A review by elleinadarat
Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.0

I picked this up and put it down again several times. Kamila Shamsie is one of the best authors I've ever read, but I knew this book would be very heavy, and it was. From the first pages you know something bad is about to happen (I mean, this is not a spoiler, the first part takes place in Nagasaki), and the way the author is able to turn heartbreak and destruction into beautiful words absolutely draws you in to the story. I adored Hiroko, and I wanted to give her a hug. I loved how Konrad was a steady thought throughout the whole book. Sajjad and Elizabeth/Ilse and Raza and Kim and Harry were all excellent characters. But I loved that even though there were so many characters who we got to know over the years that the book takes place, Hiroko was the center of it all.