The Mookse and the Gripes discussion
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Home Fire
Booker Prize for Fiction
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2017 Longlist: Home Fire
Just a note that though the pub date for this is listed as Aug. 15th, it IS available for shipping already on Books Depository UK... just ordered my copy.
And the Kindle version is available now (Amazon UK). Earlier today it was scheduled for 7 September, but that has been brought forward now.
Neil - did you really get the Kindle version as seems now to be August 15th. It's only that that is holding up Gumble from completing finishing the longlist in July - the Booker equivalent of a 1000 runs by the end of May.
Interesting! I didn't buy it because I rarely buy a kindle book until 5 minutes before I want to start reading it. But I am sure I saw it available. Maybe I got confused as it certainly isn't now.
950 runs in May for me then.
Gumble needs an ARC from the publishers just like the declaration from the Aussies that helped Bill Edrich get his 1000.
Doug wrote: Just a note that though the pub date for this is listed as Aug. 15th, it IS available for shipping already on Books Depository UK... I ordered the UK edition from the Book Depository directly after the longlist announcement and then was kicking myself because the US edition had an earlier publication date. Considered canceling my order but decided to wait and see what might happen. Glad I didn't cancel. Yesterday the Book Depository sent an email that the UK edition had been released to their warehouses and my order would be sent shortly.
Coincidentally the main character is called Isma - in my mother tongue* isma means listen or come here.*well sort of as until the age of fourteen I lived in Canada so technically Maltese is my third language after English and French but I am officially a Maltese citizen so where does that place me language-wise??
Doug is absolutely correct about availability in the UK via Book Depository (and others).My copy arrived on Thursday (paperback and no early edition surcharge).
Receiving Home Fire and reading it now makes me feel in a tiny way, how Hillary on Everest, and Scott in the Antarctic, would have felt. In the vanguard of the reading machine that is Gumble's Yard, I feel very privileged to be reading this now!
No spoilers here from me, as yet, but my early observation is that while the writing style, the lyricism of great writers, is absent, the power of the message is undeniable and makes up for the rather clunky writing style.
While I don't think the "Brexit" novel has been written yet (definitely not with Ali Smith), I did feel that Home Fire is a very well delivered work on the even more contentious and far reaching subject of religious conflict in the Middle East. And in particular the many unresolved questions that Western and American citizens struggle to comprehend as their own native born youngsters answer a call to join global jihad.
I am jealous!Meanwhile rest of us can content ourselves with the author's thoughts on the 70th anniversary of partition alongside those of also longlist Mohsin Hamid, Salman Rushdie and various other authors.
https://amp.theguardian.com/books/201...
I suspect they asked Arundhati Roy as well but her answer covered 37 other topics as well and didn't fit in the newspaper.
I am beyond jealous although beautiful sunshine is a consolation.
Fortunately, Amazon did finally send the printed book to Germany...Regarding the connection between Shamsie and Smith: In Shamsie's acknowledgements at the end of the novel, it says: "I'm also grateful for Ali Smith's "The Story of Antigone", and for Ali Smith herself." Ha! :-)
@Robert: To add to this Babylonian confusion of tongues: I went to English language school in Malta! :-)
I am enjoying this very much. Actually to the point of rationing it to make it last longer. But maybe it's just halo and horns effect after History of Wolves.
A slow start (the American setting), I thought, and an ending that seemed too dramatic, too sensational, for a book with a very serious message.The central part of Home Fire was compelling and to my mind rescues a work of fiction that has little of the beautiful writing evident in Reservoir 13
Kamila Shamsie is excellent on the subject of peer group pressure and influence. Which one of us hasn't wondered how jihadi fighters, or jihadi brides get caught up in a "cause" which seems so barbaric. How can western families not be aware that those closest to them are covertly thinking of and even pursuing radical lives?
What is the historical context of a caliphate?
These questions are addressed head on. It's heavy at times, and thought provoking.
Amazon.de delivered this on Friday and, halfway through, I'm really enjoying it. It isn't the prose capturing me, but something else, something I can't yet pin down. First ever Kamila Shamsie for me, by the way...
The audible version comes out on August 15th - I'm waiting to check out the narration sample, before I decide; book vs audio
I've now finished this book. I find it in some ways flawed with a too slow and clumsy first part and the last part of it a bit, how should I say, over-erratic? Nevertheless, I really did enjoy this read (far more than Paul Austers 4 3 2 1 for example) and would probably put it on my personal shortlist... for now at least, still have a few books to read before I will be able to decide for sure though...
Roland,I was waiting to read other reactions and note that yours and mine are very similar.
