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A God in Every Stone

Kamila Shamsie

3.52 · Rating details · 2,019 ratings · 326 reviews

July 1914. Young Englishwoman Vivian Rose Spencer is running up a mountainside in an ancient land, surrounded by figs and cypresses. Soon she will discover the Temple of Zeus, the call of adventure, and the ecstasy of love. Thousands of miles away a twenty-year old Pathan, Qayyum Gul, is learning about brotherhood and loyalty in the British Indian army.

July, 1915. Qayyum G ...more

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Hardcover, 313 pages

Published April 10th 2014 by Bloomsbury UK (first published January 1st 2014)

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· 2,019 ratings · 326 reviews

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Feb 10, 2020 W added it

Shelves: pakistani-fiction, abandoned

At first glance,it seems interesting. It deals with vast sweeps of history,the travels of a fifth century explorer and twentieth century archeologists trying to dig out his circlet. Add the experiences of Indian army troops on the western front in World War I,and the killing of protesters,by the British army,in Peshawar in 1930.

But no sooner had I started reading,that I remembered Burnt Shadows,by the same author. That also tried to deal with too many different subjects,without looking like a co ...more

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Jun 14, 2015 Lucy Barnhouse rated it it was amazing

Shelves: twenty-first-century

This book is devastatingly perfect. I hesitate to compare it to anything else, but between the presence of Herodotus and the importance of archaeology, it reminded me a little of a more anti-imperial English Patient. There are also glorious, subversive echoes of Rudyard Kipling's Kim. And it is a book of dazzling, sensual, stunning prose; of vivid characters. Shamsie loves language, clearly, and it shows in how her characters engage with the world, as well as in the writing itself. A historical ...more

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May 17, 2014 Kim rated it liked it

Shelves: buddy-reads-with-jemidar, historical-fiction, kindle

I discovered this novel when I listened to an interview with its author on a radio arts programme. Shamsie was interesting and engaging and the novel sounded appealing. It certainly ticked a lot of boxes: a focus on the separate but interwoven experiences of a young English female archeologist and of an Indian soldier during and in the aftermath of WWI, themes of individual, family and national loyalty and a vast sweep of history touching on the fall of three empires.

The novel delivers on its pr ...more

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Sep 01, 2014 Sue rated it it was ok

A God in Every Stone is an ambitious novel in both theme and scope, but in the end one that I think over reaches itself.

Set largely in British India between 1914 and 1930, it tells the stories of Qayyum, a 20-year-old Pashtun soldier and Vivian, an adventurous young British woman with a passion for archaeology. Caught in the immense upheaval of the First World War and then the Indian uprisings, both characters experience devastating personal losses, and have to discover for themselves the cost ...more

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May 30, 2017 Lauren rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Another super ambitious book by Shamsie, this one about Peshawar just after WWI and then again in the 1930s and featuring an English archeologist, a young Pakistani boy with an interest in history and his older brother, a veteran of the British army who gets involved in anti-colonial politics once he returns to Pakistan. It doesn't all come together and I would have loved a Peshawar street map but I really admire what Shamsie is trying to do. And you do want to know about Greco-Buddhist art beca ...more

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May 11, 2015 Hugh rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favourites, little-known-gems, modern-lit, read-2015, womens-prize-shortlist

This is one of the best books I have read this year.

A cleverly constructed multi-threaded historical novel, largely set in the city of Peshawar - the central personal stories are gripping, and the novel explores deeper themes of empires and their legacies, the nature of archaelogy and the experiences of Asians who served the British in Europe during the First World War.

Moving, lyrical and highly impressive.

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Apr 28, 2014 Ben Dutton rated it really liked it

Kamila Shamsie’s fiction crosses international boundaries. Burnt Shadows, her last novel, was a globe-trotting novel set in Japan, India, Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay and the US. I said of that novel that it was about people caught in “the tidal swell of history”, and it is a comment that could apply usefully to her new novel, A God in Every Stone.

In his histories, the father of the subject, Herodotus, told the story of Scylax, a man from Caryanda, who set off on a journey from the city of Caspat Kamila Shamsie’s fiction crosses international boundaries. Burnt Shadows, her last novel, was a globe-trotting novel set in Japan, India, Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay and the US. I said of that novel that it was about people caught in “the tidal swell of history”, and it is a comment that could apply usefully to her new novel, A God in Every Stone.

