Home Fire

Oedipus’s moral and headstrong daughter Antigone becomes British Muslim Aneeka in Kamila Shamsie’s seventh novel. Home Fire cleverly updates the Greek tragedy as a thoughtful examination of how a young Briton – Aneeka’s twin brother, Parvaiz – might be lured to join a terror group like Islamic State. Outsiders assume he is simply following in his jihadi father’s footsteps, but Shamsie’s three-dimensional characters show that life is rarely that simple. Parvaiz’ sisters Aneeka and Isma find their whole lives are influenced by the father they barely knew and a climate of mistrust which turns even innocent internet searches by those “googling while Muslim” into something suspicious. The Karachiborn novelist examines what it is to be a British Muslim and, by reimagining Antigone’s uncle King Creon as highflying politician Karamat Lone, subtly considers the choices faced by those who crave power. The novel is divided up so events are seen from different characters’ perspectives but the device does not slow the pace and, while it’s no surprise that a novel based on a classic Greek tragedy ends badly, Home Fire still offers a gripping finale.