A History of Burning
The perfect summer read for fans of Half of a Yellow Sun, Homegoing and Pachinko
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Vintage Publishing
Published:4th May '23
£16.99
Available for immediate dispatch.
This hardback is available in another edition too:
- Paperback£9.99(9781529921830)
***THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER***
***A SARAH JESSICA PARKER BOOK OF THE YEAR***
FOUR GENERATIONS. THREE SISTERS. ONE DIVIDED NATION.
'Remarkable, haunting, symphonic' New York Times
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 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
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 trauma -- S Kirk Walsh * New York Times *
[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
Intimate and epic...this book is a triumph -- Shruti Swamy, author of THE ARCHER
Ambitious in scope and dazzlingly executed, A History of Burning is a marvelous debut. A tour de force -- Sharon Bala, author of THE BOAT PEOPLE
ISBN: 9781784744793
Dimensions: 240mm x 162mm x 36mm
Weight: 629g
400 pages