A History of Burning

An immersive, kaleidoscopic debut for fans of Homegoing and Pachinko : one family''s search for a better life through four continents, four generations and a century of change At the turn of the twentieth century Pirbhai, a teenage boy, is taken from his village in India and travels perilously across the sea to labour on the East African railroad for the British. There, he is given a ruthless order. Following it will ensure his survival. But it will also torment him and reverberate across his family''s future for decades to come. During the waning days of British colonial rule, and as Uganda moves towards independence and military dictatorship, Pirbhai''s children and grandchildren come of age in a divided nation. In 1972, when Idi Amin''s brutal regime expels the Ugandan Asians, the family has no choice but to flee. In the chaos, they leave something devastating and unexpected behind. As Pirbhai''s grandchildren find their way back to each other in exile in Toronto, a letter arrives that will stoke the flames of the fire that haunts the family. It makes each generation question how far they are willing to go, and who they are willing to defy, in order to secure their own place in the world. A History of Burning is an unforgettable tour de force, an intimate family saga of complicity and resistance, about the stories we share, what remains unspoken and the eternal search for home.

Report

A remarkable debut . . . skillfully interrogates sweeping themes of survival, inheritance, immigration, colonialism and racism . . . Oza's narrative traverses almost a century of time, four generations of family, five continents and multiple languages . . . The result is a haunting, symphonic tale that speaks to the nuanced complexities of class and trauma S Kirk Walsh New York Times

Product details

• Authors: Janika Oza
• Publisher: Chatto and Windus
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 05.05.2023
• EAN: 9781784744809
• ISBN: 978-1-78474-480-9
• No. of pages: 400
• Dimensions: 153 mm x 234 mm x 29 mm
• Subjects: Fiction > Narrative literature; Uganda, FICTION / Historical / General, FICTION / Sagas, FICTION / Family Life / General, Historical fiction, FICTION / Literary, FICTION / Political, FICTION / Cultural Heritage, 20th Century, 21st Century, 20th century, c 1900 to c 1999, Narrative theme: Politics, Narrative theme: displacement, exile, migration, Narrative theme: Identity / belonging, Generational sagas, Early 21st century c 2000 to c 2050, Relating to people of the South Asian diasporas / heritage