Reviews

Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie

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am1na's review

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dark emotional informative sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

wwyang1223's review

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dark emotional funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I love the way Shamsie split up the novel into 5 parts (one for each main character), it really allows you to understand each character better as well as humanise ones you would’ve disliked initially

Karamat alone is so awful and it really comes through during his chapter. The way he’s written perfectly encapsulates a misogynistic politics-driven man.

The ending really threw me but I guess that is tied to the Antigone link.

Content Warnings

lesyeuxdekallis's review

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challenging tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

princessfabulous's review against another edition

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challenging dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Incredible. This is a retelling of Sophocles' Antigone, set in post-9/11 Britain. It's a horrifying story of how jihadis are made, and how damaging our one-dimensional condemnation of them is to their families. The Greek tragedy is a perfect setting for the story, as you feel the dread just spiral and spiral to the inevitable conclusion. This is beautiful, devastating writing.