A review by samharnold
Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie

5.0

Some books you put down and walk away from and look for your next great read. Other books you put down and still need a day or two to fully digest and reflect. Also like a good meal I chose to digest this book slowly as I read through rather than rushing through like a beach read.

Burnt Shadow is not my normal read. However, after reading a review it was added to my “to be read” list. The book did not disappoint in any way. Burnt Shadow made me what to disappear into its pages and live with the central characters. I could almost smell the places they lived and visited.

Although only 360 pages this is an epic read in all ways. Starting with the Nagasaki bomb and moving through to the 9/11 bombing. Primarily this starts to tell the story of one Japanese woman post Nagasaki. This book then develops into telling the story through three generations of families connected to the central character. The essence of the book deals with conflict through world wars and civil wars. The conflict is dealt with from a range of perspectives from the trained young Afghanistan men to refugees removed from their homeland.

This book will make you think and question society, religion and the essence of war. One interesting line states that post world war 2 UK people who lived in India were more ready to accept Germans living with them than someone from another class. This is just one example of the thought provoking prose used.

This book is extremely well recommended and is a book that will love with me for many years. You will not be disappointed.