A review by serendipitysbooks
Radiant Fugitives by Nawaaz Ahmed

challenging funny reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 
Radiant Fugitives is the the story of three generations of a Muslim Indian family and is set in San Francisco during the Obama era. The focus is on Seema who has been estranged from her family since she came out as lesbian, her sister Tahera who is a devout Muslim and their mother Nafeesa, who is suffering from a terminal illness.

The story is narrated by Seema’s son, Ishraaq, in utero and immediately after his birth. It’s certainly an unusual choice. I initially liked it since it caught my attention, being a real point of difference from other books. It allowed the author a lot of flexibility with regards to point of view and perspective. Sometimes the book was written in the first person, sometimes in the second addressed to his grandmother, while other times Ishraaq was an omniscient third person narrator. While I mostly appreciated the novelty of this approach it did sometimes distract and take me out of the story. This was especially so when he was being overly ponderous, as in the haunting final scenes of the novel.

The novel unfolded in two main timelines. In the present (2010) we see the female family members come together to support Seema who is heavily pregnant. Although the love and desire to support is always evident, especially when a crisis hits, rifts and divisions are also clear. Gender, sexuality, religion, immigration and sibling rivalry are all factors. I love a good messy yet nuanced family story and this book certainly delivered in that regard.

The earlier timeline provides that background of the relationship between Seema and Israaq’s father Bill, who is a Black man. They met as a result of their shared political activism. This was the era of Obama winning the presidency, Kamala Harris standing for election as California’s Attorney General and Proposition 8, intended to ban gay marriage in California. I was less interested and invested in this storyline, possibly since I’m not American and lack strong connections to this period. I did like the way it explored the intersections between the personal and political, not to mention the motivations, disappointments and frustrations of political activity.
 
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