In his histories, the father of the subject, Herodotus, told the story of Scylax, a man from Caryanda, who set off on a journey from the city of Caspatyrus, in the land of the Pactyike. This city is modern-day Peshawar, in the borderland of western Pakistan, close to the Afghan border. Shamsie uses this story to bookend her new novel, as her own characters travel to Caspatyrus, or Peshawar. As with Burnt Shadows, Shamsie uses a historical setting to explore more modern issues. In a novel that covers twenty-odd years in the life of its central characters – archaeologist Vivian Spencer, and Pathan soldier Qayyum Gul and his brother Najeeb – from the battle fields of Ypres to the streets of Peshawar – they become involved in a quest for an ancient artefact as the British rule in this city begins to loosen, and violence spills out onto its streets.

A God in Every Stone contains moments of descriptive brilliance. It is no surprise to learn Shamsie was selected by Granta as one of the Best of Young British Novelists; there are lines here to savour. She is very good on the minutiae of a life, of creating those moments that live on the page with intensity. The relationships between Vivian, Qayyum and Najeeb are expertly drawn, and when her focus narrows to the interactions between them, Shamsie’s novel truly sings. There is a scene in a train carriage, headed towards Peshawar, when Vivian meets Qayyum for the first time, and you can taste the tobacco laced in the air, the dust of the landscape rushing by, and the fizzling heat of fascination they breed in each other. In such scenes Shamsie manages to ask many of the novels overarching themes with economy and grace, such as when Qayyum muses on what it means to be Pashtun, uncomfortable at first with such description, and Vivian attempts to navigate, somewhat unsuccessfully, the cultural differences that divide them.

For all its success, however, there are moments when A God in Every Stone does fail. The first half of the novel covers two years after the First World War, and the second a short number of days in April 1930. The first half of the novel rushes through history, barely allowing the reader time to catch a breath – we are pulled along by that tidal swell of history. In these post-WW1 moments, it is difficult to gain much emotional understanding of Vivian, and even less of Qayyam; they are characters suffering history, buffeted by its storm. It is only in the second half that we truly begin to appreciate the characters. Certainly the first half is not wasted – this history feeds into the characters and affects them and their actions – but in comparison with the effort and control Shamsie exerts in the second half, the first feels underdrawn.

A God in Every Stone, then, whilst not as successful as Burnt Shadows, is nevertheless a strong, potent novel, whose historical canvas is used to tell another riveting, important story with contemporary resonances. Shamsie should be applauded for writing about such intersections of history, where culture and faith come into conflict with politics and identity; few novelists are willing to take on the ‘Big Subjects’. That she does so without becoming dogmatic or dull, and retaining heart within her narrative, is testament to her brilliance. A God in Every Stone might not be Shasmie at her finest, but it is a damn sight better than many another writers’ best. ...more

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Apr 04, 2018 Michael Livingston rated it liked it

An epic historical novel, spanning about 25 years in and around Peshawar. There's archaeology, war, betrayal, heartbreak and the stirrings of the Indian independence movement. All these plot points are weaved around three main characters - an English woman who originally goes to Peshawar to look for an ancient artifact and two brothers whose lives intersect with hers. It all felt a bit self-consciously grandiose to start with, but the plot slowly sucked me in and by the end I was swept up in it ...more

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May 05, 2015 Becky rated it liked it

Having recently watched and loved Indian Summers, and being already interested in the era of the British Empire in India, I was looking forward to reading this novel.

Evocatively written, Shamsie transported me to Peshawar and created a cast of believable characters, from Vivian, the fearless young woman trying to make her way in a man's world, Qayyam, injured in fighting a war for Britain, and Najeeb, a boy intrigued by culture and history.

However, the first half left me desperate for some acti ...more

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Oct 04, 2017 Sylvie rated it liked it

Some novels grow larger as the ideas multiply. In this novel, Kamilla Shamsie has tried to contain hers into a small space. So much so, that it can be mistaken for a first novel. The result is that transitions between the different characters and the spaces they inhabit feel abrupt, not to say initially confusing. The saving grace is Shamsie’s prose style and her integrity as a writer.

Vivienne Rose Spencer has been brought up to be an independent person by her family. This was quite a liberal at ...more

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Apr 17, 2014 Alteredego rated it it was amazing

This book is a delight. It is an evocatively written, highly intelligent, multi layered novel. It is constantly surprising, with a narrative frequently changing direction, making reading it a bit like herding the proverbial cats.

