#homefire

Kettle Point Ave/Road, East Providence, RI, December 17th, 2025 ; photos of the ruins of my April to October built, accidentally burned hut

Did you know that cigarettes are actually one of the leading causes of fatal fires among the elderly?

The most common places for cigarette fires to occur are in bed or while sleeping on sofas and recliners!

We hope everyone stays safe!

Kamila Shamsie’s novel Home Fire is both heartbreaking and thought provoking. Divided into four sections based on the character who narrates those chapters, the story is set in London, Amherst, Syria, and Istanbul.

First, we meet Isma Pasha, the eldest of three, who has put her life on hold to raise her younger twin siblings in the wake of their mother’s death. Aneeka and Parvaiz have recently turned 19 and set off on their own paths. This leaves Isma free to travel to America and continue her PhD in Sociology at the invitation of her mentor, Dr. Hira Shah. While in Amherst, Isma meets the character who will narrate the second part of the novel, Eamonn Lone. The British-Pakistani son of Britain’s Home Secretary, Karamat Lone, Eamonn is a privileged man who has quit his job and traveled to America on a quest of self-discovery and refuge from his father’s publicity. Isma and Eamonn spend some time getting to know each other as she pretends not to know who his father is. The truth eventually comes out as Isma has a hard time looking past his father’s political indiscretions towards the British Muslim community, the same community in which her family and Karamat were raised. He abandons his Muslim upbringing in favor of political popularity and adopts the notion that Muslims should discard more traditional values, like the hijab, in order to better conform with the idea of being British. We learn that Isma’s father, Adil Pasha, had abandoned his family to join a terrorist organization and died while being transported from Bagram to Guantanamo. Around this time we also learn that Parvaiz has followed in their father’s footsteps, traveled to Raqqa and joined a jihadist organization.

As Eamonn takes over the story, he travels back to London as Aneeka discovers that her sister Isma is the one who turned Parvaiz into the British police. Shamsie begins to weave an intricate web of betrayal and twists as Eamonn and Aneeka begin a very sexual relationship. He falls completely in love with her and by the end of his narration, we discover Aneeka has been in contact with her twin brother Parvaiz. He is desperate for a way out of Raqqa and needs Aneeka’s help to return home to London. Karamat has learned of his son’s romance and immediately puts a stop to it as her family’s reputation would certainly make them all look bad. Aneeka admits to pursuing Eamonn with the motive of gaining help for her brother. Next, we move to Parvaiz’s section where we learn about his journey for answers about his absent father, his jihadi recruitment and training in London, the things he sees and experiences in Raqqa as a member of ISIS’ media team, and finally his attempt to get home to Aneeka. At the end he stands on the steps of the British consulate and the story switches to Aneeka, we see her brother’s murder through her narrative. Her section is comprised almost entirely of media reports and Karamat Lone demonizing Parvaiz. Karamat states that anyone who betrays Britain to become terrorists are enemies of the state, and are no longer British and will not be allowed home. He holds this stance when Aneeka wishes to bring her brother’s body home to be buried and refuses to allow it. Aneeka rushes to Pakistan where Parvaiz’s body is being held, she tears open his casket on live television and demands that she be allowed to return to Britain with his body. The last viewpoint we see comes from Karamat as his life essentially falls apart. His family is angry with him and Eamonn flees the country to be with Aneeka in Pakistan. The last few lines are gut wrenching as Eamonn meets Aneeka, a belt of explosives is strapped to him by jihadi terrorists. While he struggles to tear it off, Aneeka runs to him, whispers something in his ear, and they embrace.

Home Fireis another excellent fictional literary example of issues in today’s society. A highly political tale, we can see Adichie’s theme of the danger of a single story in the media portrayal of Parvaiz. When reading the section he narrates, we get a glimpse of the complex path he took to become stuck in Raqqa with ISIS. Farooq used Adil Pasha to set Parvaiz on a quest for revenge, ultimately brainwashing him into something he didn’t truly want. After Parvaiz sees the daily life in Raqqa he realizes he has made a terrible mistake and wants nothing more than to come home and leave the violence that surrounds him. Another example single story is Isma assuming Eamonn would be exactly like his father, she had a singular idea about him based on Karamat’s actions. It turns out, Eamonn would have done anything to bring Parvaiz’s body home for Aneeka. Karamat’s attitude towards Muslim’s is another example of the danger of a single story, the views he represents and publicly speak about reflect in society’s reactions to Muslims. At the opening of the novel, Isma is held in an interrogation at the airport for several hours and Aneeka is spit on for wearing hijab while she rides the subway. There are many countries today that still have restrictions on religious attire for women, The Pew Research Center has an informative article on the subject. The gender roles in Home Fireare also readily apparent, Aneeka especially gives readers a wonderful transformation, as she begins with always wearing hijab and taking prayer time, to eventually giving herself completely to Eamonn, and ultimately her quest for justice in the name of her brother. She defies what it means to be a Muslim woman in the name of family.

Keep the home fires burning .

Did you know that a home fire occurs every 24 seconds?

If you haven't already, be sure to: 🏃‍♂️ Develop and practice a home escape plan 🔥 Install and test smoke detectors 🧯 Place fire extinguishers in high risk areas such as basements, kitchens, and garages 🚒 Make sure everyone in your family knows who to contact in an emergency 📷 Document personal belongings and home renovations