AGod in Every Stone

Kamila Shamsie has been chosen by Granta as one of the Best of Young British writers of 2013A breathtaking novel of empire, archeology, revolution and love from one of Pakistan's most important writersHer last novel, Burnt Shadows, was shortlisted for the Orange Prize and sold more than 100,000 copiesFor all who love Michael Ondaatje, Anne Michaels, Nadeem Aslam and Mohsin HamidKamila Shamsie is the author of five novels: In the City by the Sea; Kartography (both shortlisted for the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize); Salt and Saffron; Broken Verses and Burnt Shadows which was shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction and has been translated into more than twenty languages. Three of her novels have received awards from Pakistan's Academy of Letters. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and in 2013 was named a Granta's Best of Young British Novelist. She grew up in Karachi and now lives in London. @kamilashamsieJuly 1914. Young Englishwoman Vivian Rose Spencer is running up a mountainside in an ancient land, surrounded by figs and cypresses. Soon she will discover the Temple of Zeus, the call of adventure, and the ecstasy of love. Thousands of miles away a twenty-year old Pathan, Qayyum Gul, is learning about brotherhood and loyalty in the British Indian army. July, 1915. Qayyum Gul is returning home after losing an eye at Ypres, his allegiances in tatters. Viv is following the mysterious trail of her beloved. They meet on a train to Peshawar, unaware that a connection is about to be forged between their lives - one that will reveal itself fifteen years later, on the Street of Storytellers, when a brutal fight for freedom, an ancient artefact and a mysterious green-eyed woman will bring them together again. A powerful story of friendship, injustice, love and betrayal, A God in Every Stone carries you across the globe, into the heart of empires fallen and conquered, reminding us that we all have our place in the chaos of history and that so much of what is lost will not be forgotten.A stunning new novel from the Granta Best of Young British, Orange shortlisted author of Burnt ShadowsPassionate ... Individual characters, drawn together by historical imperatives, change each other, like tints laid side by side in a watercolourLove, politics, history - it has it allA fast-moving, well-researched story that reminds us of the contradictions of Empire in the age of the first worldwide war ... A God in Every Stone is a valuable reminder that the legacy of the Great War stretched far beyond VersaillesFirst-rate - intelligent, vivid and completely absorbingBurns with quiet ferocity in every elegant, measured line ... beautifully written, thought-provokingEvokes the past beautifully ... a moving story of love and betrayal, generosity and brutality, hope and injustice, full of characters that stay with you ... A God in Every Stone will surely confirm Shamsie's increasing eminence in the British world of lettersIts pages are lit by Shamsie's eloquent proseA sensual treasury of descriptive ornamentationThe voices of those silenced from the pages of history resound in Kamila Shamsie's accomplished, atmospheric sixth novel ... Shamsie excavates the deepest corners of the human heart, leaving few stones unturned in this exploration of how human motivation can shape historyIt is a rare writer who can transport her readers in just a few pages to another place and time. Shamsie's writing is so evocative that she does just that ... complex and spell-bindingElegant and atmosphericI love Shamsie's beautiful painting with words. I've enjoyed her previous books for the way that the sweep of human history touches and turns the intimate lives of her characters. Unsurprisingly, this book . has already achieved widespread critical acclaimI can't recommend A God in Every Stone by Kamila Shamsie too strongly - this is her best novel yet, which is high praise to give to the author of Burnt Shadows . Exciting and, in the end, profoundly moving, this will solace you during the grimmest holidayA literary delightPowerful and grippingGiven Vivian's profession, it comes as no surprise to see Shamsie engaged in a multi-layered excavation of colonial attitudes, the role of women in society, war, loyalty and betrayal. Many novels are ambitious in scope. Few authors are as capable as Shamsie at rising to the challenge