The story opens with Vivian Rose Spencer, a young Englishwoman, fascinated by archaeology, working on a dig in Turkey with German and Turkish academics on the eve of World War I. As she works she gradually becomes aware of a mutual attraction with one of her workmates. This book is a delight. It is an evocatively written, highly intelligent, multi layered novel. It is constantly surprising, with a narrative frequently changing direction, making reading it a bit like herding the proverbial cats.

The story opens with Vivian Rose Spencer, a young Englishwoman, fascinated by archaeology, working on a dig in Turkey with German and Turkish academics on the eve of World War I. As she works she gradually becomes aware of a mutual attraction with one of her workmates. The writing makes the relationship stunningly erotic whilst also remaining chaste. Before things can progress, global conflict catches fire and Viv is returned to London where she becomes a nurse caring for wounded soldiers.

The second main chord of the narrative is introduced in the form of Qayyum Gul, a soldier in the Indian army fighting on the Western Front. Initially patriotic towards the imperial power, his experiences slowly open his reluctant eyes to the reality of his situation.

The two tales intersect fleetingly as Viv and Qayyum meet briefly on a train travelling to Peshawar, she in search of her lost love, he returning home.

As Viv meets and becomes mentor to a young boy, the story moves on from World War I to being a tale of the struggle for Indian independence.

At the basic level, this is the story of Viv's search for her lover, and for a lost artefact, of Qayyums journey from empire loyalist to rebel, and of the young boy, Najeeb's intellectual development. Shamsie uses these tales to explore themes of imperialism, of individual morality, of gender politics and of personal and political betrayal in both the 20th century and in the ancient world.

The writing is enormously vivid, especially in the scenes set in the Walled City of Peshawar where the confusion of noises and sights become at times almost hallucinogenic. This is a book which contains scenes of great violence but somehow remains very gentle and positive about the human spirit.

The end of the book is also perfect. It is not an explosive crescendo. It is a bittersweet moment which captures in the reactions of individuals, all of the themes of imperialism and independence which have come before.

Highly recommended.
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Nov 08, 2014 Paula rated it it was ok

After Salt and Saffron, which I found silly, I decided not to read more Shamsie books. But someone told me that if I liked Uzma Aslam Khan's The Geometry of God, which came out several years ago, I'd like A God in Every Stone. My response: that's the problem.

The Geometry of God begins with a girl in Pakistan finding a rock that turns out to be a fossil of great consequence. From there the story traces' the girl's struggle to overcome political and social barriers to be credited for her discovry ...more

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Mar 26, 2014 Rahul Sharma rated it it was ok

Kamila Shamsie is easily one of the finest storytellers from Pakistan and I have been an ardent fan.I LOVE her! However, 'A God In Every Stone' left me disappointed; it left me wanting for more. In fact I was searching for 'The Kamila Shamsie' of Kartography and Burnt Shadows.

Like all her books the story here is also set in the sub-continent. The protagonist travels from Britain to Turkey to India in search for a past that fascinates her. The story unfolds what covers the travels of the fifth-ce ...more

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Jun 12, 2019 Azeeza rated it really liked it

What a ride 😭. I'm so glad I gave this book a chance. Few chapters in and I was discouraged by the archeology 'stuff' but it was all worth it in the end.

Amongst other things, the book recounts the massacre of the activists of Khudai Khidmatgar movement(a nonviolent movement against the British rule) by British troops in Peshawar (Pakistan)1930. Told through the eyes of a Najeeb Gul and his brother Qayyum Gul, an English woman, Viv and a young woman, Diwa whose bravery and kindness in the midst o ...more

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Aug 22, 2014 Jemidar rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: buddy-reads-with-kim, historical-fiction, dual-multiple-timeline, kindle-library

Buddy read with Kim :).

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May 05, 2020 Anne Fenn rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, historical-fiction

Peshawar - who’d have thought the ancient Pakistani city would end my Covid19 reading resistance of anything terrible. I’ve been on big doses of comfort authors. Picked up quite a few heavier novels and quickly put them down, no sign of my having the stomach or concentration required.
So I’m very pleased to say I was totally engaged by this book. It just shows first, we’ve moved out of a state dread re the virus, not far, but enough. Second, a really fantastic writer can draw any old reluctant r ...more

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May 15, 2020 Kinga rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, a

Qayyum Gul leaves home to join the Indian Army and suffers a life-changing injury at Ypres. Vivian Rose Spencer leaves home to care for injured soldiers. Their paths cross when Vivian sets off for Peshawar and Qayyum returns home. I suspect that I would have enjoyed this book more if I could have spent more time with it in larger chunks.

