A History of Burning

Last updated
A History of Burning
A History of Burning.jpg
First edition cover
Author Janika Oza
LanguageEnglish
Publisher Grand Central Publishing
Publication date
May 2, 2023
ISBN 9781538724248

A History of Burning is a 2023 novel by Canadian author Janika Oza. It was shortlisted for the Governor General's Award for English-language fiction at the 2023 Governor General's Awards [1] and for the 2024 Carol Shields Prize for Fiction. The 10 perspectives in the novel trace one family's experiences over a century as they migrate from India to Africa and eventually to Canada, all the while facing the challenge of preserving their cultural customs and unity in the face of a frequently unwelcoming environment and evolving societal standards.

Contents

Reception

A History of Burning was well received by critics, including starred reviews from Booklist , [2] Kirkus Reviews , [3] and Shelf Awareness . [4]

Kirkus referred to the novel as "an ambitious family drama" that "skillfully explores the bonds of kinship and the yearning for peace and security". [3]

Booklist's Shoba Viswanathan highlighted the book's strengths, writing, "This striking epic combines powerful characters of different generations, compelling storytelling, dramatic settings and conflicts, and thoughtful explorations of displacement and belonging, family ties, citizenship, loyalty, loss, and resilience." [2]

Shelf Awareness's Julia Kastner similarly praised the writing: "Oza's gorgeous prose is lush with detail--colors, flavors, emotions--and saturated with loveliness and pain [...] A History of Burning admirably charts how [...] history, both personal and collective, is formed from the stories we tell and the silences we allow to remain." [4]

Publishers Weekly called the novel "impressive", though noted that "the format doesn’t allow for much character development". Despite this, they wrote, "Oza neatly sets her characters’ lives within the context of broader political and economic movements, showing how historical circumstances determine their individual destinies as much as the choices of their forebears. Though it can be tiring, this broad and colorful portrait has plenty of impressive moments." [5]

S. Kirk Walsh, writing for The New York Times Book Review , called A History of Burning "remarkable" and "epic", noting that "tender humanity emanates during these moments of colossal cruelty". However, Walsh indicated that "the plot turns at the novel’s end seem convenient; the story folds too neatly into the overarching metaphor of the book". [6]

Awards and honors

Booklist included A History of Burning on their "Top 10 Historical Fiction Debuts" list for 2023. [7]

The novel was shortlisted for the 2023 Governor General's Award for English-language fiction, [8] the 2024 Amazon.ca First Novel Award, [9] and the 2024 Carol Shields Prize for Fiction. [10]

Related Research Articles

The Governor General's Award for English-language non-fiction is a Canadian literary award that annually recognizes one Canadian writer for a non-fiction book written in English. Since 1987 it is one of fourteen Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit, seven each for creators of English- and French-language books. Originally presented by the Canadian Authors Association, the Governor General's Awards program became a project of the Canada Council for the Arts in 1959.

The Governor General's Award for English-language children's writing is a Canadian literary award that annually recognizes one Canadian writer for a children's book written in English. It is one of four children's book awards among the Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit, one each for writers and illustrators of English- and French-language books. The Governor General's Awards program is administered by the Canada Council.

The Governor General's Award for English-language children's illustration is a Canadian literary award that annually recognizes one Canadian illustrator for a children's book written in English. It is one of four children's book awards among the Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit, one each for writers and illustrators of English- and French-language books. The Governor General's Awards program is administered by the Canada Council.

This is a list of recipients of the Governor General's Award for French-to-English translation.

The Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize, established in 1985 as one of the BC and Yukon Book Prizes, is awarded annually to the best work of fiction by a resident of British Columbia, Canada.

The Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize, established in 1986, is awarded annually to the best collection of poetry by a resident of British Columbia, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rawi Hage</span> Lebanese-Canadian journalist, novelist, and photographer

Rawi Hage is a Lebanese-Canadian journalist, novelist, and photographer based in Montreal, Quebec, in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suzette Mayr</span> Canadian novelist (born 1967)

Suzette Mayr is a Canadian novelist who has written five critically acclaimed novels, and who is currently a professor at the University of Calgary's Faculty of Arts. Mayr's works have both won and been nominated for several literary awards.

Susin Nielsen is a Canadian author for children, adolescents and young adults. She received the 2012 Governor General's Award for English-language children's literature and the 2013 Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award for her young adult novel The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen, which deals with the aftermath of a school shooting.

