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丕賱氐丿賷賯鬲丕賳
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A dazzling new novel of friendship, identity and the unknowability of other people - from the international bestselling author of Home Fire, winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction.
Fourteen-year-old Maryam and Zahra have always been the best of friends, despite their different backgrounds. Maryam takes for granted that she will stay in Karachi and inherit the family business; while Zahra keeps her desires secret, and dreams of escaping abroad.
This year, 1988, anything seems possible for the girls; and for Pakistan, emerging from the darkness of dictatorship into a bright future under another young woman, Benazir Bhutto. But a snap decision at a party celebrating the return of democracy brings the girls' childhoods abruptly to an end. Its consequences will shape their futures in ways they cannot imagine.
Three decades later, in London, Zahra and Maryam are still best friends despite living very different lives. But when unwelcome ghosts from their shared past re-enter their world, both women find themselves driven to act in ways that will stretch and twist their bond beyond all recognition.
Best of Friends is a novel about Britain today, about power and how we use it, and about what we owe to those who've loved us the longest.
A dazzling new novel of friendship, identity and the unknowability of other people - from the international bestselling author of Home Fire, winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction.
Fourteen-year-old Maryam and Zahra have always been the best of friends, despite their different backgrounds. Maryam takes for granted that she will stay in Karachi and inherit the family business; while Zahra keeps her desires secret, and dreams of escaping abroad.
This year, 1988, anything seems possible for the girls; and for Pakistan, emerging from the darkness of dictatorship into a bright future under another young woman, Benazir Bhutto. But a snap decision at a party celebrating the return of democracy brings the girls' childhoods abruptly to an end. Its consequences will shape their futures in ways they cannot imagine.
Three decades later, in London, Zahra and Maryam are still best friends despite living very different lives. But when unwelcome ghosts from their shared past re-enter their world, both women find themselves driven to act in ways that will stretch and twist their bond beyond all recognition.
Best of Friends is a novel about Britain today, about power and how we use it, and about what we owe to those who've loved us the longest.
304 pages
First published September 27, 2022
733 people are currently reading
20.1k people want to read
About the author
Kamila Shamsie
52听books2,063听followersKamila Shamsie was born in 1973 in Karachi, where she grew up. She has a BA in Creative Writing from Hamilton College in Clinton, NY and an MFA from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. While at the University of Massachusetts she wrote
In The City By The Sea
, published by Granta Books UK in 1998. This first novel was shortlisted for the John Llewelyn Rhys Award in the UK, and Shamsie received the Prime Minister鈥檚 Award for Literature in Pakistan in 1999. Her 2000 novel
Salt and Saffron
led to Shamsie鈥檚 selection as one of Orange鈥檚 鈥�21 Writers of the 21st Century.鈥� With her third novel,
Kartography
, Shamsie was again shortlisted for the John Llewelyn Rhys award in the UK. Both Kartography and her next novel,
Broken Verses
, won the Patras Bokhari Award from the Academy of Letters in Pakistan. Burnt Shadows, Shamsie鈥檚 fifth novel, has been longlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction. Her books have been translated into a number of languages.
Shamsie is the daughter of literary critic and writer Muneeza Shamsie, the niece of celebrated Indian novelist Attia Hosain, and the granddaughter of the memoirist Begum Jahanara Habibullah. A reviewer and columnist, primarily for the Guardian, Shamsie has been a judge for several literary awards including The Orange Award for New Writing and The Guardian First Book Award. She also sits on the advisory board of the Index on Censorship.
For years Shamsie spent equal amounts of time in London and Karachi, while also occasionally teaching creative writing at Hamilton College in New York State. She now lives primarily in London.
Shamsie is the daughter of literary critic and writer Muneeza Shamsie, the niece of celebrated Indian novelist Attia Hosain, and the granddaughter of the memoirist Begum Jahanara Habibullah. A reviewer and columnist, primarily for the Guardian, Shamsie has been a judge for several literary awards including The Orange Award for New Writing and The Guardian First Book Award. She also sits on the advisory board of the Index on Censorship.
For years Shamsie spent equal amounts of time in London and Karachi, while also occasionally teaching creative writing at Hamilton College in New York State. She now lives primarily in London.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,091 reviews
July 24, 2022
This book is about the wrong thing. It's a bummer. The beginning is alive and interesting, deep in the friendship of two girls who have very different families and lives and personalities. It's clear, though, that the book is using this as set dressing. That ultimately it is going to take us to something bigger. Unfortunately, it's this first section that is the book at its best, in 1988 Karachi, getting into the day to day of their lives and the strangeness of being a teenager just starting to understand the world just as the whole world is changing.
The concept of danger, of what could happen to two teenage girls in a conservative, patriarchal dictatorship even when they come from relatively well off families and have a nice school, is what is so enticing about the book when it is good. Their dawning understanding of the peril that they are in, of the danger that is inherent when you are a woman in the world, is captivating. They react to this quite differently. They are drawn to danger and repulsed by it. Zahra, the more prim of the girls, keeps her desires secret. Maryam, from a very wealthy family, is more cavalier and willing to take risks.
There is a pivotal scene in the middle of the book, and then we fast forward several decades. And from here on out the book is no longer all that interesting, sadly. This one incident is treated as if it is the most important thing that ever happened, but I didn't really believe it. Maryam in particular sees it as the one thing that changed her whole life. And while it did impact the trajectory of her life, it really only messed with the details. Maryam's obsession is inconsistent with her adult life (both women are wildly successful, ridiculously so, to a level that is hard to believe) and her years of adult experience. And once these girls are women, with their lives all set, with everything so comfortable, no longer feeling like they are actually in any danger, it is unclear why we are here and what it adds to the story. The elements Shamsie brings back, the past returning, are not very effective. Everything just kind of falls apart. I sped through the end just to be done, honestly.
This clearly feels like a structure book when what it is good at is the character and slice of life. It is interesting to see these two girls be so close when we can already see the cracks between them. It is much less interesting to see them still be close decades later, when it's hard to believe that all these fissures have just sat dormant for so long, that none of this ever bubbled up earlier, that they have just gotten along great for all these years. The structure feels false, it feels like a constructed fiction, instead of feeling organic.
The concept of danger, of what could happen to two teenage girls in a conservative, patriarchal dictatorship even when they come from relatively well off families and have a nice school, is what is so enticing about the book when it is good. Their dawning understanding of the peril that they are in, of the danger that is inherent when you are a woman in the world, is captivating. They react to this quite differently. They are drawn to danger and repulsed by it. Zahra, the more prim of the girls, keeps her desires secret. Maryam, from a very wealthy family, is more cavalier and willing to take risks.
There is a pivotal scene in the middle of the book, and then we fast forward several decades. And from here on out the book is no longer all that interesting, sadly. This one incident is treated as if it is the most important thing that ever happened, but I didn't really believe it. Maryam in particular sees it as the one thing that changed her whole life. And while it did impact the trajectory of her life, it really only messed with the details. Maryam's obsession is inconsistent with her adult life (both women are wildly successful, ridiculously so, to a level that is hard to believe) and her years of adult experience. And once these girls are women, with their lives all set, with everything so comfortable, no longer feeling like they are actually in any danger, it is unclear why we are here and what it adds to the story. The elements Shamsie brings back, the past returning, are not very effective. Everything just kind of falls apart. I sped through the end just to be done, honestly.
This clearly feels like a structure book when what it is good at is the character and slice of life. It is interesting to see these two girls be so close when we can already see the cracks between them. It is much less interesting to see them still be close decades later, when it's hard to believe that all these fissures have just sat dormant for so long, that none of this ever bubbled up earlier, that they have just gotten along great for all these years. The structure feels false, it feels like a constructed fiction, instead of feeling organic.
November 28, 2022
Kamia Shamsie鈥檚 last novel 鈥淗ome Fire鈥� was a worthy winner of the 2019 Women鈥檚 Prize, a slightly uneven but politically prescient novel which used the plot of the classical play 鈥淎ntigone鈥� to explore how the themes of that play (split loyalties to state/family, the rights and responsibilities of citizenship, state law versus natural justice, female roles) are just as relevant today.
Her latest novel has some of the same themes, Anglo-Pakistani families and even a (different) fictional Conservative Home Secretary 鈥� but does not have the classical underpinning and I think suffers as a consequence and I have to say I found this a disappointing read.
Shamsie has said that the idea for a book went back to a conversation with her sister 20 or so years ago (when both were in their late 20s) and her sister said 鈥淵ou know, it's interesting, the friends you make in adult life are your friends because you have something in common, but your childhood friends are your friends because they've always been your friends." 鈥� and I think many of my issues in the book start with that formulation.
Firstly one of a personal lack of identification 鈥� I really do not still have any friends that were friends when I was a child.
And secondly perhaps related is that the key reason the characters in this book still have friends and meet acquaintances (one key concept in the book is the difference between the two, identified early on 鈥淶ahra had recently looked up from a dictionary to inform Maryam that what the two of them had with each other was friendship, and what they had with the other six girls and twenty-two boys in class was merely 鈥榩ropinquity鈥� 鈥� a relationship based on physical proximity) from their school in Pakistan many decades later in a different country (England), basically because they all both come from and remain in privileged and influential circles 鈥� something that meant I struggled to even want to identify with the characters.
And thirdly because really too much of the book is a rather simple tale of friendship: starting with around 130 pages which reads like a take on Mallory Towers transported to a different country and with one slightly darker incident.
And fourthly because the author seems at pains to make sure we understand her ideas about friendship evolution in a tell-not-show way via conscious reflection on behalf of her characters, that I had perhaps not expected from a renowned literary author for example
Or
The book opens around 1988 in a Karachi private school 鈥� with two best friends who have known each other almost their whole lives, but are now 14 (鈥渢hey were conscious they were in Class 10 now, old enough for the younger students to look up to them, and also at that stage where familiarity could start to replace deference in their relationship with the A level students鈥�) and starting their O Levels (鈥渉ow well or badly you fared in the exams that waited two years down the line would determine the life altering matter of which American or British University would want you another two years after that鈥�) 鈥� again little is left for the reader to deduce.
