Home Fire Structure

    When I first saw the structure of the book, the first thing that came to mind was the Rick Riordan books with a similar style, shifting from character to character. One thing I appreciated in those books and in Home Fire was the different perspectives and the way the story comes together, one piece at a time. Even though characters are in different spots all over the globe, the reader can see how everything is connected as the book progresses.

    The order of this book is also very intentional, and the way that the different characters are introduced is done in a way that enhances the story for the reader. I think the best example of this is Parvaiz, whose character develops immensely over the course of the novel. In Isma's section, he seems like this mysterious, dastardly figure who has done something unforgivable. In Eammon's part of the book, Aneeka describes him as a confused boy that has made a mistake that he regrets. Arriving at Parvaiz's perspective, we come to understand how he got in this situation and the reader can understand why both sisters feel the way that they do. Overall, the reader's perspective on Parvaiz is kind of a roller coaster, as we start out with this very negative view of him. Personally, I sympathized with Parvaiz more and more as the story went on, despite my initial impression, and I think that may have been Shamsie's goal in the layering of her story. This character who the reader never would have supported before reading the book is shown the situation from a different perspective, and realizes that they may have been too quick to judge people like Parvaiz. I never thought I would empathize with a terrorist and understand why he joined ISIS, but here I am as the result of the structure by Kamila Shamsie.