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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I seem to have created a depressing little January tradition for myself: read a really sad book that is simultaneously about the atomic bombs + racial profiling in the wake of September 11th (see also: [b:Hiroshima in the Morning|8465962|Hiroshima in the Morning|Rahna Reiko Rizzuto|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41OOj2nVaEL._SL75_.jpg|13330445]). Burnt Shadows is heartbreaking, infuriating, beautiful. I find myself comparing it to [b:The Kite Runner|77203|The Kite Runner|Khaled Hosseini|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1309288316s/77203.jpg|3295919], but this is a much more complicated book.
I just finished reading "Burnt Shadows" by Kamila Shamsie, my first book by a Pakistani writer. The main protagonist of the book is Hiroko Tanaka, a Japanese woman from Nagasaki whose world is ripped apart by the atomic bomb. Incidentally, this is where the book begins. It is set across several continents and many countries - Japan, India, Turkey, Pakistan, Afghanistan, the United States, and Canada - and spans many generations of people, all connected to Hiroko in some way.
Shamsie weaves a story that connects Nagasaki, the India-Pakistan Partition, the Soviet-Afghan war, and the post-911 world of the Patriot Act and Guantanamo Bay. I liked the ambitious scope of the book, Hiroko's character, the description of life in Delhi before the Partition, her glimpses into the lives of Pakistanis living in Karachi, the overall lack of judgment and the surprising humanity she bestows on even people like the mujahideen and the Taliban. I liked that she took me a little bit out of my comfort zone and made me rethink my gut reaction to soldiers and veterans. I reflected for the first time about military contractors and mercenaries for hire, and how dangerous the intersection of capitalism with war can prove to be if we allow it to get out of control.
As for the negatives - it was a struggle to get through the few chapters. Hiroko's character was interesting, but I was indifferent to or bored by everyone else, especially the Burtons. For a seasoned writer, Shamsie fails at the old adage - "Show, don't tell". We are told that Sajjad is charismatic and worthy of awe and respect but we never really feel it. We are told that Hiroko and Elizabeth become friends in Delhi but you never seen any warmth or closeness between them and it comes as a surprise that they remain in touch after Elizabeth leaves India. I never felt like I cared about Harry Burton or Hiroko's son Raza and it was a slog to get through the later chapters where they take over the narrative.
I guess I'd recommend this book with the caveat that there are sections that you might have to grit your teeth to get through, but overall it's worth a read.
Shamsie weaves a story that connects Nagasaki, the India-Pakistan Partition, the Soviet-Afghan war, and the post-911 world of the Patriot Act and Guantanamo Bay. I liked the ambitious scope of the book, Hiroko's character, the description of life in Delhi before the Partition, her glimpses into the lives of Pakistanis living in Karachi, the overall lack of judgment and the surprising humanity she bestows on even people like the mujahideen and the Taliban. I liked that she took me a little bit out of my comfort zone and made me rethink my gut reaction to soldiers and veterans. I reflected for the first time about military contractors and mercenaries for hire, and how dangerous the intersection of capitalism with war can prove to be if we allow it to get out of control.
As for the negatives - it was a struggle to get through the few chapters. Hiroko's character was interesting, but I was indifferent to or bored by everyone else, especially the Burtons. For a seasoned writer, Shamsie fails at the old adage - "Show, don't tell". We are told that Sajjad is charismatic and worthy of awe and respect but we never really feel it. We are told that Hiroko and Elizabeth become friends in Delhi but you never seen any warmth or closeness between them and it comes as a surprise that they remain in touch after Elizabeth leaves India. I never felt like I cared about Harry Burton or Hiroko's son Raza and it was a slog to get through the later chapters where they take over the narrative.
I guess I'd recommend this book with the caveat that there are sections that you might have to grit your teeth to get through, but overall it's worth a read.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I think I would have enjoyed it more as a physical read than an audiobook, the story was great but at times it felt like there were too many strands to the narrative and I was losing track.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Da Nagasaki alla guerra in Afghanistan, passando per il dominio inglese sull’India, la Partizione del Pakistan e l’11 settembre, la Shamsie ripercorre 60 anni di storia attraverso due famiglie molto diverse tra loro, legate indissolubilmente l’una all’altra dalla bomba atomica del 9 agosto 1945.
È una storia devastante, segnata dalle atrocità della guerra, dal dolore della perdità, dal rincorrere una pace che sembra non arrivare mai; in questo teatro di violenza, però, l’amore trova sempre uno spazio e la nostra protagonista, Hiroko, ci dimostra che dentro di noi possiamo trovare la forza per andare avanti e il coraggio di perdonare. Ombre bruciate è un libro che mi ha fatto pensare, commuovere e anche incazzare; inoltre è un valido contenitore di riflessioni e leggerlo oggi, in questo periodo dove la storia si sta ripetendo, penso che potrebbe portare un po’ di luce in certe menti assopite.
Ps. Unica nota negativa che ho trovato è lo stile narrativo della Shamsie: non è accattivante, a tratti l’ho trovato pure piatto e per nulla stimolante. Per fortuna la storia ha un peso talmente grande che si regge da sola.
È una storia devastante, segnata dalle atrocità della guerra, dal dolore della perdità, dal rincorrere una pace che sembra non arrivare mai; in questo teatro di violenza, però, l’amore trova sempre uno spazio e la nostra protagonista, Hiroko, ci dimostra che dentro di noi possiamo trovare la forza per andare avanti e il coraggio di perdonare. Ombre bruciate è un libro che mi ha fatto pensare, commuovere e anche incazzare; inoltre è un valido contenitore di riflessioni e leggerlo oggi, in questo periodo dove la storia si sta ripetendo, penso che potrebbe portare un po’ di luce in certe menti assopite.
Ps. Unica nota negativa che ho trovato è lo stile narrativo della Shamsie: non è accattivante, a tratti l’ho trovato pure piatto e per nulla stimolante. Per fortuna la storia ha un peso talmente grande che si regge da sola.