Zahra is the daughter of a school teacher mother and a well-loved Cricket commentator and presenter (cricket is ever present in the novel although it speaks to the influence/privilege which infuses the book and marred my enjoyment that the main cricket scene takes place in a box at Lord鈥檚 with a large group of people who have flown from Pakistan for the occasion) 鈥� who in turn falls foul of Zia鈥檚 military government for not giving the latter credit for enticing Imran Khan out of retirement.
Mayram is the scion of a luxury leather dynasty 鈥� and the business patriarch (her Grandfather)鈥檚 favourite and unofficial successor (her father and other sisters lacking her business sense).
The story unfolds against General Zia鈥檚 death and at the celebrations following Bhutto鈥檚 democratic election win, Zahra and Mayram鈥檚 increasing interest in boys leads to an incident whose repercussions lose Maryam her Grandfather鈥檚 respect and her heritage and ends with her being sent to school in England.
The story then picks up in London in 2019 鈥� and a pair of articles bring us up to speed on the two girls, who are still friends despite their political differences and both now members of the English elite.
Zahra is the head of the Centre for Civil Liberties (a 鈥渘eat narrative arc from suffering through oppressive dictatorship to director of the鈥� CCL), and well known government critic who 鈥� and the irony is not entirely albeit mostly lost on her 鈥� uses the Courts, the unelected House of Lords, the media (she has BBC journalists on speed dial, a ready seat on Question Time and Guardian profiles on tap), her friendship with celebrities (from pop stars to directors) and the money of upper class donors to oppose the democratically elected government鈥檚 increasingly authoritarian tendencies.
Maryam is a tech entrepreneur turned venture capitalist 鈥� with a particular interest in a photo-and-video sharing and face-tagging app. The app鈥檚 potential role in government surveillance, and her courting of Government influence via a very high net worth donor political club (who buy access to the Prime Minister, Chancellor and Foreign Secretary all of who feature as more or less fictionalised characters in the book) puts her friendship with Zahra at strain. And that strain is exacerbated when at the aforementioned cricket match, the other protagonists in the 1988 incident come back into their lives in what seems to be a rather contrived coincidence with neither of the two friends really acting in what I felt was a credible way.
Overall as I have implied I found this a disappointment 鈥� the author鈥檚 interest in and campaigning against the government鈥檚 asylum and civil liberty policies I think worked much better recently in her non-fiction writing (for example ) than in this rather contrived novel, which is the opposite of how I felt about 鈥淗ome Fire鈥� where perhaps the classical underpinnings gave the contrivance in the plot a kind of loaned legitimacy which was lacking here.
My thanks to Bloomsbury for an ARC via NetGalley
Her latest novel has some of the same themes, Anglo-Pakistani families and even a (different) fictional Conservative Home Secretary 鈥� but does not have the classical underpinning and I think suffers as a consequence and I have to say I found this a disappointing read.
Shamsie has said that the idea for a book went back to a conversation with her sister 20 or so years ago (when both were in their late 20s) and her sister said 鈥淵ou know, it's interesting, the friends you make in adult life are your friends because you have something in common, but your childhood friends are your friends because they've always been your friends." 鈥� and I think many of my issues in the book start with that formulation.
Firstly one of a personal lack of identification 鈥� I really do not still have any friends that were friends when I was a child.
And secondly perhaps related is that the key reason the characters in this book still have friends and meet acquaintances (one key concept in the book is the difference between the two, identified early on 鈥淶ahra had recently looked up from a dictionary to inform Maryam that what the two of them had with each other was friendship, and what they had with the other six girls and twenty-two boys in class was merely 鈥榩ropinquity鈥� 鈥� a relationship based on physical proximity) from their school in Pakistan many decades later in a different country (England), basically because they all both come from and remain in privileged and influential circles 鈥� something that meant I struggled to even want to identify with the characters.
And thirdly because really too much of the book is a rather simple tale of friendship: starting with around 130 pages which reads like a take on Mallory Towers transported to a different country and with one slightly darker incident.
And fourthly because the author seems at pains to make sure we understand her ideas about friendship evolution in a tell-not-show way via conscious reflection on behalf of her characters, that I had perhaps not expected from a renowned literary author for example
their laughter built, moving beyond the immediate joke into a deep laugh of joy for friendship, for each other, for the certainty that whatever happened in the world you would always have this one person, this north star, this rock, this alter ego who knew your every flaw down to your atoms and who still, despite it all, chose to stand with you and by you through everything that the world had yet to throw at you, every heartache, every disappointment, every moment of darkness. always this friendship, always its light.
Or
Childhood friendship really was the most mysterious of all relationships, maryam thought, as she signalled Zola to get up and clear the plates; it was built around rules that didn鈥檛 extend to any other pairing in life. you weren鈥檛 tied by blood, or profession, or an enmeshed domesticity or even 鈥� as was the case with friendships made in adulthood 鈥� much by way of common interests.
The book opens around 1988 in a Karachi private school 鈥� with two best friends who have known each other almost their whole lives, but are now 14 (鈥渢hey were conscious they were in Class 10 now, old enough for the younger students to look up to them, and also at that stage where familiarity could start to replace deference in their relationship with the A level students鈥�) and starting their O Levels (鈥渉ow well or badly you fared in the exams that waited two years down the line would determine the life altering matter of which American or British University would want you another two years after that鈥�) 鈥� again little is left for the reader to deduce.
Zahra is the daughter of a school teacher mother and a well-loved Cricket commentator and presenter (cricket is ever present in the novel although it speaks to the influence/privilege which infuses the book and marred my enjoyment that the main cricket scene takes place in a box at Lord鈥檚 with a large group of people who have flown from Pakistan for the occasion) 鈥� who in turn falls foul of Zia鈥檚 military government for not giving the latter credit for enticing Imran Khan out of retirement.
Mayram is the scion of a luxury leather dynasty 鈥� and the business patriarch (her Grandfather)鈥檚 favourite and unofficial successor (her father and other sisters lacking her business sense).
The story unfolds against General Zia鈥檚 death and at the celebrations following Bhutto鈥檚 democratic election win, Zahra and Mayram鈥檚 increasing interest in boys leads to an incident whose repercussions lose Maryam her Grandfather鈥檚 respect and her heritage and ends with her being sent to school in England.
The story then picks up in London in 2019 鈥� and a pair of articles bring us up to speed on the two girls, who are still friends despite their political differences and both now members of the English elite.
Zahra is the head of the Centre for Civil Liberties (a 鈥渘eat narrative arc from suffering through oppressive dictatorship to director of the鈥� CCL), and well known government critic who 鈥� and the irony is not entirely albeit mostly lost on her 鈥� uses the Courts, the unelected House of Lords, the media (she has BBC journalists on speed dial, a ready seat on Question Time and Guardian profiles on tap), her friendship with celebrities (from pop stars to directors) and the money of upper class donors to oppose the democratically elected government鈥檚 increasingly authoritarian tendencies.
Maryam is a tech entrepreneur turned venture capitalist 鈥� with a particular interest in a photo-and-video sharing and face-tagging app. The app鈥檚 potential role in government surveillance, and her courting of Government influence via a very high net worth donor political club (who buy access to the Prime Minister, Chancellor and Foreign Secretary all of who feature as more or less fictionalised characters in the book) puts her friendship with Zahra at strain. And that strain is exacerbated when at the aforementioned cricket match, the other protagonists in the 1988 incident come back into their lives in what seems to be a rather contrived coincidence with neither of the two friends really acting in what I felt was a credible way.
Overall as I have implied I found this a disappointment 鈥� the author鈥檚 interest in and campaigning against the government鈥檚 asylum and civil liberty policies I think worked much better recently in her non-fiction writing (for example ) than in this rather contrived novel, which is the opposite of how I felt about 鈥淗ome Fire鈥� where perhaps the classical underpinnings gave the contrivance in the plot a kind of loaned legitimacy which was lacking here.
My thanks to Bloomsbury for an ARC via NetGalley
March 27, 2022
I'm sorry to say that this didn't work for me at all, after having loved Shamsie's 'Home Fire' and 'Burnt Shadows'. It opens in Karachi in 1988 with two fourteen year old girls at school and the first half feels distinctively YA with lots of familiar material about growing into adult female bodies, competing for boys' attentions, rebelling against parents , discussing future ambitions and so on.
There's a pivotal encounter at the centre of the book which avoids melodrama and which is excellent on how young women recognise fear and the power that men may have over them in the world.
The latter sections set years later and in London are rather superficial: there are the uncovering of deeply-hidden emotions between the two women, and some rather implausible high-politicking at Chequers to enable a revenge plot.
The characters had so much potential, even if they're rather schematic in their differences but this feels like it's floundering around for a trajectory. It's probably telling that some of the most powerful writing comes in a throwaway scene set in a UK refugee deportation centre which is barely central to the plot.
Overall, this felt sadly shallow and too soap opera-ish for my tastes which is a shame as Shamsie can write with assurance and insight about the workings of power, culture, women and politics and I'd hoped for more of that here.
Thanks to the publisher for an ARC via NetGalley
There's a pivotal encounter at the centre of the book which avoids melodrama and which is excellent on how young women recognise fear and the power that men may have over them in the world.
The latter sections set years later and in London are rather superficial: there are the uncovering of deeply-hidden emotions between the two women, and some rather implausible high-politicking at Chequers to enable a revenge plot.
The characters had so much potential, even if they're rather schematic in their differences but this feels like it's floundering around for a trajectory. It's probably telling that some of the most powerful writing comes in a throwaway scene set in a UK refugee deportation centre which is barely central to the plot.
