THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLERFOUR GENERATIONS. THREE SISTERS. ONE DIVIDED NATION.'Remarkable,haunting,symphonic'New York TimesTricked aboard a boat to East Africa,Pirbhai is only thirteen when he is forced by the British into labouring on the railway. Under sweltering heat,hungry and frightened,he commits a terrible act just to survive.He will never tell a soul,even when he meets Sonal,a fierce,loving woman with whom he starts a family in hope of a better life. But their granddaughters come of age in a divided nation. Latika falls headlong into the student protest movement,Mayuri's ambitions take her far from home,while Kiya's friendship with a Black Ugandan boy threatens them both.Finally forced to flee,the family scatters across the world. They take with them a favourite rolling pin,a handful of photos,and a secret - that one day,will help them find each other again.'Vast and intricate,alight with love and contained fury'Megha Majumdar,author of A Burning
Publisher: Vintage PublishingISBN: 9781784744793Number of pages: 400Weight: 629 gDimensions: 240 x 162 x 36 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
A remarkable debut . . . skillfully interrogates sweeping themes of survival,inheritance,immigration,colonialism and racism...Oza's narrative traverses almost a century of time,four generations of family,five continents and multiple languages...The result is a haunting,symphonic tale that speaks to the nuanced complexities of class and traumaAn ambitious,powerful read,it will transport you through time and across the globe,with a story that you won't forgetIn intimate domestic scenes and scenes of societies in turmoil,(Oza) displays a sure-handed ability to write at both small and large scale and to portray with deep sympathy the universal human desire to find "a little place to simply exist,freely,and with dignity." An ambitious family drama skilfully explores the bonds of kinship and the yearning for peace and security(An) impressive debutThis striking epic combines powerful characters of different generations, compelling storytelling, dramatic settings and conflicts,and thoughtful explorations of displacement and belonging,family ties,citizenship,loyalty,loss,and resilienceA riveting testament to home,exile,survival,and inheritanceAs transfixing as a flameA History of Burning is that rare epic that manages to retain both its sweep and its intimacy... This is a beautiful book,unflinching yet deeply engaged(Oza's) writing reminds people that vulnerability and openness are the only ways we can save each other. A History of Burning is the art we need nowAn astonishing debutIntimate and epic... this book is a triumphAmbitious in scope and dazzlingly executed,A History of Burning is a marvelous debut. A tour de force(A) highly accomplished debut novel... a multi-stranded,intergenerational,poly-vocal epic that charts the struggles of an Indian family over the course of almost a century
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