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Aug 08, 2016lostintheshelves rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This wonderful novel plays with perspective and builds to an amazing climax. At first it seems to center on Vivian, a young English archaeologist, and Qayyum, a soldier from Peshawar (now part of Pakistan), in World War One. Early on Vivian—naïve, passionate, and privileged—seems more interesting; Qayyum is understandably muddied by the war, which alternately empowers, injures, and alienates him, and finds himself confused about his political loyalties after a fellow soldier in unrequited love with him saves his life. But once Qayyum finds his way into the Muslim non-violence movement, his life and that of his scholarly younger brother become vivid and compelling. Shamsie has wonderful insights into colonialism and the dynamics between older and younger siblings, how they love and misperceive each other. At the climax the story leaps into the POV of two women who have haunted the edges of the novel—a risky move, but one that works brilliantly and brings the many themes Shamsie explores to a satisfying close. Highly recommended.