Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie

 genre: contemporary fiction

When Isma leaves Britain to study in Massachusetts, she leaves behind not just the unfortunate history of her jihadist father but also her beloved younger twin sister and brother and  he self-imposed responsibility of raising them after their mother passed away.  Of course, she still FEELS responsible but she knows they will continue to make their own choices - which, as far as that goes, gets very complicated.  As an actively Muslim woman, Isma is pleasantly surprised to meet Eamonn, a fellow Pakistani near campus - never imagining how this young man will play a part in the story of her family.   

This read so quick for me - I had no idea it was a retelling so I had no idea what would happen.  I believed in Isma and her complicated relationships with her twin siblings.  It is hard to read about the way that Muslims are both portrayed in the media and they way that all Muslims are treated based on the horrible decisions of the extremists.   It's important for me to read stories like this to help me remember to always humanize and individualize people, not to ever make assumptions about people's actual beliefs based on a religion they claim or a nationality they represent.  There is real pain here - especially the storyline of the brother.  It's heartbreaking to see someone yearning for something so much that they are blind to reality until it's nearly too late.  

It's not an easy read but it's an important story and I'm not surprised it won the Women's Prize for Fiction - Home Fire gave me a lot to think about.