Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie, first published in England, was named as a finalist for the Orange Prize. The story begins in Japan just before the second nuclear bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, and then ventures into India, Turkey, Pakistan and New York as it follows two families, one German-English, the other of Japanese-Pakistani extraction. Lives mirror and intersect and Shamsie makes some important observations about class and racial tensions.
The novel, vast in scope and meticulously researched, asks the question: How has the modern world gotten itself to the edge of nuclear annihilation? In addition, it demonstrates that despite the best of intentions, cultural factors blind us to the reality of other people's lives. It is a challenging novel that refuses to let the reader off easily.
Refreshments, compliments of The Friends, will be served. Linda Judenberg will moderate. Copies of the book are available at the Circulation Desk