Overall, this felt sadly shallow and too soap opera-ish for my tastes which is a shame as Shamsie can write with assurance and insight about the workings of power, culture, women and politics and I'd hoped for more of that here.
Thanks to the publisher for an ARC via NetGalley
October 4, 2024
3.75
This author can write and it was very compelling but by the end I felt it fell flat compared to the strength of the friendship theme it had in the first half.
This author can write and it was very compelling but by the end I felt it fell flat compared to the strength of the friendship theme it had in the first half.
September 30, 2022
Oh boy. Let me start off by saying that writing a less than favorable book review is not fun for me. I hate it. It鈥檚 my least favorite thing to do as a book reviewer. But I take pride in sharing my honest thoughts, so here it goes:
This one was a bit of a snooze fest. The writing was stiff, dry, and disjointed. The plot bored me to tears, and was very uneventful. The character development was severely lacking. I had trouble telling the two friends apart, and kept mixing up their storylines. Near the end, I did a lot of skimming. I just wanted the novel to be over. Overall, this novel was poorly executed, and I should鈥檝e DNF鈥檈d it.
This one was a bit of a snooze fest. The writing was stiff, dry, and disjointed. The plot bored me to tears, and was very uneventful. The character development was severely lacking. I had trouble telling the two friends apart, and kept mixing up their storylines. Near the end, I did a lot of skimming. I just wanted the novel to be over. Overall, this novel was poorly executed, and I should鈥檝e DNF鈥檈d it.
July 6, 2022
I have only read one other book by Kamila Shamsie, that being 鈥淗ome Fire鈥�. I know that in my review of that, which was almost 5 years ago, I said I wanted to read more of her novels because I really liked it. But, for one reason and another, mainly the ever lengthening list of books I want to read that means some never seem to make it to the top of the pile, I haven鈥檛 done that, so this is just my second experience.
Unfortunately, I have to say that this one really didn鈥檛 work for me.
This is the story of two life-long friends. In the opening of the book (Karachi, 1988 - a significant year), we meet Zahra and Maryam as teenage girls and already 鈥渂est of friends鈥�. I nearly stopped reading the book after this opening section because it all feels a bit teenage/YA as girls start to experience their adult bodies (and the effect those bodies can have on men) and as they share their dreams and ambitions for their future and fight with their parents over what they can and cannot do. Then there鈥檚 some unpleasantness before we skip forward to 2019 and see the two women now in the UK holding jobs convenient for creating tension in the developing story line.
The 鈥渦npleasantness鈥� I mentioned is actually what kept me reading at this point because the lead up to it wasn鈥檛 all that exciting to read and then the set up for the follow on seemed a bit contrived. The incident itself is the most convincing part of the book.
It feels like this second half of the book is going to investigate interesting issues around racism and politics. It sets a woman fighting against the government鈥檚 treatment of refugees against a woman courting government favour for a technology that could allow a government to keep closer tabs on its population. But to me the exploration of this felt a bit contrived and also played second fiddle to the tensions in the relationship between the two main characters. It felt a bit like the book didn鈥檛 really know which direction it wanted to go and fell between the two.
Overall, I feel that I probably would still like to read more of Shamsie鈥檚 earlier work (despite not managing to do that in the last 5 years!), but this one didn鈥檛 come together for me and was a bit of a disappointment.
My thanks to the publisher for an ARC via NetGalley.
Unfortunately, I have to say that this one really didn鈥檛 work for me.
This is the story of two life-long friends. In the opening of the book (Karachi, 1988 - a significant year), we meet Zahra and Maryam as teenage girls and already 鈥渂est of friends鈥�. I nearly stopped reading the book after this opening section because it all feels a bit teenage/YA as girls start to experience their adult bodies (and the effect those bodies can have on men) and as they share their dreams and ambitions for their future and fight with their parents over what they can and cannot do. Then there鈥檚 some unpleasantness before we skip forward to 2019 and see the two women now in the UK holding jobs convenient for creating tension in the developing story line.
The 鈥渦npleasantness鈥� I mentioned is actually what kept me reading at this point because the lead up to it wasn鈥檛 all that exciting to read and then the set up for the follow on seemed a bit contrived. The incident itself is the most convincing part of the book.
It feels like this second half of the book is going to investigate interesting issues around racism and politics. It sets a woman fighting against the government鈥檚 treatment of refugees against a woman courting government favour for a technology that could allow a government to keep closer tabs on its population. But to me the exploration of this felt a bit contrived and also played second fiddle to the tensions in the relationship between the two main characters. It felt a bit like the book didn鈥檛 really know which direction it wanted to go and fell between the two.
Overall, I feel that I probably would still like to read more of Shamsie鈥檚 earlier work (despite not managing to do that in the last 5 years!), but this one didn鈥檛 come together for me and was a bit of a disappointment.
My thanks to the publisher for an ARC via NetGalley.
October 29, 2022
Ignore all the reviews from people who loved Shamsie's Homefire but were disappointed by this 鈥� Best of Friends provides more incisive commentary on how class, culture, and gender intersect within the South Asian (in particular Pakistani) diaspora and another incredibly (literally, incredibly) contemporary look at British politics all wrapped up in a story about female friendship. I tore through this three weeks ago and am still thinking about it today.
October 27, 2022
2.5, rounded down. This was a near-complete misfire from a genuinely talented novelist, whose novels I have generally enjoyed, especially her last, Home Fire.
Best of Friends starts out promisingly as an intimate Ferrante-esque story of the friendship of two 14-year-old girls, bookish Zahra and extroverted Maryam who attend a posh private school in 1988 Karachi, when Zia's dictatorship gave way to Benazir Bhutto's democratically-elected government.
Growing up in a patriarchal society and sheltered by well-connected families, the girls are unprepared to reckon with the real-life outcomes of their sexual interest in boys, and their sexual attractiveness to unsavory men. In the novel's pivotal and life-changing incident, Shamsie builds the suspense and danger as Zahra and Maryam narrowly avert disaster as they careen around the nighttime city in a car driven by a dangerous and petulant older boy.
The rest of the novel is a dull, plodding YA-adjacent melodrama set in contemporary London, where Zahra is now an earnest left-wing human rights lawyer defending her clients from deportation, and Maryam is a shady venture capitalist currying favor with surveillance tech companies and an authoritarian Tory government. The adult Zahra and Maryam talk and think a great deal about their friendship, and ponder friendship in the abstract (in especially heavy-handed asides from the omniscient narrator).
The heavy-handed plot contrivances pile up, as negative forces from their past return to haunt them, while their privilege and wealth insulates them (yet again) from the destructive consequences that their careless narcissism and situational ethics have inflicted upon the innocent and the guilty.
Best of Friends starts out promisingly as an intimate Ferrante-esque story of the friendship of two 14-year-old girls, bookish Zahra and extroverted Maryam who attend a posh private school in 1988 Karachi, when Zia's dictatorship gave way to Benazir Bhutto's democratically-elected government.
Growing up in a patriarchal society and sheltered by well-connected families, the girls are unprepared to reckon with the real-life outcomes of their sexual interest in boys, and their sexual attractiveness to unsavory men. In the novel's pivotal and life-changing incident, Shamsie builds the suspense and danger as Zahra and Maryam narrowly avert disaster as they careen around the nighttime city in a car driven by a dangerous and petulant older boy.
The rest of the novel is a dull, plodding YA-adjacent melodrama set in contemporary London, where Zahra is now an earnest left-wing human rights lawyer defending her clients from deportation, and Maryam is a shady venture capitalist currying favor with surveillance tech companies and an authoritarian Tory government. The adult Zahra and Maryam talk and think a great deal about their friendship, and ponder friendship in the abstract (in especially heavy-handed asides from the omniscient narrator).
The heavy-handed plot contrivances pile up, as negative forces from their past return to haunt them, while their privilege and wealth insulates them (yet again) from the destructive consequences that their careless narcissism and situational ethics have inflicted upon the innocent and the guilty.
July 14, 2022
I love how Kamila Shamsie writes about relationships, particularly between women. Home Fire about the bond between sisters, in this one the bond between best friends. Girls who have grown up together in Karachi, and have now become women who live in London. Very different personalities and lives, but both high profile and both with trauma from the past. This book addresses the way that you can know someone all your life, but still there are the things that can't be talked about, that they carry around unspoken but which have informed their relationship.
Zahra and Maryam are wonderful characters, both so bold and powerful in their own ways, both living a life that is fulfilling and rich, but also still carrying the baggage of an experience that happened to them when they were teenagers. Something that changed their perspective on the world. I loved the way that their different perspectives on this were written. This author can pinpoint particular moments and write about the emotions that her characters feel so well, but she also writes great supporting characters who are full of life and who feel incredibly real.
This really is wonderful. I enjoyed every scene, even though you'll feel uncomfortable at times, sad at others and slightly in love with these well drawn women at other times, this is a book the charm you and inform you about politics and culture.
Read it for fabulous writing, an interesting storyline and the warmth of these relationships. It'll make you think about your own best friends and how much you value them.
Zahra and Maryam are wonderful characters, both so bold and powerful in their own ways, both living a life that is fulfilling and rich, but also still carrying the baggage of an experience that happened to them when they were teenagers. Something that changed their perspective on the world. I loved the way that their different perspectives on this were written. This author can pinpoint particular moments and write about the emotions that her characters feel so well, but she also writes great supporting characters who are full of life and who feel incredibly real.
This really is wonderful. I enjoyed every scene, even though you'll feel uncomfortable at times, sad at others and slightly in love with these well drawn women at other times, this is a book the charm you and inform you about politics and culture.
Read it for fabulous writing, an interesting storyline and the warmth of these relationships. It'll make you think about your own best friends and how much you value them.
October 3, 2022
At the second of two book launch readings which I attended this week, Kamila Shamsie was asked (nicely) to comment on whether Best of Friends was both a book with serious themes, but also a 鈥渂each read鈥�. Given Shamsie鈥檚 political activism, and the strong literary critical response to her prize winning Home Fire , her last novel, this was an interesting and potentially provocative question. Shamsie did not demur.
