Home Fires by Kamila Shamsie
This is such a topical book at the moment and definite must read for everyone.
Home Fires is told from the perspective of three siblings from a Muslim family. – Isma, Aneeka and Parvaiz. They are torn apart from the recent death of their mother and are shaped from by the actions of their terrorist father and his awful death at Guantanamo Bay, forever haunted and shaped by his actions.
Isma is the most straight laced of the siblings and the mother figure. She is currently in America as a student.
Aneeka is the more flamboyant and adventurous sister and has an extremely close relationship with her brother. She embarks on a passionate relationship with Eammon, the UK Home Secretary’s son.
And then there’s Parvaiz who is haunted most by his father’s life. A lose canon with no direction, he gets in with the a terrorist group who make him suffer physical abuse to help him understand the pain his dad went through and build a white hatred in him. So he goes off to fight. He struggles to deal with what he sees and what he is forced to do and thinks of his innocent sisters.
When Eamonn’s dad finds out his son’s girlfriend’s brother is a terrorist he begs Eammon to cut all ties.
The ending is not a happy one for the siblings and is a stark remind of the unhappiness and brutality that terrorist organisations cause to all involved.
Sweet Delights 