Review: Daughters of Smoke and Fire by Ava Homa

Goodreads

“People do not suffer equally in this or any country. Talking about our reality is not spreading hate. It’s inviting understanding.”

Release Date: May 12th, 2020

Genre(s): Fiction, Contemporary, Literary Fiction

Publisher: The Overlook Press

Pages: 320

Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis

Daughters of Smoke and Fire is a novel set in Iran that follows the lives of the Kurds. Leila has dreams of becoming a filmmaker so she can bring more attention to the stories of oppression from her family and the Kurds as a whole. Her brother Chia, inspired by her father’s past of unjust incarceration and torture, slowly becomes more involved in activism. But his activism as a Kurdish man slowly becomes riskier until he disappears one day. Leila sets out to find him – but when she starts posting Chia’s work online, she finds herself in danger too.

Review

Ava Homa’s book is the first work by a female Kurdish writer to be published in English. Despite the many years and generations of injustice and violence against the Kurds, on the basis of no more than their existence, we almost never hear their stories of oppression. And Ava Homa shares these stories with such power and beautiful writing; for this alone, I consider this book a must-read.

I was amazed to learn that Daughters of Smoke and Fire is Ava Homa’s debut work. The way she writes is so descriptive and beautiful, reminding me of classic literary works. Throughout the book, she creates imagery that is often referenced and brings so much power to the themes of the novel as a whole. Images of the color red, violence and unrest, flowers, and others are used by the author to carry so much meaning. Every small detail of this book contributes to the story as a whole in one way or another.

The author’s attention to detail also really helps to set the stage for the novel and so much is done to emphasize their culture. From Persian dishes to religion to language to gender roles in society, so much is explored in such detail in this book, and especially when it comes to the forced assimilation and silencing of Kurdish culture. And throughout this book, there are so many similarities and differences explored across both cultures and nations. While the book primarily centers in Iran, the book also discusses and explores the lives of Kurds in other nations, and how those nations address and treat them there.

Daughters of Smoke and Fire is also one of the most emotionally gripping stories I’ve ever read. A big part of what’s so devastating for the characters in this story is that nobody knows how much they are suffering. They are aware of how little the world knows what is happening to them, and that adds so much to the difficulty that they face in their fight for equality and justice. But the characters are not hopeless; they are strong, and no matter their circumstances, they keep finding ways to continue their activism.

 The final point I want to make is a feature included in this book, which is the map of the region of Kurdistan. When I first opened this book, I was surprised to see a map in a book like this. Outside of fantasy novels, the only times I’ve seen maps are in non-fiction books, in topics like investigative journalism, travel, or true crime. But Daughters of Smoke and Fire is likely the first contemporary literary fiction novel I’ve read includes a map – and the likely reason why that map was included speaks volumes to how little people are aware of what is going on in this part of the world. 

So with all this in mind, I can very easily recommend Daughters of Smoke and Fire to everybody. From its beautiful prose to the stories that are being told, this book carries so much power. It may be a shorter book, but not one that you spend little time reading. It’s the kind of book that you spend lots of time with, and the kind that carries so much pain and sadness, but also hope, strength, and resilience. It’s also the kind of book whose story will sit with you for a very long time. So please – do read this book.