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Aug 06, 2014 Tripfiction rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-set-in-in-peshawar

This is a BIG and complex novel – moving from an archaeological dig in Turkey in early 1914, across the first year of the 1st World War, and through into Peshawar in both 1915 and again in 1930. It is also pretty challenging on one’s knowledge of ancient Persian mythology…(did you know that the Caspatyrus of mythology is modern day Peshawar? Or that Syclax betrayed Darius, the Emperor of Persia, and sided with the Carians against the Persians?). In Shamsie’s version of the story, Syclax has a va This is a BIG and complex novel – moving from an archaeological dig in Turkey in early 1914, across the first year of the 1st World War, and through into Peshawar in both 1915 and again in 1930. It is also pretty challenging on one’s knowledge of ancient Persian mythology…(did you know that the Caspatyrus of mythology is modern day Peshawar? Or that Syclax betrayed Darius, the Emperor of Persia, and sided with the Carians against the Persians?). In Shamsie’s version of the story, Syclax has a valuable circlet given to him by Darius and the circlet then subsequently disappears. The search for its rediscovery is central to the storyline of A God in Every Stone.

The constant throughout the story is Vivien Spencer. Before the outbreak of the War, the young Viv went on an archaeological dig in Labraunda, Turkey. She was an ‘intern’ working with Turkish archaeologist, Tahsin Bey, a quite old (in both senses…) friend of her father’s. Bey’s ‘Holy Grail’ was to rediscover the circlet that Darius had given to Syclax. She fell in love with Bey (and he with her), but they were separated when war broke out. Viv worked for a short while in London as a nurse looking after the war wounded until she received a ‘coded’ Christmas card from Bey suggesting that she visit Peshawar where he hoped to join her. She (with difficulty) persuaded her parents to let her go and set off into the unknown.

The second theme of the story develops in parallel. Qayyum, a Pashtun soldier, is wounded fighting with the 40th Pathans at Ypres. He loses an eye, is invalided out of the army, and sent back to his native Peshawar. On the last part of his journey home he shares a railway compartment with Viv. Viv, when she arrives at the station in Peshawar, is befriended by a local boy called Najeeb. She teaches him English, the classics, and fosters his love of archaeology. Only much later does she discover that Najeeb in in fact Qayyum’s younger brother. His lessons with Viv are when he is meant to be at the Mosque being instructed in the Qur’an – a fact which his mother finds out and bans the lessons from continuing.

Viv deduces from archaeological evidence (and shares with Najeeb) that Darius’ circlet is possibly buried alongside a white stone Buddha at a site in Peshawar, and that this is the message that Bey was trying to communicate to her. But they cannot get permission to dig and she returns to England. Fast forward 15 years to 1930.

Najeeb is now working at the Archaeological Museum in Peshawar, and has got permission to dig at the site. He writes to Viv suggesting he join her and asking for funds to finance the adventure. She travels out – and finds a very different Peshawar. Ghaffar Khan, a leader of the non violent protest movement against British Rule in India is in the ascendancy, and his Khudai Khidmatgar has many followers. Tensions run high… and eventually burst over on 23rd April 1930 when the infamous (and actual) massacre in the Street of Storytellers takes place. A British army officer panics, orders his men to open fire, and carnage reigns. ‘Many’ (estimates range from the official number of 30 to up to 500) were killed. This single act changed the face of the Indian fight for independence.

Viv is caught up in the aftermath as she searches for Najeeb, and tries to piece together what happened to him, She re-encounters Qayyum (15 years on) who is on the same mission. Together they find the truth.

As I started by saying, A God In Every Stone is a BIG book. It brilliantly portrays the culture and way of life of Peshawar (none perhaps more so that in explaining the different reaction to Viv when she is ‘disguised’ in a burqua as she searches for Najeeb after the massacre). It also has a real sense of history and, in particular, the history of empire – or, rather, 3 empires. The decline of the all powerful Persian Empire of ancient times, the decline of the Ottoman Empire as the effects of the 1st World War impacted – and the beginning of the decline of the British Empire (Peshawar is, in fact, in modern day Pakistan after independence and the break up of British India…).

