Burnt Shadows By Kamila Shamsie

Burnt Shadows is a book written by a Pakistani novelist in English. This writer originated from England and recently her publication has earned her the position of final list among those competing for the Orange prize. This historical novel asks readers how the modern world has come so close to nuclear annihilation. The answer provided by the author may not seem accurate to some people based on their personal views, but for others it rains true. She suggests that the world has been cursed, a curse brought about after America dropped two atomic bombs in 1945. That event has forever complicated the idea of race. Some people question whether America would have made such a move against Germans, or other Caucasians. Some people question whether such an experiment would have been allowed in minority countries by Caucasian countries. The main star of this book is a Japanese woman, young and thriving living in Nagasaki in 1945. She is in love with an idealistic German scholar and artist who was trying to discover how Western civilizations and Eastern civilizations can live in harmony.

This young couple is doomed it seems from the start as fate does not treat this man well. Within the first few pages of this novel nothing is left of this man but a shadow want to rock. At the time of the attack the main character is wearing a kimono with black cranes, and the imprint is burned on her back for the rest of her life. Within a few years she can no longer and you are her country so she ventures to New Delhi to visit her half-sister.

During this time solace and comfort comes from a young Muslim man who is employed to play chess but believes he is studying law. The book follows the main star in a crumbling new deli whose current British rule is coming to an end. The British have extracted all that they want from India and are starting to make the retreat. Soon the main star ends up in Karachi. But oppression and emotional swindling continues to run deep. With her new lover she has a son who moves to America and changes his name to Harry. As the British Empire turns to America this man becomes part of the CIA and soon private mercenary.

The first third of this book is incredibly believable although conversations created near the end seem to stumble. This novel is one of argument. The argument made is that British and American empires are responsible for the world in which we live today. This tale follows three generations of oppression by Caucasians and being a Pakistani novelist, the deeply held beliefs against America are clear.