It was a frustrating read because there are personal and international messages of great import. I just felt the story telling in the final quarter diminished the overall impact.
I loved this without reservation. I will post properly if/when I get time to organise my thoughts.
Okay, I'd like to add my thoughts including a short summary regarding the parallels between "Home Fire" and "Antigone":" - Go back to uni, study the law. Accept the law, even when it's unjust.
- You don't love either justice or our brother if you can say that."
This book tells the story of a British family with Pakistani roots that gets torn apart by the ideology of jihad - and the story is modeled after Sophocles' classic greek tragedy Antigone. I loved the idea, as it underlines that the turmoil we are facing today is not as new as we like to assume. Rather, it can at least in part be traced back to aspects of the human condition and universal feelings that have not changed in the last 2,000 years.
The main protagonists of "Home Fire" are Isma and her twin siblings Aneeka and Parvaiz. Their father was an Islamic terrorist who died on his way to Guantánamo, and after the death of their mother, then 21-year-old Isma is left to provide for her 12-year-old siblings. After Aneeka and Parvaiz finish school, Isma decides to leave London (where all siblings have lived all their lives) and finally continue her studies in the United States. While Isma and Aneeka seem to be able to overcome their past, Parvaiz' life slowly unravels until he finally decides to move to Raqqa and take part in the jihad, just as his father did.
The story is split in five parts, each moving the story forward from a different point of view:
- Isma
- Aneeka
- Parvaiz
- Karamat, the British Home Secretary in charge of fighting terrorism, who is himself the child of
Muslim immigrants
- Eamonn, Karamat's son, who falls in love with Aneeka
I would like to talk a little about the parallels to "Antigone", but beware: While I stopped my little summary above to avoid spoilers, the connections between "Home Fire" and "Antigone" will give you some hints concerning what will happen to the three siblings! Okay, let's go:
Oedipus, the King of Thebes, and his mother Iokaste had four children: Antigone (here: Aneeka), Ismene (Isma), Polyneices (Parvaiz), and Eteocles (no direct counterpart). After Oedipus' death (for more on his story, check: "Oedipus Rex" and "Oedipus at Colonus"), Polyneices and Eteocles start a civil war fighting for the throne of Thebes, in which both die. The new king Creon (Karamat), brother of Iokaste, blames Polyneices (Parvaiz), whom he had previously banned from Thebes, and orders to deny Polyneices (Parvaiz) the burial rites. Although Ismene (Isma) tries to prevent it, Antigone (Aneeka) goes ahead and buries her brother (Polyneices/Parvaiz) anyway, as she refuses to conform to a law she sees as unjust and to male dominance. Instead, she chooses to conform to what she perceives as the rules of the gods. Antigone's (Aneeka's) fiancé Haimon (Eamonn) tries to save her from the consequences of her actions, but Kreon (Karamat) realizes that he is gone too far only after it is too late: Both Antigone (Aneeka) and Haimon (Eamonn) die.
I particularly liked that both in "Antigone" and in "Home Fire", none of the main characters are outright bad: They are trying to do what's right, but some of them make bad choices and take the wrong decisions - with devastating consequences. The way Shamsie talks about race, class, religion, identity and belonging is very lucid and daring, as she asks extremely difficult questions that are almost impossible to answer. I was fascinated by the character of Karamat, who at some point asks himself:
"Working class or Millionaire, Muslim or Ex-Muslim, Proud-Son-of-Migrants or anti-Migrant, Moderniser or Traditionalist? Will the real Karamat Lone please stand up?"
I also enjoyed how the people of Thebes who question their king in "Antigone" are mirrored in "Home Fire", media frenzy and all.
Other parts of the novel, especially the scenes in Pakistan and the ending, are not told realistically, but almost dream- or movie-like. The effect is rather puzzling, but not in a bad way, and I will have to think about those scenes more in order to interpret them.
Although the language is not nearly as good as in "Autumn" or "Lincoln in the Bardo", this book would also be a worthy winner of the Booker - yes, I said it! For instance, it is way, way better than the former winner "The White Tiger", a book that also asked talked about class and injustice. This will most likely make my shortlist.
MeikeExcellent synopsis. I think your detailed explanation of Antigone will be very helpful, and shine new light on this book, come a second read.
As for the shortlist, I'm not sure. The deeper into the list I travel, the more I think this is a strong, very competitive year.
Yes excellent review. Looking forward to this one although my rating will get a star knocked off for selective availability. Poor Gumble is tearing his (remaining) hair out waiting for this to complete the set.