It is a book that I really enjoyed and would wholeheartedly recommend. I possibly wish, though, that I had first taken a refresher course in Persian mythology…! ...more

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Jul 13, 2014 Andrew rated it really liked it

I think this book probably warrants 3.5 stars rather than 4 as there was so much about it that was interesting yet I did not feel totally emotionally drawn to the characters so at the end I was ambivalent about the outcome which perhaps may say more about me than the efforts of the author. The story has at its beginning two threads as World war one begins. Qayyam Gul is an Indian soldier serving on the western front , he is injured and in the story we learn about the appallingly racist way that I think this book probably warrants 3.5 stars rather than 4 as there was so much about it that was interesting yet I did not feel totally emotionally drawn to the characters so at the end I was ambivalent about the outcome which perhaps may say more about me than the efforts of the author. The story has at its beginning two threads as World war one begins. Qayyam Gul is an Indian soldier serving on the western front , he is injured and in the story we learn about the appallingly racist way that Indians were treated to the extent that in Brighton when recovering they are treated as prisoners and English nurses are no longer able to treat them in case they morally corrupt the women, Qayyam returns to Peshawar where he re-joins his muslim family and eventually is drawn into the independence movement, this thread is excellent with a fascinating snapshot of India at this time including the non violence strategy. The second thread involves Vivian Spencer a young English woman who is the son her father never had and goes to India to assist her father's Turkish friend on an archaeological dig to find the lost city where Darius had invaded from Persia. On return she commits an act which has long term repercussions for her and another character , she then nurses soldiers at the wars outbreak before her mother persuades her to return to India on an archaeological dig, she is haunted by finding a headband given to an ancient king. In Peshawar she meets Qayyam's younger brother Neejab who helps her with the dig despite his families opposition. We then leap in the latter part of the book to 1930 when Vivian returns to begin a new dig and the story revolves around the events of the Qissa Khwani Bazaar massacre when British troops massacre unarmed peaceful demonstrators. I've got to say even as I read this I am thinking what a brilliant book this should have been however I simply found that the characters lacked a depth which drew me in so that when they are in jeopardy I did not feel the emotional pull that turns a really good book into a classic and here I can only really compare it to one of my top five books 'A Fine Balance' where I was repeatedly moved ,shocked and engaged by all the events. Still I would recommend the book for anyone who enjoys stories set in India and for a snapshot of how the colonial soldiers were treated in the first world war and I will definitely read her again. ...more

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May 05, 2015 Laura Lacey rated it liked it · review of another edition

This novel is shortlisted for the Bailey’s book prize and it held a lot of appeal to me: a female archaeologist studying Classics around the first world war, a star-crossed love story, interwoven experiences centuries apart and the exoticism of colonial India.

Shamsie delivers in many ways, her study of the changing role of women around the turn of the century and during WWI was interesting:

“How quickly everything that was inconceivable for a woman has become her duty. Isn’t it miraculous that co ...more

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Jul 14, 2015 Hazel rated it it was amazing

Another tour de force by Kamila Shamsie! Just as with Burnt Shadows,she personalises convulsive world events with characters who can barely hang on to their own narratives in the face of such enormity. Yet,these people work with what they've been dealt and try to maintain their dignity. Burnt Shadows took us from Nagasaki to Delhi to Pakistan to New York, 1945 to 2001. A God in Every Stone is framed by the Persian Emperor Darius and his vassal Scylax, but takes place in Turkey, England, and Indi ...more

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May 25, 2018 Mishka rated it really liked it

Never knew about the Qissakhwani massacre - the killing of over 100 unarmed Indians by the British on 23 April 1930. The book leads up to it and glosses over how the British tried to cover it up.

Although one or two facts seemed to be off, it was still an interesting read. Viewing Peshawar from the eye of an archaeologist gave me new perspective on what the city has endured for over two millennia.

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Nov 07, 2018 Natasa rated it it was ok

Shelves: india, owned-books, asia

I had great difficulty in remembering this book, to write a review - and that seems to sum up how unmemorable it was for me, although I read it recently. I was not won over by the heroine. Ambitious but sloppy both in the history and in the writing.

