Best Selling Books by Kamila Shamsie

“Ingenious… Builds to one of the most memorable final scenes I’ve read in a novel this century.” —The New York Times WINNER OF THE 2018 WOMEN''S PRIZE FOR FICTION FINALIST FOR THE 2019 INTERNATIONAL DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD LONGLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE The suspenseful and heartbreaking story of an immigrant family driven to pit love against loyalty, with devastating consequences, from the author of Best of Friends Isma is free. After years of watching out for her younger siblings in the wake of their mother’s death, she’s accepted an invitation from a mentor in America that allows her to resume a dream long deferred. But she can’t stop worrying about Aneeka, her beautiful, headstrong sister back in London, or their brother, Parvaiz, who’s disappeared in pursuit of his own dream, to prove himself to the dark legacy of the jihadist father he never knew. When he resurfaces half a globe away, Isma’s worst fears are confirmed. Then Eamonn enters the sisters’ lives. Son of a powerful political figure, he has his own birthright to live up to—or defy. Is he to be a chance at love? The means of Parvaiz’s salvation? Suddenly, two families’ fates are inextricably, devastatingly entwined, in this searing novel that asks: What sacrifices will we make in the name of love?

Longlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction (now Women''s Prize for Fiction) Winner of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award Nagasaki, August 9, 1945. Hiroko Tanaka watches her lover from the veranda as he leaves. Sunlight streams across Urakami Valley, and then the world goes white. In the devastating aftermath of the atomic bomb, Hiroko leaves Japan in search of new beginnings. From Delhi, amid India''s cry for independence from British colonial rule, to New York City in the immediate wake of 9/11, to the novel''s astonishing climax in Afghanistan, a violent history casts its shadow the entire world over. Sweeping in its scope and mesmerizing in its evocation of time and place, this is a tale of love and war, of three generations, and three world-changing historic events. Kamila Shamsie’s Burnt Shadows is an enthralling meta-cultural epic, the panoramic tale of two families tangled together in some of the most devastating conflicts of modern history.

_______________ ''A richly woven novel ... The voice that guides us around this world darts with wit and lightness in a way that is unique and often lovely'' - Rana Dasgupta, Guardian ''The plot gallops along, ensuring a gripping read ... thought-provoking'' - Independent ''A highly accomplished novel ... A multi-layered but shrewdly simple tale'' - New Statesman, Books of the Year _______________ BY THE ACCLAIMED WINNER OF THE WOMEN''S PRIZE FOR FICTION Fourteen years ago Aasmaani''s mother Samina, a blazing beauty and fearless activist, walked out of her house and was never seen again. Aasmaani refuses to believe she is dead and still dreams of her glorious return. Now grown up and living in Karachi, Aasmaani receives what could be the longed-for proof that her mother is still alive. As she comes closer to the truth she is also irresistibly drawn to Ed, her ally and sparring partner, and the only person who can understand the profound hurt – and the profound love – that drives her. _______________ ''An elegant, challenging novel about love, loss and deception ... vibrant'' - Daily Mail ''Sparkling prose and formidable wit'' - Daily Telegraph

_______________ ''Full of fun, longing and wit ... a debut of spirit and imagination, loaded with intelligent charm'' - Ali Smith ''A touching and engrossing story ... an assured debut'' - The Times ''A colourful and peripatetic view of politics in Pakistan ... an interesting and promising novel'' - Guardian _______________ BY THE ACCLAIMED WINNER OF THE WOMEN''S PRIZE FOR FICTION SHORTLISTED FOR THE JOHN LLEWELLYN RHYS PRIZE _______________ Hasan is eleven years old. He loves cricket, pomegranates, the night sky, his clever, vibrant artistic mother and his etymologically obsessed lawyer father, and he adores his next-door neighbour Zehra. One early summer morning, while lazing happily on the roof, Hasan watches a young boy flying a yellow kite fall to his death. Soon after, Hasan''s idyllic, sheltered family life is shattered when his beloved uncle Salman, a dissenting politician, is arrested and charged with treason... Set in a land ruled by an oppressive military regime, this eloquent, charming and quietly political novel vividly recreates the confusing world of a young boy on the edge of adulthood, and beautifully illustrates the transformative power of the imagination.

