She was beginning to understand why men and women walked so differently. Men strode owning the world. Women walked with smaller steps, watched and watchful.
Zhara and Maryam have been friends since they met aged four. In 1988, they’re fourteen years old. Maryam returns from her family’s annual summer holiday in London, beautiful and with a voluptuousness that takes Zhara aback. Both girls are very different but inseparable. From a wealthy background, Maryam is set to take on the family business, a rarity in Pakistan, while Zhara has her eyes on a university scholarship in Britain, her liberal parents unable to afford the costs. At the beginning of term, the friends think only of their own small worlds but within months, dramatic events see a woman elected to lead this patriarchal country. On the night of Benazir Bhutto’s inauguration, a misjudgement is made which puts both of them in danger and will have repercussions neither can imagine. Forty years later both are living in London leading very different lives, Zhara as the head of the country’s civil liberties body and Maryam successful enough to hobnob with the prime minister and his chancellor. So close, they’re family to each other, these two will find themselves political polar opposites as the events of that evening in 1988 are brought back into sharp focus threatening a schism in this long, intimate friendship which has sustained them both.
The feeling of being a family settled on the four of them in the shared humour of this moment, which was constructed of so many moments that came before, stretching back years
Shamsie excels at melding the personal and the political, sketching both characters and the times in which they’re living with insight and a sharp observation. Both Zhara and Maryam are brilliantly realised, deeply flawed but engaging, complex and convincing. While Zhara has a streak of pragmatism, she remains true to her ideals as far as she can contrasting with Maryam’s flexibility in the pursuit of profit. It’s a deeply feminist novel; men don’t come out of it well. Maryam encapsulates the terrifying experience she shared with Zhara in 1988 after leaving the inauguration, coining the word ‘girlfear’ which men will never understand. Background details are vividly portrayed, the unnamed lecherous, greedy prime minster nailed in a few satisfying sentences. Another absorbing, enlightening and astute novel from Shamsie.
Bloomsbury: London 9781526647702 336 pages Hardback
This sounds quite compelling; I don’t think I’ve read anything set around that period in Pakistan (in fact very little set there overall), so this is one I’d like to look up at some point.
It’s a pivotal moment for both women. I particularly liked the enduring friendship between two such politically opposed people.
This sounds excellent, both characters so well realised and their relationship believable. Shamsie is an author I’m yet to get to, but I have A God in Every Stone buried in the TBR…
They are, indeed. Quite difficult to portray such a close friendship between two very different women but Shamsie carries it off convincingly. I hope you enjoy A God in Every Stone when you get to it.
I preferred Home Fires to Burnt Shadows and A God in Every Stone, but I do like the sound of this one. Feminism, controversial politics, sexism – it’s a potent mix.
It is, indeed, and Shamsie handles it beautifully. It touches on contemporary British politics in a similar way to Home Fires. Horribly accurate portrayal of our last Prime Minister!
I’ve never read Shamsie (not for any particular reason) but this does sound appealing.
I’d recommend her, Cathy. The friendship/politics theme is one she excels at.
I’m a Shamsie fan. This one’s in our library apparently, so … off I trot.
Well done your library for having it immediately available! Hope you enjoy it.
🙂
I’m halfway through this book now and really enjoying it. The only other Shamsie book I’ve read is A God in Every Stone but so far this is my favourite of the two.
It’s excellent, isn’t it? I think you’d probably enjoy Home Fires if you like this one although of the two, Best of Friends is my favourite.
I do like the sound of this very much. I’ve not read her, but have Home Fires on the shelves. She’s always an interesting speaker though.
I’ve not heard her speak but I’m not surprised to hear that, Annabel. Home Fires is excellent but I’d say this one is better. The friends at opposite ends of the political spectrum theme is a very attractive one.
I love Kamila Shamsie and can’t wait to read this. I haven’t got my copy yet, trying to decide whether just to get it on kindle as I haven’t room to keep so many books these days. Home Fire was such an amazing book.
Not wanting to nudge too hard but I’d say this one’s a keeper. One of her best and, as you know, they’re all excellent.
SO INTERESTING!
She’s a great writer.
I have yet to read one of Shamsie’s novels… I still have Home Fires sitting on my shelf. This one sounds excellent.
When you said 40 years later I was confused for a second, thinking it must be set in the future, but it really has been almost 40 years!
It has, I’m afraid! Highly recommend this one.
I preferred Home Fires to Burnt Shadows
Your reaction to Best of Friends is a lot more positive than Lisa at ANZlitlovers who had issues with the credibility of the plot
I’ll wander over and take a look. It’s the mix of personal and political that I enjoy abput her work.
I really enjoyed this one and you’re so right on the portrayal of the PM, so excellently done.
Squirmingly so!