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Apr 05, 2014 Ali rated it really liked it

It isn’t very often that I pre-order a brand new hardback, however I was already a fan of Kamila Shamsie’s writing and so when I heard that A God in Every Stone was due out in April, I had to make sure I got my copy as soon as I could. Of course the danger with a much anticipated new novel is, that it is so anticipated that it can only disappoint. Thankfully I was certainly not disappointed in this novel – I enjoyed it enormously, however I don’t think it has quite the emotional power of Burnt S
It isn’t very often that I pre-order a brand new hardback, however I was already a fan of Kamila Shamsie’s writing and so when I heard that A God in Every Stone was due out in April, I had to make sure I got my copy as soon as I could. Of course the danger with a much anticipated new novel is, that it is so anticipated that it can only disappoint. Thankfully I was certainly not disappointed in this novel – I enjoyed it enormously, however I don’t think it has quite the emotional power of Burnt Shadows (2009) – which I was totally mesmerised by.
Set in England, Turkey and Peshawar in 1914/15 and 1930 A God in Every Stone tells a compelling story of love, friendship, war and betrayal and our place in history, showing us how so much that seems lost to us can never be forgotten.
“If a man is to die defending a field, let the field be his field, the land his land, the people his people.”
Vivian Rose Spencer is a young Englishwoman, the daughter of a man who regretting his lack of sons, allows her to be educated beyond what is usual for her peers. In July 1914 Vivian is in an ancient region of Turkey with a party of archaeologists, which include her father’s good friend Tahsin Bey, his nephew and a group of Germans. As Vivian discovers the temple of Zeus, and hears the ancient stories of Caria (a region of Turkey) and Caspatyrus (thought to be in or near Peshawar), she starts to fall in love with Tashin Bey despite the large difference in their ages. Tashin Bey is on the trail of an ancient metal circlet – The Circlet of Scylax, a quest that will become Vivian’s too in the years to come. When war comes Vivian undertakes to nurse the wounded in a hospital in London, not yet old enough to go out to the front. However soon Viv will turn twenty-three and her father will expect her to join the nurses at the front, as content to sacrifice his daughter to the horrors of war – as he would have been to send his sons to the trenches had he had any. As Vivian waits for news from Tahsin Bey – an intelligence officer pays her a visit; Vivian is torn, wanting so much to make her father proud.
“You can’t betray a man to his friends, only to his enemies, the man from the war office said. What you say will do no harm, and it may do our boys at the front a great deal of good. I can’t put it more simply than that.”
Taumatised by her nursing experiences Vivian flees to Peshawar following the trail that Tashin Bey started her on. On a train she briefly meets twenty year old Pathan Qayyum Gul, returning after losing an eye at Ypres. Qayyum’s allegiances to the British army have been shattered by his experiences, he returns a bitter changed man. In Peshawar Vivian meets young Najeeb, who (unknown to Viv) is Qayyum’s twelve year old brother, Viv starts teaching Najeeb – awakening in him, the love Tashin Bey awoke in her younger self for history and archaeology. The connection between these three will only be fully revealed fifteen years later on the Street of Storytellers during a violent skirmish between soldiers of the British army and Peshawari citizens.
Viv is rather reserved character – I felt she deliberately stands at a distance from the reader; it was hard to feel a connection with her as a character. She is a modern forward looking young woman, educated as a man would have been, and yet disapproving of her friend Mary’s suffragette activities. Viv is fighting her own battle, a battle of grief and guilt, continuing a quest started by the man she loved. I loved the characters of Qayyum and Najeeb. In the days following Qayyum’s return from the war, there is a distance between the brothers, although their love for one another is apparent. Fifteen years later, when Qayyum has found a new war to fight, this time against the British he once fought alongside, the brothers are again more united, although their differences remain.
Shamsie’s Peshawar of 1915 and 1930 – is a place of tradition, a city of burqas, letter writers and storytellers, a place where men look through women rather than at them. The sense of place – as with all Kamila Shamsie’s previous novels is really strong. I have to admit the ending may slightly let this novel down, it felt a bit weak , falling slightly flat for me. However over all I really liked this novel- a definite four star read – and one I would recommend. If you have never read Burnt Shadows however – you must – it is an extraordinary wonderful novel, and for me remains her best novel to date.
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Mar 23, 2014 Sam Woodfield rated it liked it