Aliya may not have inherited her family''s patrician looks, but she is as much a prey to the legends of her family that stretch back to the days of Timur Lang. Aristocratic and eccentric-the clan has plenty of stories to tell, and secrets to hide. Like salt and saffron, which both flavor food but in slightly different ways, it is the small, subtle differences that cause the most trouble in Aliya''s family. The family problems and scandals caused by these minute differences echo the history of the sub-continent and the story of Partition. A superb storyteller, Kamila Shamsie writes with warmth and gusto. Through the many anecdotes about Pakistani family life, she hints at the larger tale of a divided nation. Spanning the subcontinent from the Muslim invasions to the Partition, this is a magical novel about the shapes stories can take- turning into myths, appearing in history books and entering into our lives.

Crib mates, raised together from birth, narrator Raheen and her best friend Karim dream each other''s dreams, finish each other''s sentences, speak in a language of anagrams. They share an idyllic childhood in upper-class Karachi with parents who are also best friends. The two couples were even once engaged to the opposite partner until they rematched in what they jokingly call "the fiancee swap." The night Karim''s family migrates from Karachi to London, Raheen knows that "some of my tears were his tears and some of his tears were mine." But as distance and adolescence split them apart, Karim takes refuge in the rationality of maps while Raheen searches for the secret behind her parents'' exchange. What she uncovers takes us back two decades to reveal a story not just of a family''s turbulent history but that of a country -- and brings us forward to a grown-up Raheen and Karim poised between strained friendship and fated love. A young writer of astonishing maturity and exhilarating style, Kamila Shamsie transports us to a world we have not seen in fiction - vibrant, violent, utterly contemporary Pakistan. But even as she takes us far away from the familiar she tells a story of passion and family secrets that rings universally true.

A kaleidoscopic masterpiece of empire and rebellion by Kamila Shamsie, the Orange Prize shortlisted and Granta Best of Young British Novelist In the summer of 1914 a young Englishwoman, Vivian Rose Spencer, finds herself fulfilling a dream by joining an archeological dig in Turkey. Working alongside Germans and Turks, she falls in love with archaeologist, Tahsin Bey, and joins him in his quest to find an ancient silver circlet. The outbreak of war in Europe brings her idyllic summer to a sudden end, and her friends become her nation’s enemies. The following spring, in the battlefields of Europe, Qayyum Gul, a Lance Corporal from Peshawar fighting for the British, loses an eye, and is sent to recover in a Royal Pavilion in England, where he slowly begins to doubt his loyalties to the King. Returning home, Qayyum shares a train carriage with Vivian Rose whose search for the circlet has led her to Peshawar in the heart of the British Raj. Fifteen years later, they will meet again, and their loyalties will be tested once more amidst massacres, cover-ups, and the disappearance of a young man they both love.

“A profound novel about friendship. I loved it to pieces.” —Madeline Miller “A shining tour de force about a long friendship’s respects, disrespects, loyalties and moralities.” —Ali Smith From the acclaimed author of Home Fire, the moving and surprising story of a lifelong friendship and the forces that bring it to the breaking point Zahra and Maryam have been best friends since childhood in Karachi, even though—or maybe because—they are unlike in nearly every way. Yet they never speak of the differences in their backgrounds or their values, not even after the fateful night when a moment of adolescent impulse upends their plans for the future. Three decades later, Zahra and Maryam have grown into powerful women who have each cut a distinctive path through London. But when two troubling figures from their past resurface, they must finally confront their bedrock differences—and find out whether their friendship can survive. Thought-provoking, compassionate, and full of unexpected turns, Best of Friends offers a riveting take on an age-old question: Does principle or loyalty make for the better friend?

