Hasan is eleven years old. He loves cricket, pomegranates, the night sky, his clever, vibrant artistic mother and his etymologically obsessed lawyer father, and he adores his next-door neighbour Zehra. One early summer morning, while lazing happily on the roof, Hasan watches a young boy flying a yellow kite fall to his death. Soon after, Hasan's idyllic, sheltered family life is shattered when his beloved uncle Salman, a dissenting politician, is arrested and charged with treason. Set in a land ruled by an oppresive military regime, this eloquent, charming and quietly political novel vividly recreates the confusing world of a young boy on the edge of adulthood, and beautifully illustrates the transformative power of the imagination.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
'Lively, playful, provocative' Anita Desai 'A touching and engrossing story ... an assured debut' The Times 'A colourful and peripatetic view of politics in Pakistan ... an interesting and promising novel' Guardian 'Full of fun, longing and wit ... a debut of spirit and imagination, loaded with intelligent charm' Ali Smith, Scotsman
About the Author
Kamila Shamsie was born in 1973 in Pakistan. Her first novel IN THE CITY BY THE SEA, was published in 1998 and shortlisted for the John Llewelyn Rhys / Mail on Sunday Prize. In 1999 she also received The Award for Literature in Pakistan and published her second novel SALT AND SAFFRON to critical acclaim. Kamila lives in London and Karachi.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting first novel. Some beautiful passages.,
This review is from: In the city by the sea (Hardcover)
Compared to the glut of writers from India writing in English and being lauded at present, it is comparatively rarely that we get a writer from Pakistan and especially a female. Therefore, being a Pakistani, I was very interested in reading this book. I found that the writing in the book was very accomplished, with a nice knack for using interesting words. I found the book to have a slightly slow start but once I got into the book I was eager to find out what happens next. The descriptive passages in the book were probably the best and there was also a slightly acerbic humour underlying the whole story too. The political undertones were apparent. Overall it was a good read with some delightful passages but could have been made more readable if the characters had been developed further. Good. Recommended.:-)
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
No comparison to her other books,
By Waqas Ahmed (Bellevue) - See all my reviews
This review is from: In the city by the sea (Hardcover)
I like Kamila Shamsie as an author, and really enjoyed both Kartography and Salt and Saffron. This book simply does not compare with the other two. You get the feeling she's trying too hard to be witty, but it's pointless without a story that's interesting to read.
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