Thanks, Jonathan and Paul! I still have to read Solar Bones, Exit West, Days Without End and Reservoir 13, all of which seem to be excellent. This is my first year reading the whole longlist, and it looks like a good year to start! :-)
Meike wrote: "Okay, I'd like to add my thoughts including a short summary regarding the parallels between "Home Fire" and "Antigone":" - Go back to uni, study the law. Accept the law, even when it's unjust.
-..."
Meike, excellent review!
I have re-read the last parts of the book which had left me a bit unpleased at first. This second read does, at least for me, very much for the book. Actually, I do believe that re-reading the whole book would in this case make it a very strong contender for the Booker.
On my shortlist for sure.
Jonathan wrote: "Roland,I was waiting to read other reactions and note that yours and mine are very similar.
It was a frustrating read because there are personal and international messages of great import. I just ..."
Jonathan, I re-read the final part and it does feel much better and consequent now.
RolandI will take your advice!
One of the great things about Booker, and this collective group focus, is the incentive (and need to) reconsider and/ or re-read.
Against the pressure of so many TBR books I know I am guilty of racing through books and of not always giving due thought to what I've just read.
So far as Home Fire is concerned, the Antigone theme is interesting, but I remain doubtful that I will want to shortlist the book when considering beauty of language, and not just impact of message. So far, I think Days Without End, Autumn, Reservoir 13 all have prose which is enduring in a way that Home Fire does not.
Roland wrote: "Meike wrote: "Okay, I'd like to add my thoughts including a short summary regarding the parallels between "Home Fire" and "Antigone":" - Go back to uni, study the law. Accept the law, even when i..."
Thanks, Roland! I think I'll let the story sink in and re-read the ending next week or so - the content and the sudden change in atmosphere are really quite challenging...I am very interested in seeing how far Shamsie will go! I would not be mad if this won, even over "Autumn" or "Lincoln".
Home Fire is that rare beast: a novel with really important points to make while also being a cracking read. Through the eyes of five characters, we get a dissection of what it means to be British-Asian in the current world. Initially, we meet Isma, resuming a career in academia in the US after bringing up her orphaned younger siblings in London. Picking up her former life does not start well as she is detained by security at Heathrow Airport and misses her flight. Then we meet Eamonn, the son of the British Home Secretary Karamat Lone. His father, as a Muslim politician, is keen to distance himself from extremism by introducing ever-more draconian laws to contain the “threat”. Eamonn is a spoilt rich kid who finds contact with other British Pakistanis way more confronting than mixing with the white, public school elite.
Then, the high point for me, we travel with Parvaiz, Isma’s younger brother, to Raqqa to join the Caliphate. This is a portrait of hope, naivity and a desperation to belong to a family, shattered to smithereens when reality bites. But thanks to modern anti-terror laws, there is no way back from such a decision. In very few words, Shamsie created a living, breathing world and a highly conflicted character who goes on a major journey of self-discovery.
Then back to Britain with Parvaiz’s twin sister Aneeka, and the final two chapters in the company of the Home Secretary himself, Karamat Lone. Lone is a monster, a self-serving egotist who has no understanding of - and even less care about – the impact of his policies on those affected by them. Even when they touch his own family, he is willing to sacrifice their rights for his own political career. And what is the point of that career – the power – if he only uses it to try to perpetuate it?
Home Fire is, apparently, a modern day Antigone. But I think that does the novel a disservice. This is not a recasting of an ancient Greek play; it is not derivative. It is a searing critique of the conflicts of identity; of personal interest and family loyalty within a community that is being vilified on a daily basis. How far can it be right to punish an easily identifiable group for the transgressions of some of its members; how far should those who do transgress be dealt with through the existing judicial system or how far can it be right to expel them from the system altogether.
This novel spans half the globe, offers five very different stories, and poses difficult questions. There is not a wrong word in this tight narrative, spanning ultra-realism through to the absolutely surreal. By the end, the story is in a slow motion, dream-like sequence. And the ending is absolutely not expected.
Home Fire is a really fantastic novel but, if it has one Achilles Heel, it could be its fixation in the present moment. The novel relies on the current public mood, the current legal (and illegal) situation, the current conflict in Syria. Move on five years – perhaps less – and what seems to immediate now may seem very fleeting and out of date. I hope the future is not as bleak as Home Fire would have us believe.
I broadly agree with your high praise for Home Fire. I'm interested to see that you regarded the Parvaiz section as the high point. For me, too, this part of the book positively soars. The force of the writing on detention, of repatriation, of Home Office dictats, is exceptional.I would have liked more of Parvaiz and his multiple dilemmas, and possibly less of Eamonn.
I agree with you that the Antigone comparison is a "disservice" to the very modern, contemporary messages of Home Fire.