On the farm, some eggs are hatching. A flock of sweet ducklings are popping out but one duckling looks different from all the others.Kamila Shamsie retells The Ugly Duckling with great empathy and a warm heart. Cast out and all alone, the odd duckling will need all her bravery and curiosity to survive. Her journey is a search for belonging, but what she finds is the right to be different.

DRAGON. TIGRESS. SHE-DEVIL.For centuries past, and all across the worldHUSSY. SIREN. WENCH.there are words that have defined and decried us.HARRIDAN. MUCKRAKER. SPITFIRE.Words that raise our hacklesVITUPERATOR. CHURAIL. TERMAGANT.fire up our blood;FURY. WARRIOR. VIRAGO.words that tell a storyIn this blazing cauldron of a book, the boldest writers of our day take up these words and take up their pens, celebrating fifty years of Virago.

________________ ''This anthology will help turn your intellectual understanding of oppression into an emotional one'' - New Statesman ''Thanks for being who you are and for giving us such exposure to wonderful people. Palestine is proud of you'' - Suad Amiry ________________ The Palestine Festival of Literature was established in 2008. Bringing together writers from all corners of the globe, it aims to help Palestinians break the cultural siege imposed by the Israeli military occupation, to strengthen their artistic links with the rest of the world, and to reaffirm, in the words of Edward Said, ''the power of culture over the culture of power''. Celebrating the tenth anniversary of PalFest, This Is Not a Border is a collection of essays, poems and stories from some of the world''s most distinguished artists, responding to their experiences at this unique festival. Both heartbreaking and hopeful, their gathered work is a testament to the power of literature to promote solidarity and courage in the most desperate of situations. Contributors: Susan Abulhawa, Suad Amiry, Victoria Brittain, Jehan Bseiso, Teju Cole, Molly Crabapple, Selma Dabbagh, Mahmoud Darwish, Najwan Darwish, Geoff Dyer, Yasmin El-Rifae, Adam Foulds, Ru Freeman, Omar Robert Hamilton, Suheir Hammad, Nathalie Handal, Mohammed Hanif, Jeremy Harding, Rachel Holmes, John Horner, Remi Kanazi, Brigid Keenan, Mercedes Kemp, Omar El-Khairy, Nancy Kricorian, Sabrina Mahfouz, Jamal Mahjoub, Henning Mankell, Claire Messud, China Miéville, Pankaj Mishra, Deborah Moggach, Muiz, Maath Musleh, Michael Palin, Ed Pavlic, Atef Abu Saif, Kamila Shamsie, Raja Shehadeh, Gillian Slovo, Ahdaf Soueif, Linda Spalding, Will Sutcliffe, Alice Walker With messages from China Achebe, Michael Ondaatje and J. M. Coetzee ________________ ''Every literary act, whether it is a great epic poem or an honest piece of journalism or a simple nonsense tale for children is a blow against the forces of stupidity and ignorance and darkness ... The Palestine Festival of Literature exists to do just that – and I salute it for its work. Not only this year but for as long as it is necessary'' - Philip Pullman

At a time that feels unprecedented in British politics – with unlawful prorogations of parliament, casual race-baiting by senior politicians, and a climate crisis that continues to be ignored – it’s easy to think these are uncharted waters for us, as a democracy. But Britain has seen political crises and far-right extremism before, just as it has witnessed regressive, heavy-handed governments. Much worse has been done, or allowed to be done, in the name of the people and eventually, those same people have called it out, stood up, resisted. In this new collection of fictions and essays, spanning two millennia of British protest, authors, historians and activists re-imagine twenty acts of defiance: campaigns to change unjust laws, protests against unlawful acts, uprisings successful and unsuccessful – from Boudica to Blair Peach, from the Battle of Cable Street to the tragedy of Grenfell Tower. Britain might not be famous for its revolutionary spirit, but its people know when to draw the line, and say very clearly, ‘¡No pasarán!’ This project has been supported by the Barry Amiel and Norman Melburn Trust and the Lipman-Miliband Trust, as well as Arts Council England. Part of Comma''s ''History-into-Fiction'' series.

