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A review by stephh
A God in Every Stone by Kamila Shamsie
3.0
I tend to avoid books set in/around either of the World Wars, as I've read so many nowadays that I find they rarely hold different or new stories, but this was a great read.
Told from the perspective of an Englishwoman, Vivian Spencer, who became a nurse for a part of the war, and an Indian man, Qayyum Gul, who served in the British army, the book covers their lives before, during and after WWI. Spencer ends up in Peshawar after serving as a nurse for a time, believing that the man she loves, who she was separated from during the war, is there. Qayyum ends up convalescing in England after losing an eye in Ypres, but soon comes back to Peshawar and his life intersects with Viv's in ways he never expected.
The book was a really great insight into how India under British rule became involved in World War One, as well as the Qissa Khwani bazaar massacre. I found the time gap between the first and second halves of the book quite jarring and a bit disjointed. I didn't enjoy the book as much as Shamsie's 'Homefire', but it was an interesting read.
Told from the perspective of an Englishwoman, Vivian Spencer, who became a nurse for a part of the war, and an Indian man, Qayyum Gul, who served in the British army, the book covers their lives before, during and after WWI. Spencer ends up in Peshawar after serving as a nurse for a time, believing that the man she loves, who she was separated from during the war, is there. Qayyum ends up convalescing in England after losing an eye in Ypres, but soon comes back to Peshawar and his life intersects with Viv's in ways he never expected.
The book was a really great insight into how India under British rule became involved in World War One, as well as the Qissa Khwani bazaar massacre. I found the time gap between the first and second halves of the book quite jarring and a bit disjointed. I didn't enjoy the book as much as Shamsie's 'Homefire', but it was an interesting read.