My response to this book is one of ambivalence.
鈥� As a book about friendship (exclusively around female friendship) it is a story with universal appeal, and one that fosters discussion. We all have some insight in this field. First friendship? Life long friendship? Challenges and threats to long held friendships? In this respect 鈥渂each read鈥� is applicable, and not simply as a pejorative description.
鈥� As a book reflecting our times, and from a specifically female perspective in the #metoo era. Kamila Shamsie has coined the term 鈥済irl fear鈥� to express the idea that for women, the fear of attack is all pervasive.
鈥� As a political book. The story divides equally between Karachi, Pakistan, and London. Pakistan under the dictatorship of General Zia-al-Haq gave way to the presidency of thirty five year old Benazir Bhutto. This at a time when Kamila Shamsie was fifteen. The two leading girls/women in this book (Maryam and Zahra) are fourteen at the outset. The sense of oppression in Pakistan is well referenced, not least in a cricket anecdote concerning Zahra鈥檚 father.
In London the political elite are portrayed as duplicitous, self serving and devoid of conscience. This was a book written in the immediate post Brexit years and during the Covid crisis, so the cynical view of government at that time is perhaps understandable!
My notes from back to back readings with very different interviewers in very different settings:
With Nesrine Malik, Southbank, London 28.09.2022
鈥� Book started out as childhood friendship rather than female friendship.
鈥� Adult friendships are of a type. Childhood friends from all over the place.
鈥� Older you get the more you want to talk to other women (in this patriarchal world)
鈥� The girls aged 14; the first time there are silences and secrets as the body changes.
鈥� Maryam is in a state of exception. Family know the police.
鈥� 鈥淐lass immunity鈥� in both Pakistan and UK (interviewer phrase). To be easy socially and all that comes from it. Recognisable across nations.
鈥� Different responses to Zia鈥檚 death. Maryam apologising got him
鈥� Negotiation. Women have power but there are limits. There is a woman prime Minister in UK, but women can鈥檛 walk through Regents Park at night.
鈥� Moment you move from exciting to terrifying. KS has spoken to lots of women. In the book 鈥済irl fear鈥�. Vulnerability. Don鈥檛 make wrong decision.
鈥� Diversity is promoted at the top, but underneath the surface attitudes don鈥檛 need to change. Let鈥檚 do business.
鈥� Video shop VCR culture. The master pressing not the pirate copy was the one most sought after
鈥� 1980s time of optimism: Mandela; Berlin Wall; end Cold War
鈥� With a deep and unshakeable love, a friendship can survive anything, even very different life outlooks.
鈥� Audience Question: advocacy for Palestine? Answer: Supports BDS
鈥� Audience Question:Which of the characters is KS . Neither. I sit in a room reading and writing and I am not interested in looking at me. Interested in my times.
鈥� Audience Question: The writing process. Not a planner but always knows the final sentence of her books .
With Alex Clarke, Marlborough Literary festival 01.10.2022
鈥� Maryam. Upper Middle Class- who regard themselves as an exception to the rules. This is evident in Pakistan and in London. Zahra is class 鈥榓djacent鈥�. Interested in how the powerful can have normal private lives but public ruthlessness
鈥� 1988 KS was 15. Initial reaction to death of Zia-al-Haq, was fear. With him you knew what was coming next. Then Benazir Bhutto , as a young girl was exhilarating. Excitement. Endless possibilities..
鈥� 鈥淕irl fear鈥�. Example of beach being the safest place in Karachi, unlike the City.
鈥� Telephones. Nobody spoke openly; no criticism. Somebody might be listening.
鈥� Writing ran in KS family. The Lion the Witch and The Wardrobe. Also read Jackie Collins. Her mother clever, and did not discourage, said well-done you might like Remains of the Day next.. Night Benazir elected KS walked through the wardrobe.
鈥� Adolescent memories. Video shop 鈥渃ulture鈥�. Felt shame when owner said film 鈥淏ull Durham鈥� was not appropriate. Maryam in the book finds a new video shop when she receives a video shop rebuff..
鈥� In the book the girls feel shame, thirty years later. But who was responsible?
鈥� Imig app.(like Instagram with facial recognition). Molly Russell algorithm horribly prescient. Like judging the audience at an event. As you get a response and test the response, you give them more.
鈥� In the book the two girls grew up in a surveillance society, and now here it is in the UK in both their lives. Is this unwanted surveillance, or necessary visibility?
鈥� Cricket is a metaphor for everything!
My response to this book is one of ambivalence.
鈥� As a book about friendship (exclusively around female friendship) it is a story with universal appeal, and one that fosters discussion. We all have some insight in this field. First friendship? Life long friendship? Challenges and threats to long held friendships? In this respect 鈥渂each read鈥� is applicable, and not simply as a pejorative description.
鈥� As a book reflecting our times, and from a specifically female perspective in the #metoo era. Kamila Shamsie has coined the term 鈥済irl fear鈥� to express the idea that for women, the fear of attack is all pervasive.
鈥� As a political book. The story divides equally between Karachi, Pakistan, and London. Pakistan under the dictatorship of General Zia-al-Haq gave way to the presidency of thirty five year old Benazir Bhutto. This at a time when Kamila Shamsie was fifteen. The two leading girls/women in this book (Maryam and Zahra) are fourteen at the outset. The sense of oppression in Pakistan is well referenced, not least in a cricket anecdote concerning Zahra鈥檚 father.
In London the political elite are portrayed as duplicitous, self serving and devoid of conscience. This was a book written in the immediate post Brexit years and during the Covid crisis, so the cynical view of government at that time is perhaps understandable!
My notes from back to back readings with very different interviewers in very different settings:
With Nesrine Malik, Southbank, London 28.09.2022
鈥� Book started out as childhood friendship rather than female friendship.
鈥� Adult friendships are of a type. Childhood friends from all over the place.
鈥� Older you get the more you want to talk to other women (in this patriarchal world)
鈥� The girls aged 14; the first time there are silences and secrets as the body changes.
鈥� Maryam is in a state of exception. Family know the police.
鈥� 鈥淐lass immunity鈥� in both Pakistan and UK (interviewer phrase). To be easy socially and all that comes from it. Recognisable across nations.
鈥� Different responses to Zia鈥檚 death. Maryam apologising got him
鈥� Negotiation. Women have power but there are limits. There is a woman prime Minister in UK, but women can鈥檛 walk through Regents Park at night.
鈥� Moment you move from exciting to terrifying. KS has spoken to lots of women. In the book 鈥済irl fear鈥�. Vulnerability. Don鈥檛 make wrong decision.
鈥� Diversity is promoted at the top, but underneath the surface attitudes don鈥檛 need to change. Let鈥檚 do business.
鈥� Video shop VCR culture. The master pressing not the pirate copy was the one most sought after
鈥� 1980s time of optimism: Mandela; Berlin Wall; end Cold War
鈥� With a deep and unshakeable love, a friendship can survive anything, even very different life outlooks.
鈥� Audience Question: advocacy for Palestine? Answer: Supports BDS
鈥� Audience Question:Which of the characters is KS . Neither. I sit in a room reading and writing and I am not interested in looking at me. Interested in my times.
鈥� Audience Question: The writing process. Not a planner but always knows the final sentence of her books .
With Alex Clarke, Marlborough Literary festival 01.10.2022
鈥� Maryam. Upper Middle Class- who regard themselves as an exception to the rules. This is evident in Pakistan and in London. Zahra is class 鈥榓djacent鈥�. Interested in how the powerful can have normal private lives but public ruthlessness
鈥� 1988 KS was 15. Initial reaction to death of Zia-al-Haq, was fear. With him you knew what was coming next. Then Benazir Bhutto , as a young girl was exhilarating. Excitement. Endless possibilities..
鈥� 鈥淕irl fear鈥�. Example of beach being the safest place in Karachi, unlike the City.
鈥� Telephones. Nobody spoke openly; no criticism. Somebody might be listening.
鈥� Writing ran in KS family. The Lion the Witch and The Wardrobe. Also read Jackie Collins. Her mother clever, and did not discourage, said well-done you might like Remains of the Day next.. Night Benazir elected KS walked through the wardrobe.
鈥� Adolescent memories. Video shop 鈥渃ulture鈥�. Felt shame when owner said film 鈥淏ull Durham鈥� was not appropriate. Maryam in the book finds a new video shop when she receives a video shop rebuff..
鈥� In the book the girls feel shame, thirty years later. But who was responsible?
鈥� Imig app.(like Instagram with facial recognition). Molly Russell algorithm horribly prescient. Like judging the audience at an event. As you get a response and test the response, you give them more.
鈥� In the book the two girls grew up in a surveillance society, and now here it is in the UK in both their lives. Is this unwanted surveillance, or necessary visibility?
鈥� Cricket is a metaphor for everything!
October 8, 2022
DNF- Home Fire was so engaging, clever, and well-written. This was a struggle to read the 70 pages that I did read. It felt as though this book was written by a different writer.
August 31, 2022
There鈥檚 something very readable about Shamsies books. She captures dialogue and tension really well. This one lagged in the third quarter but was solid overall. I鈥檓 not sure it was as interesting as I would鈥檝e liked. The central questions just weren鈥檛 worthy to me.
And yes, I read HOME FIRE and loved it. This book is much lower stakes and more reserved.
And yes, I read HOME FIRE and loved it. This book is much lower stakes and more reserved.
October 21, 2022
As the story opens, the two protagonists, Zahra and Maryam, are fourteen years old living in Karachi in 1988. Though they come from quite different circumstances, they are best friends experiencing the usual teenage concerns. Zahra makes a decision that puts them in a dangerous situation, resulting in a change in the trajectories of their lives.