Upon changing his religion, a young man is denounced as an apostate and flees his country hiding in the back of a freezer lorry… After years of travelling and losing almost everything – his country, his children, his wife, his farm – an Afghan man finds unexpected warmth and comfort in a stranger’s home... A student protester is forced to leave his homeland after a government crackdown, and spends the next 25 years in limbo, trapped in the UK asylum system... Modelled on Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, the second volume of Refugee Tales sets out to communicate the experiences of those who, having sought asylum in the UK, find themselves indefinitely detained. Here, poets and novelists create a space in which the stories of those who have been detained can be safely heard, a space in which hospitality is the prevailing discourse and listening becomes an act of welcome. All profits go to the Gatwick Detainee Welfare Group and Kent Help for Refugees.

A fascinating collection of new and classic tales of the fearsome Djinn, from bestselling, award-winning and breakthrough international writers. An enthralling collection of new and classic tales of the fearsome Djinn, from bestselling, award-winning and breakthrough international writers. Imagine a world filled with fierce, fiery beings, hiding in our shadows, in our dreams, under our skins. Eavesdropping and exploring; tormenting us, saving our souls. They are monsters, saviours, victims, childhood friends. And they are everywhere. On street corners, behind the wheel of a taxi, in the chorus, between the pages of books. Every language has a word for them. Every culture knows their traditions. Every religion, every history has them hiding in their dark places. There is no part of the world that does not know them. They are the Djinn. With stories from Neil Gaiman, Nnedi Okorafor, Amal El-Mohtar, Catherine Faris King, Claire North, E.J. Swift, Hermes (trans. Robin Moger), Jamal Mahjoub, James Smythe, J.Y. Yang, Kamila Shamsie, Kirsty Logan, K.J. Parker, Kuzhali Manickavel, Maria Dahvana Headley, Monica Byrne, Saad Hossain, Sami Shah, Sophia Al-Maria and Usman Malik.

The author argues that the most significant factor in the rise of Muslim extremist ideology is found within the circumstances of individual nation-states, and that the idea of Islam as a static global and temporal entity is a myth. The reality reflects a variety of experience founded on the co-mingling of religion, cultural and national and international politics. It is inside this individual complexity that battle-lines have been drawn and the fight waged within Islam itself. Through a consideration of the case of Pakistan, this volume places the recent surge in extremist Islam within the framework of the nation-state, and sharpens the dangerously blurred distinctions between the Merely Offended and the Violently Offended in the course of examining the causes of offence.

Isma é a irmã mais velha. Aos 19 anos, com a morte da mãe, passou a olhar pelos irmãos menores, os gêmeos Aneeka e Parvaiz, muito ligados entre si. Ingleses muçulmanos de ascendência paquistanesa, eles moram na periferia de Londres. As irmãs usam hijab, um tecido ao redor da cabeça que cobre as orelhas, pescoço e o cabelo. Aos 28 anos, Isma decide pela realização de seu projeto pessoal e se muda para cursar doutorado nos Estados Unidos. A bela e irriquieta Aneeka, então com 19 anos, estuda direito com bolsa de estudos na prestigiosa LSE. Parvaiz, que trabalha como ajudante em uma quitanda e com um gravador sai a recolher os sons do mundo, é recrutado pelo Estado Islâmico. Sai em busca do legado daquele pai ausente que não conheceu, um jihadista que morreu enquanto era transporta do a Guantanamo, prisão norte-americana na ilha de Cuba. Nos Estados Unidos, Isma trava amizade com Eamonn, filho do deputado do parlamento britânico Karamat Lone, que se torna Ministro do Interior. Karamat vive o conflito interno entre sua origem e sua ocidentalização e britanismo autoimposto, que considera seu legado. De volta à Londres, Eamonn leva uma encomenda para a família de Isma e conhece Aneeka, por quem fica completamente encantado. Nacionalismo e cidadania são um privilégio, não um direito de nascença, nesta história em que se acompanha não apenas a devastação de duas famílias, mas também tocantes histórias de amor incondicional e sacrifícios. Entre irmãos, entre pai e filho, entre amantes. Ao adaptar a tragédia Antígona, de Sófocles, para Inglaterra contemporânea, Kamila Shamsie construiu um romance pujante e arrebatador, vencedor do Prêmio Womens Prize for Fiction 2018.

