Kamila Shamsie, "Home Fire"

Unfolding in London, Western Massachusetts, and Syria, Shamsie’s powerful novel is the story of a family pulled in several directions at once. Isma, after being thrown into the role of caretaker for her younger siblings by her mother’s death and her jihadist father’s absence, is at last free to pursue her own dreams. But moving to the U.S. only sharpens her concerns for her unpredictable sister and the brother consumed with his father’s legacy. Further complications arise when the son of a prominent political figure enters their lives. Through these vivid, complex characters, Shamsie, one of Granta's Best of Young British Novelists and a two-time finalist for the Orange Prize, engages with urgent issues of extremism, bigotry, and xenophobia.

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