So this is quite an odd little book which I found a little bit ploddy and lacking in real plot but with very clear political undertones.
The novel follows Vivian Spencer and Qayyum Gul, both very different people from different walks of life who will be thrown together in the most dangerous of circumstances. Vivian Spencer is a young woman who defies the odds at the time by being allowed to fulfil her ambition to be an archaeologist. Qayyum Gul is a young man thrown into WWII to fight for Britain So this is quite an odd little book which I found a little bit ploddy and lacking in real plot but with very clear political undertones.
The novel follows Vivian Spencer and Qayyum Gul, both very different people from different walks of life who will be thrown together in the most dangerous of circumstances. Vivian Spencer is a young woman who defies the odds at the time by being allowed to fulfil her ambition to be an archaeologist. Qayyum Gul is a young man thrown into WWII to fight for Britain, a country he has never visited nor has any affiliation with. When both descend on India during a time of immense crisis and unrest, they will have one connection which will set them on the same mission to save a life.
It's quite an odd story this. The start looks at a number of archaeological digs and the search for a well hidden relic which has been lost for centuries and I found this part of the novel really interesting. But this whole 'plot' is a bit of a ploy as it eventually fizzles out to nothing and barely features in the latter half of the novel. There's also some really interesting exploration of the war and the thoughts of the Indian men fighting for the empire with no real connection to the cause. Again, although this is touched upon in the latter half of the novel, it fizzles out to barely featuring in the latter part of the novel. The latter part of the novel looks at the dispute in India intended to bring about the separation from Empire and the ensuing battle to achieve this ends. Although the characters follow through the entire novel, I did find it slightly disjointed and that the 3 different stories discussed above were separate things. The motivation of Qayyum Gul does bring a little consistency as his attitudes towards the war and India do bring a little thread to join the plots, but overall I was disappointed.
I also didn't really feel any connection to any of the characters and this didn't help to really appreciate the political point of the story. I don't know if this is because I was so far removed from all of them and therefore failed to see the world from their view but in many novels this doesn't have any impact and you can still relate.
There are some good points - there is some tension in the latter part of the novel when a search is taking place for one of the characters and this was very well done with the backdrop of significant unrest. However overall I did find this a bit of a slog and didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I might when the novel started. I think it needed more consistency in the plot and to pick and theme and stick with it because there are some good ideas which I just didn't think were developed enough. ...more

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Jul 17, 2019 Richard Moss rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019

This is a big novel. Not necessarily in terms of the number of pages (around 300) but certainly in its scope and ambition.

Locations range from Britain, through the Western Front, to Raj-era India, and it also spans two decades, with one section set in 1915, and another in 1930.

It's testament to Kamila Shamsie's ability as a writer that she never lets the task of drawing this together overwhelm her.

What she also manages to do is transport the reader to the times and locations she writes about. He ...more

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Apr 27, 2014 Anne rated it really liked it

I first discovered Kamila Shamsie's wonderful storytelling - as I'm sure did many others - through her magnificent book Burnt Shadows, nominated for the Orange Prize for Fiction and quite inexplicably overlooked for that year's Booker. That book tackled an enormous canvas - the bombing of Nagasaki, the partition of India, the Afghan conflict, 9/11 - and held it all together through the character of Hiroko, with achingly beautiful writing and a quite wonderful story. I'm delighted to say that I t I first discovered Kamila Shamsie's wonderful storytelling - as I'm sure did many others - through her magnificent book Burnt Shadows, nominated for the Orange Prize for Fiction and quite inexplicably overlooked for that year's Booker. That book tackled an enormous canvas - the bombing of Nagasaki, the partition of India, the Afghan conflict, 9/11 - and held it all together through the character of Hiroko, with achingly beautiful writing and a quite wonderful story. I'm delighted to say that I think she's done it again.

We first meet Vivian at an archaeological dig in Labraunda, once within the Persian Empire but nowadays in modern day Turkey, having her first taste of passion - her all-consuming interest in the ancient world is only matched by her growing love and admiration for the leader, Tahsin Bey. The outbreak of the First World War brings Vivian home, where she becomes a nurse looking after soldiers returned from the front. We later meet the injured Qayyum Gul, injured at Ypres, and learn a lot about the unjust way in which Indian soldiers were treated despite their commitment to the Empire.

