A History of Burning
A History of Burning
paperback
Published:
2 May, 2024
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Description
THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
A SARAH JESSICA PARKER BOOK OF THE YEAR
Four generations. Three sisters. One impossible choice.
Tricked 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 Uganda, in hope of a better life. But their granddaughters come of age in a divided nation.
Finally forced to flee, the family scatters across the world. They take with them a steel pot, a handful of photos, and a secret – that one day, will help them find each other again.
A History of Burning is a gorgeous family portrait of love, survival, inheritance - and the eternal search for home.
One family's search for a better life, for fans of Half of a Yellow Sun, Homegoing and Pachinko
'A remarkable debut . . . haunting, symphonic' New York Times
'Vast and intricate, alight with love and contained fury . . . A book I want to press into readers' hands and discuss for hours' Megha Majumdar, author of A BURNING
Shortlisted for the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction and the Amazon Canada First Novel Award
More Details
| Type | Book |
|---|---|
| ISBN13 | 9781529921830 |
| ISBN10 | 152992183X |
| Number Of Pages | 400 |
| Item Weight | 279 g |
| Product Dimensions | 129 x 197 x 25 mm |
| Publisher / Reseller | Vintage Publishing |
| Format | paperback |
Media Reviews
[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 * Economist *
An ambitious, powerful read, it will transport you through time and across the globe, with a story that you won't forget * Glamour, *Best Books for May* *
An ambitious family drama skilfully explores the bonds of kinship and the yearning for peace and security * Kirkus (starred review) *
[An] impressive debut * Publisher's Weekly *
This 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 resilience * Booklist (starred review) *
A riveting testament to home, exile, survival, and inheritance -- Lisa Ko, author of THE LEAVERS
As transfixing as a flame -- Rachel Khong, author of GOODBYE, VITAMIN
A 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 -- Omar El Akkad, author of AMERICAN WAR
[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 now -- Megan Giddings, author of LAKEWOOD
An astonishing debut -- Shyam Selvadurai, author of MANSIONS OF THE MOON
GoodReads Reviews
Author's Bio
Janika Oza is the winner of the 2022 O. Henry Prize for Short Fiction, and the 2020 Kenyon Review Short Fiction Award. Her stories and essays have appeared in publications including The Best Small Fictions: 2019 Anthology and Catapult. She lives in Toronto.
Website: janikaoza.com
Twitter: @JanikaOza
Instagram: @o.janika