“Un profondo romanzo sull’amicizia.” Madeline Miller «Un nuovo romanzo di Kamila Shamsie è sempre da festeggiare, ma ‘Un’amicizia perfetta’ merita ancora di più; è una storia epica che esplora temi come l’amicizia fin dall’infanzia, la possibilità di cambiare vita, il modo in cui le vicende politiche del mondo influiscono sulla vita di tutti noi.» The Observer «Da Karachi a Londra, dal 1998 al 2020, due mondi e speranze a confronto per un''amicizia che resiste e cresce nonostante differenze e traumi.» Domenica - Gino Ruozzi Karachi, 1988. Maryam e Zahra, due quattordicenni, condividono segreti, dubbi e la passione per George Michael. E, con la caduta della dittatura e la salita al potere di Benazir Bhutto, il mondo sembra all’improvviso pieno di possibilità. Proprio sull’onda di questo entusiasmo, le due ragazze prendono una decisione avventata, che significherà per loro la fine dell’infanzia e l’inizio di un futuro molto diverso da quello immaginato. Nella Londra di oggi, Maryam e Zahra sono diventate donne di potere, anche se hanno un’idea molto diversa su come esercitarlo. Continuano a essere legate da una profonda amicizia, ma anche dal ricordo di quella decisione, che riaffiora nel presente in modo inatteso e forse devastante... Un romanzo intenso, che esplora la difficoltà di conoscere davvero anche le persone che ci sono più vicine.

LA NOVELA GANADORA DEL WOMEN''S PRIZE 2018. ¿Hasta donde llegarías para salvar a quien más quieres? La historia de una familia atrapada en el conflicto entre Occidente y el Estado Islámico. Isma, una joven musulmana británica, ha conseguido independizarse de su familia y piensa ir a Estados Unidos para completar sus estudios. Pero este simple hecho posee una significación muy especial si consideramos que su padre fue acusado de terrorismo y murió camino de Guantánamo; que su hermano ha decidido unirse al Estado Islámico; que su hermana es una joven muy problemática incapaz de hacer frente a la vida... Ese pasado estallará en mil pedazos cuando Isma conozca a Eamonn y las diferencias que parecían superadas vuelvan a irrumpir en la vida de todos. "Un relato conmovedor." The Guardian "Un buen novelista desdibuja la línea imaginaria entre nosotros y ellos; Kamila Shamsie pertenece al pequeño grupo de autores que hace olvidar esa línea. Los desterrados es una novela importante, oportuna y necesaria." Rabih Alameddine "Los desterrados me dejó asombrado, estremecido, lleno de admiración por su coraje y ambición. Lectura recomendada para los primeros ministros y presidentes de todo el mundo." Peter Carey

Au printemps 1914 en Turquie, Vivian Rose Spencer découvre sa passion pour l’archéologie, l’appel de l’aventure et l’amour auprès de son maître, Tahsin Bey. Surpris par la guerre, ils se font la promesse de se retrouver bientôt à Peshawar. À bord du train, Viv rencontre Qayum, un Pachtoun qui a combattu au sein de l’armée des Indes britanniques. Ensemble, ils contemplent la vallée de Peshawar, pays au-delà des monts, puis la ville effervescente se révèle, cité des fleurs cosmopolite qui tutoie le passé. Tout les sépare et pourtant Vivian et Qayum l’ignorent encore mais leurs vies seront désormais liées... L’amitié, l’injustice et la trahison s’entremêlent dans ce roman qui nous emporte à travers le monde rappelant que, dans le chaos de l’Histoire, ce qui est perdu ne sera pas oublié.