Comparing this to other Booker 2017 nominees I thought it comes up a bit short in the quality of the writing compared to Reservoir 13, or Autumn, or Days Without End. The 'absolutely surreal' elements to which you refer struck me as an opportunity to write differently, more softly. Contrast with Lincoln in the Bardo which is surreal throughout, but is then punctuated, towards the end, by a different writing style and the most wonderful reflection by bevins on 'the things if the world were strong with me still'
I hope your thought that the conflict in Syria in five years, or less, will possibly look different, comes true.
MisterHobgoblin wrote: "Home Fire is that rare beast: a novel with really important points to make while also being a cracking read. Through the eyes of five characters, we get a dissection of what it means to be Britis..."
MisterHobgoblin,
thanks for you thoughts on this book that I also enjoyed very much! I'd like to argue against two of your points:
1) Karamat Lone ist not a monster at all, and the book clearly shows that he cares a whole lot about the consequences of his actions, as he spents a lot of time reflecting on them and questioning himself. He wants other Muslims and Asians to be accepted members of British society, and he thinks that this goal can best be achieved by the policies he implies (intention and outcome diverge, but that does not make the Intention bad). He finds himself in a world where he is constantly expected to distance himself from terrorism and aspects of his religion, just because he is an Asian Muslim, and he is struggling to come to terms with that, especially in his role as a Home Secretary. The book does a very good job in reflecting the situation of a Muslim politician in a country with a Christian majority, where all of Karamat's actions are scrutinized because of his background.
How do you fight racism in a society that is more and more ruled by fear? What do you do with terrorists who want to come home? (Let's face it: They are a potential threat to national security.) What would you say if you were in charge of national security and your son wanted to marry the daughter of a terrorist, whose twin is also a terrorist? Karamat's situation is very difficult, and some of his policies are certainly outright wrong, but he is not the bad guy here. In fact, he shows how hard ist can be to do the right thing in times like ours (to do the right thing and maintain the right to represent your people, in fact).
2) The "Antigone" theme is excellent, and the novel can also be enjoyed without even being aware of it. In my opinion, the point is that the situation of the protagonists is paralleled to a classic drama, which is not the same as being a rip-off or a recasting. It varies the themes, it is not the same at all, and this is what hightens the reader's awareness to details. Plus: Antigone is also about the themes you mention: Personal identity, power, justice and family loyalty (plus religion, the role of women...all things that also feature in "Home Fire"). In my opinion, it makes no sense to say that the "Antigone" theme is a disservice to the text because "Home Fire" is about the exact same issues. :-)
What we agree on: The book is great!
For those lucky enough to have read it, is it helpful / unhelpful to have read Antigone beforehand.For the number of novels recently based on Shakespeare's plays, I have found it enhances the experience to read, or re-read, the originals first.
But from the debate above, looks less clear here.
Hi Paul,I would definitely say that it makes sense to at least refresh one's memory on the story and themes of "Antigone", as "Home Fire" picks up on these themes and negotiates/modulates them in the context of the story. It is fascinating to see how relevant the main topics of "Antigone" remain, and Shamsie finds interesting ways to discuss them.
Mod
Thanks Meike.Guardian review makes an interesting comment today that in some ways "Shamsie owes a greater debt to Jean Anouilh’s adaptation of Antigone than to the Sophoclean version", for example in the Ismene / Isma character being older and having a greater role.
Although I am familiar with most of the major Antigone plays/versions (my PhD is in theatre, after all!) I took a quick look at the Wikipedia entry on it before starting Shamsie's version, which I DO think helps... I also noticed in the acknowledgments page that Jatinder Varma suggested the idea to Shamsie - 30 years ago I worked with him when I was the student editor of the 'Asian Theatre Journal' at UH and he was the head of the Editorial Board...small world! (...don't think that will sway my opinion on this one way or the other though!).
I have studied the anouilh version and i am seeing parallels. So far i am enjoying it!
Oh, thanks for mentioning that, Paul! I saw the Anouilh version on stage, but that was more than ten years ago, so I will do some research to refresh my memory concerning the differences between Anouilh and Sophocles.
I should admit I know nothing of either version so am merely passing on a comment. It is always wonderful to hear from those so well versed in these matters as Meike, Robert and Doug: particularly impressed with the PhD in theatre, whereas for me Greeks are the partial derivatives of the products we sell to changes in the underlying market parameters.Link to the review incidentally, which is by the author of The Children of Jocasta
https://www.theguardian.com/books/201...