The narrative then shifts to 2019. Zahra and Maryam have taken different paths, and we find them in London. They are in their forties and still friends, but at opposite ends of the political spectrum. The storyline follows the changes in their friendship and how difficult it can be to maintain when values differ. The political situations in both Pakistan and the UK form the backdrop to both timelines.
Themes include migration issues, justice, convictions, betrayal, and loyalty. Kamila Shamsie writes beautifully. I felt invested in the narrative, especially the first three-quarters of the book. The ending was not quite what I expected, but it makes a point that is particularly relevant in today鈥檚 society.
The narrative then shifts to 2019. Zahra and Maryam have taken different paths, and we find them in London. They are in their forties and still friends, but at opposite ends of the political spectrum. The storyline follows the changes in their friendship and how difficult it can be to maintain when values differ. The political situations in both Pakistan and the UK form the backdrop to both timelines.
Themes include migration issues, justice, convictions, betrayal, and loyalty. Kamila Shamsie writes beautifully. I felt invested in the narrative, especially the first three-quarters of the book. The ending was not quite what I expected, but it makes a point that is particularly relevant in today鈥檚 society.
August 12, 2022
A few years ago, I raved about a book 鈥� Home Fire 鈥� a mesmerizing story of star-crossed lovers in the crossfires of a particularly intense time in Pakistan. The author was Kamila Shamsie and I couldn鈥檛 wait to read her next novel.
Best of Friends starts off with a lot of promise. The two young besties, Maryam and Zahra, come from two different social classes in Karachi. Maryam is slated to take over the family business, Khan鈥檚 Leather, and has spent her young life sheltered, imperious, and entitled. Zahra, whose father is a popular Cricket television commentator who has gotten on the bad side of General Zia鈥檚 military dictatorship, has to study harder and walk the line a lot more tightly.
As in Home Fire, certain themes begin to form: a country in flux. ambition vs. humanity, loyalty vs. self-preservation, patriarchal power vs. female justice. The girls find themselves in a potentially dangerous situation and the outcome of that evening will reveal their characters and will change everything.
Fast forward. We meet the girls many years later in London, where both have
reached the pinnacle of professional success. Maryam has gravitated to the world of venture capitalism while Zahra is a lauded human rights attorney. Still, their childhood friendship endures. Shamsie writes, 鈥淧erhaps that was the key to the longevity of childhood friendships 鈥� all those shared subtexts that no one else could discover. And perhaps shared subtexts felt even more necessary when you both lived far away from the city of your childhood and that was itself the subtext to your lives.鈥�
Fair enough. But here is where my interest began to wane. As adults, their values, interests, and what matters to them displays a wide divergence. Perhaps, as Shamsie suggests, the problem with childhood friendship is that you fail to see the adult in front of you because you have such a fixed idea of who your friend is in the past. But the author places a lot of weight on the permanence of early friendships while as most of us have learned, some of these are mean to endure while others do not.
Both women show that they have the resilience and strength to overcome childhood obstacles and rise to the top of their professions. Yet inconceivably, they cannot let the situation go and are still mired to the past 鈥� which becomes crystal clear when some figures from that night emerge. By then, their stellar lives and their confrontations feel a bit false, as if they鈥檙e being plotted, rather than organic. I ceased believing in their authenticity.
I owe a debt of gratitude to Riverhead Books for enabling me to be an early reader in exchange for an honest review.
Best of Friends starts off with a lot of promise. The two young besties, Maryam and Zahra, come from two different social classes in Karachi. Maryam is slated to take over the family business, Khan鈥檚 Leather, and has spent her young life sheltered, imperious, and entitled. Zahra, whose father is a popular Cricket television commentator who has gotten on the bad side of General Zia鈥檚 military dictatorship, has to study harder and walk the line a lot more tightly.
As in Home Fire, certain themes begin to form: a country in flux. ambition vs. humanity, loyalty vs. self-preservation, patriarchal power vs. female justice. The girls find themselves in a potentially dangerous situation and the outcome of that evening will reveal their characters and will change everything.
Fast forward. We meet the girls many years later in London, where both have
reached the pinnacle of professional success. Maryam has gravitated to the world of venture capitalism while Zahra is a lauded human rights attorney. Still, their childhood friendship endures. Shamsie writes, 鈥淧erhaps that was the key to the longevity of childhood friendships 鈥� all those shared subtexts that no one else could discover. And perhaps shared subtexts felt even more necessary when you both lived far away from the city of your childhood and that was itself the subtext to your lives.鈥�
Fair enough. But here is where my interest began to wane. As adults, their values, interests, and what matters to them displays a wide divergence. Perhaps, as Shamsie suggests, the problem with childhood friendship is that you fail to see the adult in front of you because you have such a fixed idea of who your friend is in the past. But the author places a lot of weight on the permanence of early friendships while as most of us have learned, some of these are mean to endure while others do not.
Both women show that they have the resilience and strength to overcome childhood obstacles and rise to the top of their professions. Yet inconceivably, they cannot let the situation go and are still mired to the past 鈥� which becomes crystal clear when some figures from that night emerge. By then, their stellar lives and their confrontations feel a bit false, as if they鈥檙e being plotted, rather than organic. I ceased believing in their authenticity.
I owe a debt of gratitude to Riverhead Books for enabling me to be an early reader in exchange for an honest review.
January 14, 2025
This book is proof that I should try to write my reviews as soon as I鈥檓 done reading something, because six months down the line my notes don鈥檛 make much sense to me. I have a vague memory of enjoying this title 鈥� maybe because there鈥檚 not much Kamila Shamsie can write that I won鈥檛 like 鈥� but there鈥檚 a difference between liking something and loving it, and I was clearly not enamoured with this one, given that I barely remember most of it.
The first thing I did was a quick google search in the hopes of jogging my old-person memory, but the blurb proved to be of no help at all. It mentions two best friends, and that much I did remember: in this book there are two girls who grow up together, who are very close, and who for some reason (what was the reason?) find themselves on opposing sides in some battle about鈥� what exactly? I have absolutely no idea.
How is it that I managed to retain absolutely nothing about this tale?
鈥淏ut for Maryam, university was just an interruption before she could take over the family business. The only future that mattered to her was the one that would unfold in Karachi, a city to which Zahra had no intention of returning once she鈥檇 left it.鈥�
That the story is about friendship, and in particular about female friendship, should come as no surprise to anyone who鈥檚 been reading Shamsie鈥檚 works as of late. Read enough of her novels and you鈥檒l realize this is something that鈥檚 particularly close to her heart: the concept of platonic relationships and how they affect our decisions and our life paths, analyzed in a manner that very few other Pakistani authors do. Her last few novels have featured a lot of female friendships, either through her own realization about how important they are as she became older, or due to a burgeoning awakening led by social media conversations around the importance of female ties. Whatever it may be, I鈥檓 all for stories that focus on this particular dynamic, except of course for the ironic fact that the careful dissection in this particular work of Shamsie left me completely unmoved and with no recollection of it whatsoever.
鈥淏y contrast, whatever happened to Maryam today wouldn鈥檛 matter very much. She鈥檇 still inherit a business and a place in society. The rich lived in a different universe.鈥�
That the girls come from different backgrounds was something I recalled once I read the blurb, in a manner very reminiscent of the sort of class analysis Shamsie loves to explore in her novels. This idea of humans acting in a certain manner because of their wealth and privilege is also something that comes up very regularly in Shamsie鈥檚 works, although it mostly stays in the background 鈥� or maybe it was discussed in more detail in this one? Who knows? Certainly not me.
鈥淧erhaps friendship was not only about what you said to each other, but also about what you didn't.鈥�
I think the one thing I did notice, and which the book ironically is named after, was the friendship, which never really created any emotion in me. This was funny because it does seem like the whole basis of the plot was the fact that these girls were oh so very close to each other. But throughout the book I remember feeling like I never really felt any of that closeness that the book lays claim to, and while I admire the idea of what Shamsie tried to do, I do believe I鈥檝e read better depictions of female friendship in a hundred other iterations. And while it鈥檚 not a crime to not be able to depict relationships in a way that other people recognize (all personal ties are subjective to our lived experiences, so on and so forth), it does matter whether the reader believes in the friendship you are basing your entire premise on, and this reader, very sadly, didn鈥檛.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 mind the exclusivity, you just mind that you aren鈥檛 part of it, Layla had said once, as if this was a Maryam-specific attitude rather than absolutely everyone鈥檚 objection to exclusivity.鈥�
The book also had the usual Shamsie tropes of Muslim characters in name only with their barely-there religious inclinations, rich characters with their unbelievable levels of privilege being flaunted, and all the various possible combinations of deis living that can be found in my Pakistani novel, such as class divisions and cricket and heat. I think the problem with reading novels from a country with such limited literary output is that on the one hand, everything is a cliche, but on the other hand, it is very hot! We are obsessed with cricket! Our class issues are systemic and never-ending! Which just goes to show that the problem with proper representation is that while all those things are true, in the absence of other narratives, they become the only thing that is true, and that is where the problem lies.
鈥淐ricket told you that talent and grit and character would win out, that giants could be felled, that today鈥檚 defeat could always be followed by tomorrow鈥檚 victory. Yes, there were errors and injustices, cruelty even. But beyond that was the game itself, radiant and untainted.鈥�
In the end I genuinely have no idea what the ending of the book was or whether I enjoyed it, because the blurb went on being unhelpful by mentioning a 鈥榝ateful night鈥� that changes the course of this friendship and 鈥榯roubling figures鈥� that emerge in the future decades later. What? When? Who? Trying to write this review is both a humbling and an enlightening experience, not only because it shows me how weak my memory is when it comes to certain plotlines, but also because it clarifies clearly how our experience of a book can change over time. I rated this book a lofty 3 out of 5 stars, which is a pretty high scale overall by my standards, and yet a few months down the line it鈥檚 clearly not a tale that stuck with me as something memorable, so if you enjoy something momentarily but it doesn鈥檛 really leave a mark on you, was it even good in the first place?