«Una scrittrice immensa per talento ed energia». Salman Rushdie Tra una caffetteria nel Massachusetts e il consolato britannico di Karachi c’è Wembley, con il suo canale sopraelevato e la sua strada principale fitta di negozi. In questo rione multietnico alle porte di Londra, famiglie musulmane giunte qui dai confini dell’impero cercano da decenni un riscatto, ora nell’integrazione, ora nell’ambizione, ora perfino nell’illusione della guerra santa, disegnando percorsi così diversi da sembrare quasi paralleli. Eppure, dove la vita fa da spartiacque, arriva il destino a unire i fili, fino ad annodarli in una sorta di moderna Antigone, contingente e al tempo stesso universale. Lo scontro di civiltà che oggi minaccia le nostre certezze si insinua nella vita dei tre fratelli Pasha, persi tra il passato jihadista impresso nel loro cognome e un futuro tutto da costruire. Ma è l’incontro con Eamonn, il giovane rampollo di una famiglia che ha rinnegato le sue origini musulmane per dare alla nazione un ministro, a trasformare la loro storia in una antica e potente tragedia greca. Nelle pagine di Kamila Shamsie, dove le piccole decisioni innescano quasi casualmente scelte irreparabili, il vuoto dei padri inghiotte quello dei figli, in un vortice che parte lento e va accelerando fino a implodere davanti agli occhi del mondo. E l’amore – esiliato da cause di forza maggiore e ossessionato dalla ricerca di giustizia – trionfa ma non trova pace.

De eens zo innige band tussen Isma en de jongere tweeling Aneeka en Parvaiz wordt zwaar op de proef gesteld als Parvaiz besluit in de voetsporen van hun overleden jihadi-vader te treden en verdwijnt. Dan komt Eamonn, zoon van een machtig politicus, in het leven van de zussen. is Eamonn Aneeka''s ware liefde? Of het middel tot Parvaiz'' bevrijding? Plots is het lot van beide families onlosmakelijk met elkaar verbonden en blijkt hoe verwoestend liefde en loyaliteit kunnen zijn. Kamila Shamsie geeft met dit spannende en hartverscheurende verhaal een uiterst genuanceerde inkijk in de complexiteit van burgerschap, liefde, familie en verschillende culturen in Europa.

Il 9 agosto 1945 a Nagasaki, Hiroko Tanaka esce sulla veranda di casa: leggera dei suoi ventun anni, innamorata del suo Konrad, i pensieri alati come le tre gru che le attraversano la schiena, ricamate sul suo kimono. All’improvviso, il cielo esplode di un bianco abbagliante e le strade si anneriscono di migliaia di ombre... E nel giro di un istante a Hiroko non rimane più nulla, a parte tre ustioni a forma di gru sulla schiena, ricordo indelebile di tutto ciò che la bomba le ha strappato. Due anni dopo arriva a Delhi, desiderosa di ricominciare. Come un fresco temporale estivo, entra nelle vite di Elizabeth, la sorella di Konrad, di suo marito James Burton, e di Sajjad Ashraf, un giovane indiano alle dipendenze dei Burton, da cui inizia a prendere lezioni di urdu. Gli anni passano, nuovi legami sostituiscono quelli perduti, vecchie guerre cedono il passo a nuovi conflitti. Ma tanto la Storia quanto le vicende personali gettano la loro ombra sulle vite ormai saldamente annodate dei Tanaka, dei Burton e degli Ashraf, trasportati dal Pakistan a New York, e di lì all’Afghanistan, all’indomani dell’11 settembre... In un romanzo poetico, teso e commovente, tra i cieli di Nagasaki, i giardini dell’India, l’asfalto di New York e il deserto afghano, Kamila Shamsie racconta un’epica vicenda di disastri scampati e affrontati, lealtà infrante e ricostruite, amori ripagati e traditi. E nei destini personali e comuni dei protagonisti canta la sua terra e la sua gente, sempre capaci e desiderose di far rinascere una speranza dalle profonde e ingombrati cicatrici di una guerra, che non cessa mai di dispensare il suo tragico abbraccio, con l’accanimento di una maledizione – o di un’amante.

