was so engrossed in the story that I completely forgot that it was an adaptation fairly soon and only remembered when I came to write this!
It really is an incredibly gripping read. I absolutely raced through it.
Part of this is definitely down to the masterful storytelling on display. The five-act structure is brilliantly deployed, with a real classical feel to how the action gradually unfolds and the story is developed by the different voices.
The central five characters are all really well brought to life and super memorable. Through the differing perspectives we get to understand all of their unique motivations and drives (even if one in particular - Karamat - is particularly hard to fully sympathise with!)
While the novel is in some senses of its time - at the time of its writing the Islamic State had been dominating the news cycle for years - it also very much holds up as an interrogation of issues that persist today. It’s just as interesting in its attempts to explain the motivations of first and second generation immigrants to the UK who expound anti-migrant, right wing political philosophies (there are currently quite a few notable examples of this type who are especially prominent in British politics!) as it is in understanding how someone like Parvaiz can be exploited and duped by radical organisations.
As many other reviews have mentioned, there’s an extremely memorable ending, which I won’t spoil here. Very much worth sticking around for though!
What I didn’t like
No major criticisms here: I really enjoyed it.
If I was picking holes, I’d say that on surface level it does rely quite heavily on coincidence, in a way that slightly stretches credulity. I’d assume this is probably a factor of the nature of adapting a classical drama into novel form, though, and with a little basic suspension of disbelief it’s easy enough to ignore.
Amidst many relatable and three dimensional characters, Karamat does come across as a bit of a pantomime villain for much of the book. This is partly, but not entirely, resolved with the section told from his own perspective. Again, this is probably the nature of his character - we do eventually see a (slightly) more human side to him, but for the most part he is a public figure rather than a private individual in the way we encounter all of the other main players.
Food & drink pairings
Coffee, but not in a thermos mug
Fun facts
When the novel was conceived, Shamsie apparently felt that a British-Asian Home Secretary would seem far-fetched, but in the time between it being released and winning the Women's Prize, Sajid Javid was appointed to that very role. There have since been a succession of Conservative politicians - including our Prime Minister - from similar backgrounds - some of whom seem to be working straight from the Karamat Lone playbook. Prescient, to say the least.
The Prize reverted to its present name of the Women's Prize for Fiction in 2018, after a few years as the Bailey's Prize. Bailey's remained among the sponsors, but the Prize has since moved away from relying on a single title sponsors.
Vanquished Foes
Elif Batuman (The Idiot)
Imogen Hermes Gowar (The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock)
Jessie Greengrass (Sight)
Meena Kandasamy (When I hit you: or, a Portrait of the Writer as a Young Wife)
Jesmyn Ward (Sing, Unburied, Sing)
Home Fire also featured on the 2017 Booker longlist, but otherwise no overlap with the Booker this time around. The 2018 Booker Prize went to Anna Burns’ Milkman (which shows up on the 2019 Women’s Prize shortlist…)
Context
In 2018:
Salisbury poisonings of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the UK
Chinese constitution change gives Xi Jinping "President for Life" status
Greta Thunberg, aged 15, begins her school strike in Sweden
Jair Bolsonaro elected President of Brazil
Yellow Vests protests in France
Protests in US against mass shootings, including National School Walkout and subsequent "March For Our Lives"
11 killed in Pittsburgh synagogue shooting in Pennsylvania
Kim Jong-Un becomes the first North Korean leader to cross into South Korea to meet President Moon Jae-in
In a busy year, he also meets Chinese president Xi Jinping and US President Trump
Murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi outside Saudi consulate in Istanbul
Separatist group ETA announces its dissolution after 40 years of conflict in Spain
Referendum on ban on abortion in Ireland sees 66% vote in favour of repeal
March for Second Brexit Referendum in London draws at least 700k attendees
Greece and Macedonia resolve 27-year naming dispute resulting in renaming of the latter as North Macedonia
Thai junior football team cave rescue gains worldwide attention
Longest government shutdown in US history begins in December as a result of dispute over funding for US-Mexico border wall
Jacob Zuma resigns as South African President after 9 years
Supreme Court of India decriminalizes homosexuality
Drone incident leads to massive disruption at Gatwick Airport near London
Fire at National Museum of Brazil destroys more than 90% of its archive
Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in the UK
EU GDPR data privacy regulations come into effect
Canada legalises cannabis for recreational use
Cinemas open in Saudi Arabia for the first time since 1983
Amateur boxing match between influencers KSI and Logan Paul draws huge global audience
First non-stop flights between UK and Australia launched by Qantas
British rapper Stormzy launches his Merky Books imprint in London
Sally Rooney, Normal People
Delia Owens, Where the Crawdads Sing
Michelle Obama, Becoming
Black Panther
If Beale Street Could Talk
Roma
Drake, Scorpion
Travis Scott, Astroworld
Arctic Monkeys, Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino
David Byrne, American Utopia
Life Lessons
There’s always another side to the story
Score
9
After a few slightly below-par winners (in my humble opinion) the Women’s Prize is back to its best here, with a supremely readable novel that’s both prescient and thought-provoking.
2018’s Booker winner Milkman got a solid 8.
Ranking to date:
How to be both (2015) - Ali Smith - 9.5
Property (2003) - Valerie Martin - 9.5
A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing (2014) - Eimear McBride - 9.5
The Idea of Perfection (2001) - Kate Grenville - 9
Half of a Yellow Sun (2007) - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - 9
Home Fire (2018) - Kamila Shamsie - 9
The Lacuna (2010) - Barbara Kingsolver - 9
When I Lived in Modern Times (2000) - Linda Grant - 9
Larry’s Party (1998) - Carol Shields - 8.5
Bel Canto (2002) - Ann Patchett - 8.5
Small Island (2004) - Andrea Levy - 8.5
A Crime in the Neighbourhood (1999) - Suzanne Berne - 8.5
May We Be Forgiven (2013) - A. M. Homes - 8
The Tiger’s Wife (2011) - Téa Obreht - 8
On Beauty (2006) - Zadie Smith - 8
A Spell of Winter (1996) - Helen Dunmore - 8
The Road Home (2008) - Rose Tremain - 7.5
The Glorious Heresies (2016) - Lisa McInerney - 7.5
We Need to Talk About Kevin (2005) - Lionel Shriver - 7.5
The Song of Achilles (2012) - Madeline Miller - 7
Home (2009) - Marilynne Robinson - 7
Fugitive Pieces (1997) - Anne Michaels - 6.5
The Power (2017) - Naomi Alderman - 5
Next up
Attempting to squeeze in Tayari Jones’ 2019 winner An American Marriage before my first batch of Booker longlist titles arrive in the post…