鈥淪he was filled with the satisfaction of being with a group of people and knowing the words and tone that would produce exactly the effect you wanted. This was what was meant by belonging and home.鈥�
In conclusion, after having remembered barely any of it, I鈥檓 going to go with my gut instinct and say that it was still a passably decent read. With all these arguments about social media destroying our brains and the mental gymnastics I perform daily with my bilingual full-time job/tutoring sessions/household management, I鈥檓 going to give myself some grace and trust the judgement of my past self, who gave this book a good rating, not knowing future me would be struggling so. Just because something doesn鈥檛 leave an indelible mark on you doesn't mean it wasn鈥檛 worth it in the moment, and every single thing we experience doesn鈥檛 need to be life changing.
How鈥檚 that for a life lesson from a book you can鈥檛 even remember?
***
ORIGINAL REVIEW: For a story that talks about friendship, it sure gets a lot of it really wrong.
The first thing I did was a quick google search in the hopes of jogging my old-person memory, but the blurb proved to be of no help at all. It mentions two best friends, and that much I did remember: in this book there are two girls who grow up together, who are very close, and who for some reason (what was the reason?) find themselves on opposing sides in some battle about鈥� what exactly? I have absolutely no idea.
How is it that I managed to retain absolutely nothing about this tale?
鈥淏ut for Maryam, university was just an interruption before she could take over the family business. The only future that mattered to her was the one that would unfold in Karachi, a city to which Zahra had no intention of returning once she鈥檇 left it.鈥�
That the story is about friendship, and in particular about female friendship, should come as no surprise to anyone who鈥檚 been reading Shamsie鈥檚 works as of late. Read enough of her novels and you鈥檒l realize this is something that鈥檚 particularly close to her heart: the concept of platonic relationships and how they affect our decisions and our life paths, analyzed in a manner that very few other Pakistani authors do. Her last few novels have featured a lot of female friendships, either through her own realization about how important they are as she became older, or due to a burgeoning awakening led by social media conversations around the importance of female ties. Whatever it may be, I鈥檓 all for stories that focus on this particular dynamic, except of course for the ironic fact that the careful dissection in this particular work of Shamsie left me completely unmoved and with no recollection of it whatsoever.
鈥淏y contrast, whatever happened to Maryam today wouldn鈥檛 matter very much. She鈥檇 still inherit a business and a place in society. The rich lived in a different universe.鈥�
That the girls come from different backgrounds was something I recalled once I read the blurb, in a manner very reminiscent of the sort of class analysis Shamsie loves to explore in her novels. This idea of humans acting in a certain manner because of their wealth and privilege is also something that comes up very regularly in Shamsie鈥檚 works, although it mostly stays in the background 鈥� or maybe it was discussed in more detail in this one? Who knows? Certainly not me.
鈥淧erhaps friendship was not only about what you said to each other, but also about what you didn't.鈥�
I think the one thing I did notice, and which the book ironically is named after, was the friendship, which never really created any emotion in me. This was funny because it does seem like the whole basis of the plot was the fact that these girls were oh so very close to each other. But throughout the book I remember feeling like I never really felt any of that closeness that the book lays claim to, and while I admire the idea of what Shamsie tried to do, I do believe I鈥檝e read better depictions of female friendship in a hundred other iterations. And while it鈥檚 not a crime to not be able to depict relationships in a way that other people recognize (all personal ties are subjective to our lived experiences, so on and so forth), it does matter whether the reader believes in the friendship you are basing your entire premise on, and this reader, very sadly, didn鈥檛.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 mind the exclusivity, you just mind that you aren鈥檛 part of it, Layla had said once, as if this was a Maryam-specific attitude rather than absolutely everyone鈥檚 objection to exclusivity.鈥�
The book also had the usual Shamsie tropes of Muslim characters in name only with their barely-there religious inclinations, rich characters with their unbelievable levels of privilege being flaunted, and all the various possible combinations of deis living that can be found in my Pakistani novel, such as class divisions and cricket and heat. I think the problem with reading novels from a country with such limited literary output is that on the one hand, everything is a cliche, but on the other hand, it is very hot! We are obsessed with cricket! Our class issues are systemic and never-ending! Which just goes to show that the problem with proper representation is that while all those things are true, in the absence of other narratives, they become the only thing that is true, and that is where the problem lies.
鈥淐ricket told you that talent and grit and character would win out, that giants could be felled, that today鈥檚 defeat could always be followed by tomorrow鈥檚 victory. Yes, there were errors and injustices, cruelty even. But beyond that was the game itself, radiant and untainted.鈥�
In the end I genuinely have no idea what the ending of the book was or whether I enjoyed it, because the blurb went on being unhelpful by mentioning a 鈥榝ateful night鈥� that changes the course of this friendship and 鈥榯roubling figures鈥� that emerge in the future decades later. What? When? Who? Trying to write this review is both a humbling and an enlightening experience, not only because it shows me how weak my memory is when it comes to certain plotlines, but also because it clarifies clearly how our experience of a book can change over time. I rated this book a lofty 3 out of 5 stars, which is a pretty high scale overall by my standards, and yet a few months down the line it鈥檚 clearly not a tale that stuck with me as something memorable, so if you enjoy something momentarily but it doesn鈥檛 really leave a mark on you, was it even good in the first place?
鈥淪he was filled with the satisfaction of being with a group of people and knowing the words and tone that would produce exactly the effect you wanted. This was what was meant by belonging and home.鈥�
In conclusion, after having remembered barely any of it, I鈥檓 going to go with my gut instinct and say that it was still a passably decent read. With all these arguments about social media destroying our brains and the mental gymnastics I perform daily with my bilingual full-time job/tutoring sessions/household management, I鈥檓 going to give myself some grace and trust the judgement of my past self, who gave this book a good rating, not knowing future me would be struggling so. Just because something doesn鈥檛 leave an indelible mark on you doesn't mean it wasn鈥檛 worth it in the moment, and every single thing we experience doesn鈥檛 need to be life changing.
How鈥檚 that for a life lesson from a book you can鈥檛 even remember?
***
ORIGINAL REVIEW: For a story that talks about friendship, it sure gets a lot of it really wrong.
May 18, 2023
丕賱毓賲賱 毓賳 丕賱氐丿丕賯丞 賵 毓賳 丕賱噩丕賳亘 丕賱禺賮賷 賲賳賴丕 .
賲乇賷賲 賵 夭賴乇丞 氐丿賷賯鬲賷賳 賳亘丿兀 賲毓賴賲丕 丕賱賯氐丞 賵 賴賲丕 毓賱賶 兀毓鬲丕亘 丕賱賲乇丕賴賯丞 賮賷 亘丕賰爻鬲丕賳 賮賷 賮鬲乇丞 丕賱孬賲丕賳賷賳丕鬲 賵 賲賳 禺賱賮賷鬲賷賳 丕噩鬲賲丕毓賷丞 賲禺鬲賱賮丞 丨賷孬 丕賱乇丕亘胤 亘賷賳賴賲丕 丕賱賲丿乇爻丞 丕賱乇丕賯賷丞 丕賱賲賲賷夭丞 賮賳鬲毓乇賮 毓賱賶 賰賱 賵丕丨丿丞 賲賳賴賲丕 賵 毓賳 毓丕賱賲賴賲丕 丕賱丿丕禺賱賷 賵 賲卮丕賰賱賴賲丕 賵 匕賱賰 毓亘乇 鬲賯賳賷丞 孬賳丕卅賷丞 丕賱乇賵丕丞 賮賳賳鬲賯賱 賲賳 丨賷丕丞 賲乇賷賲 廿賱賶 丨賷丕丞 夭賴乇丞 亘賰賱 爻賱丕爻丞 廿賱賶 兀賳 賳氐賱 廿賱賶 丕賱匕乇賵丞 丕賱兀賵賱賶 賮賷 丕賱丨賰丕賷丞: 鬲毓乇囟賴賲丕 賱丨丕丿孬 賮賷 丨賮賱丞 亘賷賳 丕賱兀氐丿賯丕亍 賵 丕賱鬲賷 卮賰賱鬲 賲賳毓胤賮丕 賮賷 賲爻丕乇 丨賷丕鬲賴賲丕 賱鬲賮鬲乇賯 亘賷賳賴賲丕 丕賱爻亘賱 賵 賳毓賵丿 賱賲卮賴丿 賷噩賲毓賴賲丕 賮賷 賱賳丿賳 賮賷 2019 賵賳爻鬲賰賲賱 賲毓賴賲丕 丕賱丨賰丕賷丞 丨賷孬 賰賱 賲賳賴賲丕 亘賳鬲 賱賳賮爻賴丕 毓丕賱賲賴丕 丕賱禺丕氐( 賵 丕賳 亘賯賷鬲丕 賲鬲乇丕亘胤鬲賷賳 ) 賵 賳乇亘胤 丨丕囟乇賴賲丕 亘賲丕囟賷賴賲丕 賵 賲毓 丕賱匕乇賵丞 丕賱孬丕賳賷丞 賵 丕賱賲乇鬲亘胤丞 亘賲丕 賵賯毓 賮賷 鬲賱賰 丕賱丨賮賱丞 賮賷 丕賱賲丕囟賷 賳賰賵賳 兀賲丕賲 賲賵丕噩賴丞 亘賷賳 丕賱氐丿賷賯鬲賷賳 賱賳賳鬲賴賷 亘賮乇丕賯賴賲丕.
丕賱毓賲賱 賷爻鬲賳丿 毓賱賶 孬賷賲丞 兀爻丕爻賷丞 賴賷 丕賱氐丿丕賯丞 賵 丕賱賵賱丕亍 賰丨丕賲賱 賱丕丨丿丕孬 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賲毓 丕毓鬲亘丕乇 賵 噩賵丿 孬賷賲丕鬲 鬲丨賷賱 毓賱賶 丕賱禺賷丕丞 丕賱爻賷丕爻賷丞 賵 丕賱賮爻丕丿 丕賱爻賷丕爻賷 爻賵丕亍 賮賷 亘丕賰爻鬲丕賳 丕賵 丕賳噩賱鬲乇丕 .
