74 pages • 2 hours read
Burnt Shadows
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Book Brief
384
Novel • Fiction
Nagasaki, Japan • 1940s
2009
Adult
18+ years
Super Short Summary
Burnt Shadows follows the lives of the Tanaka-Ashraf and Weiss-Burton families as their paths intersect through significant historical events, starting with the atomic bombing of Nagasaki in 1945, leading through the Partition of India, the Cold War, and ending post-9/11. The novel explores themes of identity, displacement, and the impact of global politics on personal lives. The book covers sensitive subjects such as war, trauma, and violence.
Contemplative
Melancholic
Bittersweet
Emotional
Mysterious
Reviews & Readership
9,754 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
Review Roundup
Kamila Shamsie's Burnt Shadows skillfully interweaves historical events with personal narratives, garnering praise for its evocative prose and complex characters. Critics laud its ambitious scope and emotional depth, though some find the plot occasionally overreaching. Overall, it offers a poignant exploration of cultural identity and human resilience.
Who Should Read Burnt Shadows?
Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie will captivate readers who appreciate historical fiction intertwined with personal and global conflict. Comparable works include Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner and Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things, offering rich narratives exploring identity, displacement, and cultural intersections across multiple generations.
9,754 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
384
Novel • Fiction
Nagasaki, Japan • 1940s
2009
Adult
18+ years
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