Isma quitte Londres pour les États-Unis afin de reprendre ses études de sociologie, interrompues à la mort de sa mère. C’est à elle qu’avait alors incombé la charge de ses frère et sœur jumeaux, plus jeunes, Aneeka et Parvaiz. Aujourd’hui, l’une poursuit son cursus en droit, l’autre vient de rejoindre les rangs de l’État islamique. Il ravive ainsi un traumatisme familial puisque, des années auparavant, leur père les a abandonnés pour le djihad. Lorsque Isma rencontre Eamonn, jeune Britannique issu d’une tout autre frange de l’immigration pakistanaise, le destin de leurs deux familles s’entrechoque et s’embrase. Un roman virtuose et haletant, véritable tragédie contemporaine – Antigone au temps de Daech.

Quinta novela de la escritora pakistaní Kamila Shamsie, Sombras quemadas ha marcado un punto de inflexión en el conjunto de su obra. Tanto críticos como escritores han elogiado su prosa viva y su formidable visión de los acontecimientos históricos. A lo largo de seis décadas -desde Japón en los últimos días de la Segunda Guerra Mundial y la India al borde de la partición, hasta Pakistán en ladécada de los ochenta, Nueva York tras el 11-S y Afganistán durante los bombardeos subsiguientes al atentado-, las historias comunes a dos familias convergen hacia un destino común.Y en el centro del relato, un personaje exquisitamente delineado: Hiroko Tanaka, una joven maestra empleada en una fábrica de munición en Nagasaki que aguarda con impaciencia el final de la contienda para casarse con el joven alemán Konrad Weiss. Una mañana de agosto de 1945, en apenas unos segundos, una cegadora explosión de luz y fuego destruye todo lo que ha conocido y amado. Como único recuerdo de su pasado, conservará el contorno de los pájaros de su kimono de seda quela radiación ha marcado en su espalda para siempre. Hiroko huirá muy lejos, y cuando el amor vuelva a surgir en su vida, deberá hacer frente a múltiples y dolorosos desafíos.El hilo del relato, tensado por el suspense, no sólo guía al lector a través de un esclarecedor recorrido por el siglo que acaba de terminar, sino que proporciona claves sobre el actual: sobre su lado oscuro, sin duda, pero también sobre los caminos que conducen a un espacio de esperanza.

9 August, 1945, Nagasaki: Hiroko Tanaka, twenty-one and in love with Konrad Weiss, the man she is about to marry, steps out onto her veranda, minutes before a nuclear explosion shatters her world and everything in it. Travelling to Delhi two years later in search of new beginnings, she meets Konrad''s half-sister, Elizabeth, her husband James Burton, and their employee Sajjad Ashraf. As the years unravel, the shadows of history - personal and political - are cast over the entwined worlds these people inhabit as they are transported from Pakistan to New York, and in the novel''s astonishing climax, to Afghanistan in the immediate wake of 9/11.

Beste vrienden is een meeslepend verhaal over de vraag wat beter is voor een goede vriendschap: principes of loyaliteit? De aantrekkelijke en zelfverzekerde Maryam en de leergierige en serieuze Zahra zijn beste vrienden sinds hun kindertijd, hoewel ze totaal verschillend zijn en andere dromen hebben. Op de avond dat Pakistan de eerste vrouwelijke premier kiest en de wereld er even zonniger uit ziet, komt aan die dromen een abrupt einde door een snelle en ondoordachte beslissing. De vriendschap blijft echter, en beiden worden alsnog succesvolle ondernemers in Londen. Maar wanneer twee figuren uit hun jeugd opduiken, worden ze herinnerd aan die ene avond en moeten ze hun fundamentele verschillen onder ogen zien. Zal hun vriendschap dat overleven? Van de auteur van Huis in brand, winnaar van de Women''s Prize for Fiction en finalist voor de Booker Prize.