Their stories come together when they meet briefly on a train to Peshawar, and some years later the focus moves to the political situation in Peshawar, through little known but very significant events. The author shows her skill, as in Burnt Shadows, in looking at the events through the eyes of her characters - Qayyum helping his father to write letters at his much-prized desk as others try to draw him into the politics, Vivian becoming teacher to young Najeeb while seeking permission to commence an archaeological dig inspired by her lover. The story then moves on to 1930 and the struggle for Indian independence, the two main characters still in central focus, and with a wholly satisfying conclusion.

As with Burnt Shadows, much of the historical context was largely unfamiliar to me - I'll readily admit that much of the ancient background went way over my head, but the situation within Peshawar will long stay with me. The writing is vivid - the reader walks with the characters through the walled city of Peshawar, and feel it with every sense. The themes are huge - an individual's place in history, morality, betrayal both personal and political - but it's entirely possible to enjoy this book as a wonderfully told story with complex individual stories at its heart. If this isn't your usual reading material, do give it a try - it was way outside my personal comfort zone at times too, but I loved it. ...more

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Dec 15, 2017 Hussam rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. There should be a 3.5 star rating because mine borders on "liked it" and "really liked it". This book transports the reader across centuries from 515 BC to Colonial India during WW1 and its aftermath. We are introduced to Vivian Rose Spencer who is an archaeologist working on a dig site in Ottoman Empire when war breaks out. She goes there under the influence of one man who professes his love for her before she departs from Turkey and tells her his deepest secret. But here's the annoying part, I There should be a 3.5 star rating because mine borders on "liked it" and "really liked it". This book transports the reader across centuries from 515 BC to Colonial India during WW1 and its aftermath. We are introduced to Vivian Rose Spencer who is an archaeologist working on a dig site in Ottoman Empire when war breaks out. She goes there under the influence of one man who professes his love for her before she departs from Turkey and tells her his deepest secret. But here's the annoying part, I found Vivian to be quite a daddy's girl. She is always trying to fulfill her father's wishes of a son and in doing so betrays the secret of her lover which gets him killed. I mean what kind of a person does that?? I really hated Vivian for that and she hated herself for it as well ( at least the guilt is her saving grace). We get glimpses of the suffragettes movement in England at that time in the form of it's champion Mary who is Viv's friend. She is at least a worthy character. There are other characters Qayyum Gul of the 40th Pathans who lost an eye at Battle of Ypres and his brother Najeeb Gul who metamorphises from being a boy to an accomplished archaeologist. Najeeb is set on the path of Scylax the Explorer and his crown of fig by Vivian Rose Spencer when she first comes to Peshawar. The story is advanced through a flurry of letters and telegrams sent between Najeeb and Vivian to convince her about funding a private dig site at Shah ji ki Dheri near Peshawar for the crown of Scylax. It ends with the massacre of Qissa Khuwani Bazar on 23rd April, 1930. I sort of drifted off towards the end because the story drags on and on about the same event from different people's point of views. I think it could have ended better. Also, I'd have liked to read more about Scylax's adventures down the river Indus. For that reason it's a 3.5 for me. This is the first novel I have read by Kamila Shamsie although I've heard her name and she managed to convince me enough to give her other novels a try. ...more

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Mar 28, 2014 Ashwitha rated it liked it

I've loved Shamsie's writing since I first encountered it in Kartography. Her writing is distinctly South Asian without being patronising or limiting itself to predictably "exotic" themes and characters. That was what I loved most about it, and while that's in evidence in this novel, I still found that there is a disappointing number of flaws. Kartography and Broken Verses had a "completeness" about them that is sorely lacking. I find I am left with too many questions and not enough sympathy for ...more

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Nov 29, 2019 Aalekh Dhaliwal rated it really liked it

“Grief never leaves, It merely sinks into you. A deep sorrow.”

“I bear no hatred for the English. It is our weakness that is responsible for the state we are in. How dishonoured a people we were to allow the men of a small island who burn at the touch of the sun to come here and be our masters.”

“What had Najeeb been doing in the world of the English who knew so well how to make you feel that you were never so honoured as when they were the ones to honour you?”

“If we can live nightmares we can liv ...more

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About Kamila Shamsie

Kamila Shamsie

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Kamila Shamsie was born in 1973 in Karachi, where she grew up. She has a BA in Creative Writing from Hamilton College in Clinton, NY and an MFA from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. While at the University of Massachusetts she wrote In The City By The Sea , published by Granta Books UK in 1998. This first novel was shortlisted for the John Llewelyn Rhys Award in the UK, and Shamsie rec ...more