Welcome to Litsy!

Told in various POVs over 4 generations of a Gujarati family, this compelling saga begins with 13-year-old Pirbhai in 1898—who‘s kidnapped from his home in India to work on British railway construction in Africa—& ends with his great-grandson Hari protesting police brutality on the streets of Toronto in 1992. In between, much drama! Including expulsion from the new Pakistan in 1947 & from Uganda in 1972, plus many difficult choices along the way.

The heat was a pulsing, living thing, the sky god-skin blue.

An absorbing family story that takes us to several continents and different tumultuous times. All the characters felt like real people.

Just finished this book. I enjoyed reading this book. It was emotional but good. I rated this book a 3 out of 5 stars.

I just finished this book. This was actually the first time reading this book. It came out in 99, so I had probably moved away from her books by then. I know I had started reading Tolkien in 99, thanks to my stepdad. I enjoyed reading this book. I felt the topics in the book was with the time period at the time. I rated this book a 3 out of 5 stars.

I call Makumbi a griot because of her dexterity with history and tradition in her novels. She tells heavy truth with the care and cunning that characterizes a generation‘s way of pushing back and centering what truly should be centered. This novel is beautiful with its depiction of sisterhood & solidarity in a time where all we are officially taught to respect are ‘modern‘ waves. It teaches of a history and people with such effortless grace

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Things never get any better for displaced refugees do they? This is a very sad and melancholy read, all the injustices that history put on the generations of the family in this. Leaves me with a heavy heart and will the world ever be at peace thoughts.
An excellent read though.

Wow. This book is tense and sad and really floored me. I was breathless with high heart rate at times. Everyone is unreliable and self serving and it‘s difficult to know what real. But there is very visceral emotion throughout. And foreboding dread

This story captured me from the very beginning, moved me to tears several times and left me with lots to think about. The characters are vivid and following them through their whole life spans was quite the experience.

There were rumours it might be nominated for the Booker, which it wasn't. I read 2 of the actual nominations and none of them come close 🤔

Highly recommended, 4,5 🌟