賷賲賰賳 賲賱丕丨馗丞 丕賳 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賮賷 亘毓囟 兀噩賵丕亍賴丕 毓乇賮鬲 鬲賲胤賷胤丕 賮賷 丕賱兀丨丿丕孬 噩毓賱賴丕 鬲爻賯胤 賮賷 丕賱乇鬲丕亘丞 賵 賱賰賳 爻乇毓丕賳 賲丕 鬲丿丕乇賰鬲賴丕 丕賱賰丕鬲亘丞.
孬丕賳賷 鬲噩乇亘丞 賱賷 賲毓 丕賱賰丕鬲亘丞 賮賷 丕賳鬲馗丕乇 鬲噩丕乇亘 兀禺乇賶 .
賲乇賷賲 賵 夭賴乇丞 氐丿賷賯鬲賷賳 賳亘丿兀 賲毓賴賲丕 丕賱賯氐丞 賵 賴賲丕 毓賱賶 兀毓鬲丕亘 丕賱賲乇丕賴賯丞 賮賷 亘丕賰爻鬲丕賳 賮賷 賮鬲乇丞 丕賱孬賲丕賳賷賳丕鬲 賵 賲賳 禺賱賮賷鬲賷賳 丕噩鬲賲丕毓賷丞 賲禺鬲賱賮丞 丨賷孬 丕賱乇丕亘胤 亘賷賳賴賲丕 丕賱賲丿乇爻丞 丕賱乇丕賯賷丞 丕賱賲賲賷夭丞 賮賳鬲毓乇賮 毓賱賶 賰賱 賵丕丨丿丞 賲賳賴賲丕 賵 毓賳 毓丕賱賲賴賲丕 丕賱丿丕禺賱賷 賵 賲卮丕賰賱賴賲丕 賵 匕賱賰 毓亘乇 鬲賯賳賷丞 孬賳丕卅賷丞 丕賱乇賵丕丞 賮賳賳鬲賯賱 賲賳 丨賷丕丞 賲乇賷賲 廿賱賶 丨賷丕丞 夭賴乇丞 亘賰賱 爻賱丕爻丞 廿賱賶 兀賳 賳氐賱 廿賱賶 丕賱匕乇賵丞 丕賱兀賵賱賶 賮賷 丕賱丨賰丕賷丞: 鬲毓乇囟賴賲丕 賱丨丕丿孬 賮賷 丨賮賱丞 亘賷賳 丕賱兀氐丿賯丕亍 賵 丕賱鬲賷 卮賰賱鬲 賲賳毓胤賮丕 賮賷 賲爻丕乇 丨賷丕鬲賴賲丕 賱鬲賮鬲乇賯 亘賷賳賴賲丕 丕賱爻亘賱 賵 賳毓賵丿 賱賲卮賴丿 賷噩賲毓賴賲丕 賮賷 賱賳丿賳 賮賷 2019 賵賳爻鬲賰賲賱 賲毓賴賲丕 丕賱丨賰丕賷丞 丨賷孬 賰賱 賲賳賴賲丕 亘賳鬲 賱賳賮爻賴丕 毓丕賱賲賴丕 丕賱禺丕氐( 賵 丕賳 亘賯賷鬲丕 賲鬲乇丕亘胤鬲賷賳 ) 賵 賳乇亘胤 丨丕囟乇賴賲丕 亘賲丕囟賷賴賲丕 賵 賲毓 丕賱匕乇賵丞 丕賱孬丕賳賷丞 賵 丕賱賲乇鬲亘胤丞 亘賲丕 賵賯毓 賮賷 鬲賱賰 丕賱丨賮賱丞 賮賷 丕賱賲丕囟賷 賳賰賵賳 兀賲丕賲 賲賵丕噩賴丞 亘賷賳 丕賱氐丿賷賯鬲賷賳 賱賳賳鬲賴賷 亘賮乇丕賯賴賲丕.
丕賱毓賲賱 賷爻鬲賳丿 毓賱賶 孬賷賲丞 兀爻丕爻賷丞 賴賷 丕賱氐丿丕賯丞 賵 丕賱賵賱丕亍 賰丨丕賲賱 賱丕丨丿丕孬 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賲毓 丕毓鬲亘丕乇 賵 噩賵丿 孬賷賲丕鬲 鬲丨賷賱 毓賱賶 丕賱禺賷丕丞 丕賱爻賷丕爻賷丞 賵 丕賱賮爻丕丿 丕賱爻賷丕爻賷 爻賵丕亍 賮賷 亘丕賰爻鬲丕賳 丕賵 丕賳噩賱鬲乇丕 .
賷賲賰賳 賲賱丕丨馗丞 丕賳 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賮賷 亘毓囟 兀噩賵丕亍賴丕 毓乇賮鬲 鬲賲胤賷胤丕 賮賷 丕賱兀丨丿丕孬 噩毓賱賴丕 鬲爻賯胤 賮賷 丕賱乇鬲丕亘丞 賵 賱賰賳 爻乇毓丕賳 賲丕 鬲丿丕乇賰鬲賴丕 丕賱賰丕鬲亘丞.
孬丕賳賷 鬲噩乇亘丞 賱賷 賲毓 丕賱賰丕鬲亘丞 賮賷 丕賳鬲馗丕乇 鬲噩丕乇亘 兀禺乇賶 .
January 12, 2023
I thought I wasn't going to like this but I was hooked immediately. The portrayal of complicated relationships is amazing.
March 12, 2024
I really, really did not enjoy how disconnected the first half and second half of this book felt. I loved the first part and how engaging it was. The second half just didn't have as much charm.
November 10, 2023
After having written my thesis on Home Fire I was kind of nervous going into this one after so long avoiding Shamsie鈥檚 books (due to my thesis mental breakdown, not her writing). This one felt kind of鈥� very mid?? I often found it difficult to determine if it was Maryam or Zahra鈥檚 point of view as their voices sounded so similar, especially when they were in the same scene. It was interesting where their lives had led after the pivotal event in the middle of the book, but it also felt like it did nothing with it until a big blow up at the end that was abruptly resolved and with a time jump to spring 2020 for an epilogue.
I find Shamsie鈥檚 obvious interest in politics, the media, and diaspora fascinating to read and think about, however I just think that Home Fire did it better.
I find Shamsie鈥檚 obvious interest in politics, the media, and diaspora fascinating to read and think about, however I just think that Home Fire did it better.
September 13, 2022
I am always on the lookout for books that depict realistic and positive female friendship. This was the main reason I was drawn to this book as it promised an interesting story centered around a friendship between Maryam and Zahra, spanning forty years.
The book opens in 1988 Karachi where we meet Maryam and Zahra as 14 year old girls experiencing puberty, first crushes and school drama against the backdrop of political change. The fears and difficulties of becoming young women who draw the attention of men around them is depicted really well and is woven well into the somewhat YA descriptions of their day to day lives.
The story then moves to London in the present day with the girls now grown up and living with the ghosts of their shared past and a night that changed everything. My biggest issue with this part of the story was that I didn't feel like I got to know the girls well enough in the first part to really connect with them and so the whole story just fell flat for me.
On the whole, this was a very slow paced book and I was quite frequently bored as the character depth was lacking and little of interest happened in the plot for long sections so it felt like a slog to get through at times. It is a shame as there were some intriguing and clever themes at play but it didn't feel like they were used to their full potential.
Thank you to Readers First for the copy of this book.
The book opens in 1988 Karachi where we meet Maryam and Zahra as 14 year old girls experiencing puberty, first crushes and school drama against the backdrop of political change. The fears and difficulties of becoming young women who draw the attention of men around them is depicted really well and is woven well into the somewhat YA descriptions of their day to day lives.
The story then moves to London in the present day with the girls now grown up and living with the ghosts of their shared past and a night that changed everything. My biggest issue with this part of the story was that I didn't feel like I got to know the girls well enough in the first part to really connect with them and so the whole story just fell flat for me.
On the whole, this was a very slow paced book and I was quite frequently bored as the character depth was lacking and little of interest happened in the plot for long sections so it felt like a slog to get through at times. It is a shame as there were some intriguing and clever themes at play but it didn't feel like they were used to their full potential.
Thank you to Readers First for the copy of this book.
September 27, 2022
I was blown away by Homefire, and this novel did not disappoint. It reminded me of how many South Asian authors are exploring how relationships transform and shift in the diaspora. In her latest novel, Kamila Shamshie explores the theme of friendship as it is shaped by socio-cultural politics over three decades in Pakistan and UK.
The two main characters, Maryam and Zahra, when they are both 14 years old in 1988, during the end of Zia Ul-Haq鈥檚 reign to Benazir Bhutto. While Maryam comes from a wealthy and politically well connected family, Zahra is the daughter of sports journalist and school principal. While their class status does not affect their friendship, it is Maryam鈥檚 relationship with Hamad that transforms their friendship.
In 2019, both of them migrate to London but lead very different professional lives. Maryam works as a successful venture capitalist with ties to the right wing government while Zahra is an advocate for human and civil rights, who is appalled by the same government鈥檚 treatment of immigrants and the rise of populism.
Shamshie鈥榮 novel is a contemporary look into today鈥檚 society globally in which politics often shape and determine the longevity of a friendship. In this evocative, mesmerizing, and thought-provoking novel, Shamshie asks us to reflect on whether we can be friends with someone who holds different and often opposing views.
It is no surprise that Shamshie is an auto-buy author for me.
The two main characters, Maryam and Zahra, when they are both 14 years old in 1988, during the end of Zia Ul-Haq鈥檚 reign to Benazir Bhutto. While Maryam comes from a wealthy and politically well connected family, Zahra is the daughter of sports journalist and school principal. While their class status does not affect their friendship, it is Maryam鈥檚 relationship with Hamad that transforms their friendship.
