Home Fire

Coincidentally I blogged my WorldReads from Greece a couple of days ago. The five include a Sophocles play, but it is Oedipus not Antigone which I haven't yet read so I can't comment on how closely Home Fire follows the storyline of the original. Home Fire certainly didn't feel like just a retelling of an ancient story because it is very up-to-date in its presentation. Tweets and hashtags cleverly contribute to pace and atmosphere in the later stages. The themes of love, persecution and intolerance are at least as old as human society though so in that respect the narrative is universal and historic.

I liked how Shamsie switches viewpoints between her protagonists and I found myself completely swept into their lives almost from the novel's first page. For a short novel there is a satisfying depth to all the characters. Home Fire is not a particularly comfortable read for a white Brit such as myself. Many instances of my country's casual racism and prejudice against those we perceive as 'other', regardless of their birthplace, are depicted. I was frequently angered and disappointed by hypocritical events and attitudes as well as being made ultra-aware of how language is habitually twisted by politicians and media to inflame emotions and misrepresent people and stories.

I think Home Fire is an important novel of our times so I am delighted to see longlisted for the Booker Prize and hope it also makes the shortlist. Books realistically featuring Muslim characters need to become mainstream in order to help us move away from the aggressive and unhelpful demonisation of so many people.