THE PLOT: ‘A History of Burning’ by Janika Oza is a multi-generational historical novel about an Indian-Ugandan family. In 1898, Pirbhai is tricked onto a boat to East Africa to build a railway for the British Empire. He fights to survive and falls in love, bearing children who grow old during the waning days of colonial rule. But as Uganda moves towards independence, his granddaughters come of age in a divided nation. And, in 1972, when Asians are expelled from the country under Idi Amin’s brutal dictatorship, the family has no choice but to flee.

SUMMARY: This is a beautiful family saga that spans almost 100 years. Written in multiple points-of-view and traversing three continents, the sheer breadth and depth of this novel is breath-taking. Crafting such a story is an incredible achievement for any author and I cannot believe this is a debut. I adored everything about the beautiful writing, evocative setting and historical time-period. The characters are complex and layered, and the plot is exciting, particularly during the dictatorship. However, it’s not quite five stars as I felt the tension dissipated and the final part of the novel didn’t grab me enough. Regardless, this is a novel I’ll be recommending for years to come.

GOOD BITS: I loved jumping between the decades. Seeing the legacy of trauma and impact of the family history on each generation gave all of the characters such depth. Although I will fight to the death that Latika made some bad decisions, I enjoyed the complexity of the characters and their choices. It’s truly a book that will make you think and I often paused to ponder how I would react in a similar situation.

NOT SO GOOD BITS: I truly loved the first half of this novel and it was on track to be five stars. However, I felt the final part lagged. I think the problem is a lack of narrative momentum after the family leaves Uganda. Because the dictatorship is so compelling and nerve-wracking and filled with external plot points, the latter part of the novel feels too interior. There’s simply too much of the characters coming to terms with what has already happened and not enough action. I think this could have been resolved with a dramatic reunification of the family in different countries. However, failing to bring them together meant the ending fizzled out.

OVERALL: I’d recommend this book to fans of ‘Homegoing’ by Yaa Gyasi, ‘Peach Blossom Spring’ by Melissa Fu, and ‘The Island of Forgetting’ by Jasmine Sealey. If you like family sagas, historical novels and complex characters, this is a book for you.

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