In 2019, both of them migrate to London but lead very different professional lives. Maryam works as a successful venture capitalist with ties to the right wing government while Zahra is an advocate for human and civil rights, who is appalled by the same government鈥檚 treatment of immigrants and the rise of populism.
Shamshie鈥榮 novel is a contemporary look into today鈥檚 society globally in which politics often shape and determine the longevity of a friendship. In this evocative, mesmerizing, and thought-provoking novel, Shamshie asks us to reflect on whether we can be friends with someone who holds different and often opposing views.
It is no surprise that Shamshie is an auto-buy author for me.
November 27, 2022
This novel tells the story of two Pakistani teenage girls who are best friends. They attend a good school and we watch them go through a number of teenage passages and issues. Underlying their teenage years is Pakistani politics, which affects each girl鈥檚 family differently. Both women wind up in London as young adults and the second half of the novel deals with their life as powerful adult women in London. One is a venture capitalist and one is a human rights advocate. They remain best friends, but, of course, their different life paths lead to collisions. I enjoyed this novel but not as much as some of this author鈥檚 prior work. It wasn鈥檛 bad 鈥� but it did not move me deeply.
August 19, 2023
Great book about a friendship through the years and in different places and circumstances, and how an incident in adolescence can reverberate through lives. I enjoyed getting to know both Zehra and Maryam in their younger and older selves. I also enjoyed the different takes on inhabiting a brown woman鈥檚 body in different positions of class, sexuality, temperament, etc.
October 13, 2022
DNF @ 36 pages because this is awful. It feels like a man obsessed with pubescent girls wrote this 馃ぎ馃ぎ馃ぎ
March 2, 2024
I liked the first part of the book. The second part is mainly about politics and principles and the story disappeares into the background.
September 28, 2023
饾棧饾棓饾棧饾棙饾棩饾棔饾棓饾棖饾棡 饾棩饾棙饾棢饾棙饾棓饾棪饾棙: 饾棩饾棙饾棭饾棞饾棙饾棯
Thank you #partner @riverheadbooks for the #gifted copy!
饾棔饾棽饾榾饾榿 饾椉饾棾 饾棛饾椏饾椂饾棽饾椈饾棻饾榾
饾棡饾棶饾椇饾椂饾椆饾棶 饾棪饾椀饾棶饾椇饾榾饾椂饾棽
饾煹/饾煯饾煵/饾煯饾煬饾煯饾煰
猸愨瓙猸愨瓙
馃摉 饾棓饾棷饾椉饾槀饾榿: It's 1988 in Karachi, Pakistan, and best friends Maryam Khan and Zahra Ali are 14 years old, and coming of age in a climate of oppression, with the omnipresent threat of violence. While they're complete opposites, their's is a friendship of proximity. When they find themselves in a scary situation, the trajectory of their lives changes forever.
As we jump 30 years into the future to London, 2019, Zahra and Maryam both still carry the baggage of the incident from their past. And though they've been friends their whole lives, perhaps they'll find that they no longer have enough in common to remain the Best of Friends?
鈥riendship fiction
鈥辞尘颈苍驳-辞蹿-补驳别
鈥补蝉迟/辫谤别蝉别苍迟
鈥akistani / British settings
鈥xplores themes of gender, identity, sexuality, racism, xenophobia, politics, class and culture
馃挱 饾棫饾椀饾椉饾槀饾棿饾椀饾榿饾榾: I read and loved Shamsie's Home Fire last year -- which was the 2018 winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction -- so I jumped at the opportunity to read her newest: Best of Friends. And while this one wasn't quite as brilliant as its predecessor, it's still definitely worth the read!
I always love learning about the experiences of those who live lives much different from my own, and following the lives of these teens-turned-women in Karachi and London was enlightening. In my opinion, the past timeline in Pakistan was the strongest part of the novel, and the abrupt time jump to 2019 was a bit jarring (otherwise this would have been another easy 5猸�). That said, I did still enjoy it overall, and would recommend for fans of complex, culturally rich stories of friendship.
馃搶 Out now!
.
.
.
.
Thank you #partner @riverheadbooks for the #gifted copy!
饾棔饾棽饾榾饾榿 饾椉饾棾 饾棛饾椏饾椂饾棽饾椈饾棻饾榾
饾棡饾棶饾椇饾椂饾椆饾棶 饾棪饾椀饾棶饾椇饾榾饾椂饾棽
饾煹/饾煯饾煵/饾煯饾煬饾煯饾煰
猸愨瓙猸愨瓙
馃摉 饾棓饾棷饾椉饾槀饾榿: It's 1988 in Karachi, Pakistan, and best friends Maryam Khan and Zahra Ali are 14 years old, and coming of age in a climate of oppression, with the omnipresent threat of violence. While they're complete opposites, their's is a friendship of proximity. When they find themselves in a scary situation, the trajectory of their lives changes forever.
As we jump 30 years into the future to London, 2019, Zahra and Maryam both still carry the baggage of the incident from their past. And though they've been friends their whole lives, perhaps they'll find that they no longer have enough in common to remain the Best of Friends?
鈥riendship fiction
鈥辞尘颈苍驳-辞蹿-补驳别
鈥补蝉迟/辫谤别蝉别苍迟
鈥akistani / British settings
鈥xplores themes of gender, identity, sexuality, racism, xenophobia, politics, class and culture
馃挱 饾棫饾椀饾椉饾槀饾棿饾椀饾榿饾榾: I read and loved Shamsie's Home Fire last year -- which was the 2018 winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction -- so I jumped at the opportunity to read her newest: Best of Friends. And while this one wasn't quite as brilliant as its predecessor, it's still definitely worth the read!
I always love learning about the experiences of those who live lives much different from my own, and following the lives of these teens-turned-women in Karachi and London was enlightening. In my opinion, the past timeline in Pakistan was the strongest part of the novel, and the abrupt time jump to 2019 was a bit jarring (otherwise this would have been another easy 5猸�). That said, I did still enjoy it overall, and would recommend for fans of complex, culturally rich stories of friendship.
馃搶 Out now!
.
.
.
.
December 20, 2022
Best of Friends
Format : Physical copy || gifted by Jonathan Ball Publishers
Rating : 4 stars
Genre : Historical Fiction, Contemporary
No spoilers:
Without a doubt, I absolutely enjoyed this book! Whenever I got a chance to read, it was a real page turner for me.
Was a fan of how we got to follow the girls from adolescence to their adulthood. This allowed for such good character development.
I love the way the author really was able to explore and expose the ups and downs of this lifelong friendship. The issues that came up felt realistic.
The author also fleshed out the side characters well enough that they all added a lot more dept to the story.
I enjoyed the ending , it was vague enough for you to fill in the details.
Will definitely be picking up more books from Kamila!
Thank you so much to Jonathan Ball Publisher鈥檚 for the gifted review copy!
Format : Physical copy || gifted by Jonathan Ball Publishers
Rating : 4 stars
Genre : Historical Fiction, Contemporary
No spoilers:
Without a doubt, I absolutely enjoyed this book! Whenever I got a chance to read, it was a real page turner for me.
Was a fan of how we got to follow the girls from adolescence to their adulthood. This allowed for such good character development.
I love the way the author really was able to explore and expose the ups and downs of this lifelong friendship. The issues that came up felt realistic.
The author also fleshed out the side characters well enough that they all added a lot more dept to the story.
I enjoyed the ending , it was vague enough for you to fill in the details.
Will definitely be picking up more books from Kamila!
Thank you so much to Jonathan Ball Publisher鈥檚 for the gifted review copy!
April 25, 2024
This book left me with stronger feelings than I expected.
As others have said, the first half of the book is its strongest - Zahra and Maryam as teenage girls in an intense friendship, their different realizations of what it means to be a woman in a patriarchal society, their differences in class and how it affects their friendship.
The second half set in modern-day London was hauntingly beautiful to me. Maryam and Zahra are portrayed as imperfect people, wildly different from each other, and yet fiercely loyal. The complexities of the relationship are captured in such a real way - what does it mean when a lifelong friend has fundamentally different beliefs to you? What does it say about you that you ignore those differences for the sake of that familiar companionship?
People complain that the ending fizzled, but I honestly had goosebumps. Just like real life, there are no objectively right answers, no one is perfect, there isn't a satisfying resolution, and you have to sit with the discomfort.
As others have said, the first half of the book is its strongest - Zahra and Maryam as teenage girls in an intense friendship, their different realizations of what it means to be a woman in a patriarchal society, their differences in class and how it affects their friendship.
The second half set in modern-day London was hauntingly beautiful to me. Maryam and Zahra are portrayed as imperfect people, wildly different from each other, and yet fiercely loyal. The complexities of the relationship are captured in such a real way - what does it mean when a lifelong friend has fundamentally different beliefs to you? What does it say about you that you ignore those differences for the sake of that familiar companionship?
People complain that the ending fizzled, but I honestly had goosebumps. Just like real life, there are no objectively right answers, no one is perfect, there isn't a satisfying resolution, and you have to sit with the discomfort.
September 19, 2024
you know what, i did really enjoy this! i kept coming back to it throughout the day and didn鈥檛 want to stop reading, despite not feeling fully engaged, so slay! it was lagging in parts, but i felt like this was more a character study on friendship, culture, fear and power, rather than a plot based novel so that was okay!
ummm i did enjoy the political background of 1988 pakistan- i learnt a lot about what was going on
and i liked the development of friendship
and the depictions of autumn- very fun and funky
ummm i did enjoy the political background of 1988 pakistan- i learnt a lot about what was going on
and i liked the development of friendship
and the depictions of autumn- very fun and funky
January 13, 2023
Two 14 year-old girls in Karachi have a life altering experience. Then the story moves to London, where they're rich and successful adults. That's when things started to drag for me.
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