<i>The Inquisitors Tale</i> Young adult novel by Adam Gidwitz

The Inquisitor's Tale: Or, The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog is a young adult novel written by Adam Gidwitz and illuminated by Hatem Aly, published by Dutton Children's Books in 2016, and inspired by The Canterbury Tales. It is set in medieval France and describes how three magical children meet each other and become outlaws. It was named a Newbery Honor book in 2017.

The Carol Shields Prize for Fiction is a North American literary award, created in 2020 to honour literature by women. The annual prize will award US$150,000 to the winning work and US$12,500 to each of the shortlisted finalists, making it one of the world's richest literary awards.

<i>How to Pronounce Knife</i> 2020 short story collection by Souvankham Thammavongsa

How to Pronounce Knife is a short story collection by Souvankham Thammavongsa, published in 2020 by McClelland & Stewart. The stories in the collection centre principally on the experiences of Laotian Canadian immigrant families, sometimes from the perspective of children observing the world of adults.

<i>Sadie</i> (novel) 2018 novel by Courtney Summers

Sadie is a novel written by Courtney Summers. The book was released on September 4, 2018, and is told from two perspectives: some chapters offering Sadie's point of view and some chapters being styled as transcripts from a podcast called "The Girls" hosted by a man named West McCray. The release of the book was accompanied by the release of a mock true-crime podcast titled The Girls: Find Sadie which is available on Apple Podcasts and Stitcher.

This article presents lists of the literary events and publications in 2022.

Noor Naga is a Canadian-Egyptian writer, most noted for her 2022 novel If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English.

<i>The Sleeping Car Porter</i> 2022 novel by Suzette Mayr

The Sleeping Car Porter is a novel by Canadian writer Suzette Mayr, published in August 2022 by Coach House Books. Set in the 1920s, the novel centres on Baxter, a Black Canadian and closeted gay immigrant from the Caribbean who is working as a railway porter to save money to fund his dream of getting educated as a dentist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Zentner</span> American author

Jeff Zentner is an author of several young adult novels including The Serpent King and In The Wild Light. His adult novel Colton Gentry’s Third Act was on released April 30th, 2024.

<i>I Have Some Questions for You</i> 2023 novel by Rebecca Makkai

I Have Some Questions for You is a 2023 literary mystery novel by American writer Rebecca Makkai, published by Viking Press. The novel received universal acclaim from critics upon release, and spent six weeks on the New York Times bestseller list.

Kai Thomas is a Canadian writer from Ottawa, Ontario, whose debut novel In the Upper Country was the winner of the 2023 Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize.

Janika Oza is a Canadian novelist. Her debut novel, A History of Burning, was shortlisted for the Governor General's Award for English-language fiction at the 2023 Governor General's Awards, the 2024 Carol Shields Prize for Fiction, and the 2024 Amazon.ca First Novel Award.

References

  1. ↑ "Suzette Mayr, Iain Reid among finalists for Governor General's Literary Awards". Burnaby Now . 2023-10-25. Archived from the original on 2023-10-29. Retrieved 2023-11-01.
  2. 1 2 Viswanathan, Shoba (2023-04-01). "A History of Burning". Booklist . Archived from the original on 2023-10-21. Retrieved 2023-11-01.
  3. 1 2 "A History of Burning". Kirkus Reviews . 2023-03-10. Archived from the original on 2023-05-06. Retrieved 2023-11-01.
  4. 1 2 Kastner, Julia (2023-05-05). "A History of Burning". Shelf Awareness . Retrieved 2023-11-01.
  5. ↑ "A History of Burning by Janika Oza". Publishers Weekly . 2023-03-02. Archived from the original on 2023-11-01. Retrieved 2023-11-01.
  6. ↑ Walsh, S. Kirk (2023-04-28). "An Exiled Family Rises From the Ashes". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2023-05-14. Retrieved 2023-11-01.
  7. ↑ Seaman, Donna (2023-05-15). "Top 10 Historical Fiction Debuts: 2023". Booklist . Archived from the original on 2023-10-21. Retrieved 2023-11-01.
  8. ↑ Drudi, Cassandra (2023-10-25). "Suzette Mayr, Robert Bringhurst, Kim Spencer among 2023 Governor General's Literary Awards finalists". Quill and Quire . Archived from the original on 2023-11-01. Retrieved 2023-11-01.
  9. ↑ Cassandra Drudi, "2024 Amazon First Novel Award shortlist revealed". Quill & Quire , May 9, 2024.
  10. ↑ ″Shortlist for $150,000 USD Carol Shields Prize for Fiction Announced,″ https://carolshieldsprizeforfiction.com/prizenews/2024shortlist
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.