Thanks for the link, Paul!...and thanks for the compliment, but it's just that I went to a high school where Latin was mandatory and some of the Classics were hammered into our brains, so I am far from being a drama expert! :-)
Now I have zero expertise in ancient Greek language and philosophy but having read the play, and in a version that kept to the Greek word for some key terms, it did highlight some interesting concepts. Guessing/hoping these are reflected in the novel (which still hasn't turned up) but interested in thoughts:1) the ambiguous use of the word nomos - which to Antigone denotes customs and values, and to Creon the laws of the land (and, in this context, his laws) [https://www.britannica.com/topic/nomo...]
2) Antigone's prioritisation of philia (obligations to friends, family: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philia) over obligations to the state, and Creon's explicit rejection of that stance as in Seamus Heaney's rewrite of the play, which forms the epigraph for Home Fire: The ones we love . . . are enemies of the state.
3) and most strikingly in a 2016-7 context Antigone's lament that she is a metic, not among the living nor among the dead (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metic). In modern day parlance, she is essentially proclaiming herself a citizen of nowhere, to use the accusatory phrase used in the most offensive and inflammatory speech given by a British prime minister in my lifetime.
I'm more than halfway through - Excellent!!! and I thoughtthat Shamsie's last two books were so-so.
Excellent. One of my faves on the longlist so far. Here's my review:Kamila Shamsie's Home Fire is a modern update of Sophocles Antigone , which is about the title hero stealing her brother's corpse despite the laws and having a proper burial on home turf. I have not read The Sophocles play, but I did read Jean Anouilh's version which places the scene to wartime France but keeps the same message with anti Nazi undertones.
In Shamsie's story, the scene is placed mostly in London and is a commentary on migrants, and more importantly identity. Isma and her twin siblings; Aneez and Parvaiz are at different stages in their lives. Isma is ready to study in the US, Aneez is in university and Parvaiz decides to follow in the footsteps of his terrorist father and after being influenced by Farooq, he moves to Syria and helps with terrorist activities, which lead him into trouble and raises the ethical and political issues that are brought up in Antigone.
The book is told through different perspectives, in the third person though, and it works. Shamie manages to pull off a coherent plot but this is only scratching the surface. The novel takes sharp jabs at the manipulative power of the media and gender politics (the role of the male in a Muslim family) but more importantly it asks about the question of identity. Can a Muslim in politics ban other Muslims and denominations from migrating? Is war a solution? Home Fires poses some complex questions about race and does answer them.
So yes, I thought this book was excellent. It piles on some heavy themes but is readable, and let's face it: a well constructed novel. I never really used to like Shamsie's writing in the past but here she has done a fantastic job
Mod
Hugh wrote: "I finished this one late yesterday but have not yet had time to review it, and I think the review deserves a bit of thinking time. Complex and thought provoking, perhaps a little flawed, but very i..."Oh definitely - that's the strength of a great novel. Having the background knowledge just enhances the reading experience a bit. As such just the last part itself is the Antigone homage. The rest is Shamsie building to it.
Finished this yesterday and have still to write my review - but I was interested in the parallels with Antigone (which I read while I was waiting for this to be available on Amazon UK).I recently read the brilliant "We That Are Young" - a modern day King Lear, and my only criticism is that Taneja follows the King Lear plot too literally, and that scenes which could have been recast more figuratively (for example the Dover cliffs scene) are reproduced too literally.
I preferred the treatment here where Shamsie has brilliantly drawn out how the same themes (split loyalties to state/family, citizenship, the meaning of justice, female roles) and used much of the basic set up (someone fighting against the state who is denied burial rights) while not feeling the need to follow every last aspect of the original.
There are clearly quite areas where the initial set up is different to Antigone. For example: no Eteocles; Anneka/Isme's father's back story having limited parallel with Oedipus; Eamon's initial relationship with Isme and Isme being the older sister (which both come from Jean Anouilh's version I think); Anneka being the more beautiful daughter (Anouilh and the original have Isemene as more beautiful).
I felt though that there were more direct links in the last section, for example:
Eamon's call with his father warning him "stopping a family from burying its own - that never looks good. That's what people are beginning to say around me. if your advisers won't tell you this, your son will" echoing Hameon's speech to Creon "under cover of darkness the city mourns for the girl"
Terri's warning "And you've lost your son to" echoing Tiresias prophecy that Creon's actions mean he will lose "a son of [his] own loins".
I also loved the ending - and how the joint suicide of the classic version is played out instead.
I've just posted my review and there's quite a bit of overlap with GY's comments above. I thought it was an excellent book and it's going on my short list!
The Mookse and the Gripes
Books mentioned in this topic
A God in Every Stone (other topics)A God in Every Stone (other topics)
The Children of Jocasta (other topics)
UK Edition
Publication Date: August 15, 2017
US Edition
Publication Date: August 15, 2017