3.5 stars. A sweeping, multi-generational tale. I struggled to connect with it, but could appreciate the skill in telling the story. I'd never been exposed to any Indian history or culture, so this was all new, and the foreign words were difficult for me to follow. The scope and depth of the family story was fascinating. Well-told, deep, heart-wrenching, it just didn't click with me.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A History of Burning is the outstanding debut novel by Janika Oza. Set mostly in India and Africa, it follows the generations of an Indian family as they are tossed about by political change and familial duty.

The writing is beautiful, and the author has a lot to say about racial tensions and the struggle immigrants face while keeping it organic to the story. The author handles some difficult topics with a gentle hand and doesn't necessarily spell out everything. There is no bludgeoning here, just a carefully constructed story of loss, hard choices, and a desire to achieve. As someone who has not been fortunate enough to visit India or Uganda, a glossary of terms would have been helpful.

Overall, I enjoyed this story, and I would recommend it to all readers but especially those who enjoy generational stories and/or historical fiction set in Asia/Africa.

Not family friendly due to subject matter.

This was a beautiful, moving work of art. I look forward to reading it again and again. Thank you so much for the chance to read this.

I am a big fan of Pachinko and Beasts of a Little Land so I was super interested in A History Of Burning. I know that Uganda had been swept up in British Colonialism as well as dictators after the fact, but I didn’t know much about the history of the country or the large Asian population that had ended up there in the twentieth century. This story follows a family, told in each chapter by a different narrator, from the later 1800’s up through the 1990’s. It was a little hard to keep track how old everyone was, so I would have to check the dates on the chapters often, but it is a beautiful story that speaks to immigration, belonging, family and perseverance. It’s fascinating to read stories where marriages are made out of convenience and then the married couple manages to stay together for their entire lives… it is so different from the American “I married my best friend” narrative we are so familiar with nowadays. The trauma the family had to live through generation after generation is heartbreaking and choices people had to make aren’t always black and white (of course), but ultimately had long standing effects on the family history.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

This is a gorgeous family saga, the kind of book that gives you a hundred years of one family, following from one generation to another including in-laws (but not friends/peripheral characters as POV). It's about an Indian family that immigrates to Uganda while both are still under British rule, and...the twentieth century plays out from there, the Partition, independence for both regions, the rise of Idi Amin, another round of immigration (hello, Toronto!), all of it. It is harrowing but not only harrowing; it is heartbreaking but not only heartbreaking. There's joy, there's hope, there's camaraderie, there's all the emotions of family and community life.

I don't want to say "one doesn't often see" because perhaps I'm wrong, perhaps there are loads of books about this and my white American self has just not found them. But. I don't often see books that are about the fraught ground that comes of being a colonized people that is then part of colonization for another people. And that complexity is beautifully handled here--the characters have a wide range of reactions to each other, and being someone we care about does not mean that you're necessarily right about any one thing--or that rightness is achievable in your circumstances. These characters are all doing the best they can, but their bests vary wildly--as people do.

This is a warm and rich and compelling book, and I'm so glad that it's coming soon so the rest of you can read it too. Read it when you're in a place to deal with difficult things, but absolutely read it.

Thank you NetGalley for providing an early copy for me in exchange for my honest review.

For fans of Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, this is an ambitious multigenerational saga that follows one family over a century and across three continents. It is a mashup of historical fiction, found family, and immigrant story. This is more of a character driven novel but with plenty of plot, especially as the novel progresses, to keep it interesting. Each of the characters is well fleshed out and you get to see how the prior generation’s choices and traumas impact the lives of their children and grandchildren.

I would have liked to have a family tree at the beginning to reference to keep the relationships all straight and a glossary for the non- English words..

Overall I really enjoyed it and recommend it for fans of historical fiction and character driven novels.

Oza, a debut author, portrays herself a superb chronicler as she weaves a multigenerational saga of an Indian family and its descendants. Beginning in 1890, one meets Pirbhai who as a young man is seeking work to help support his mother and ill sister. Essentially tricked into servitude by signing a contract with his thumbprint, he is shipped away to East Africa working on building a railroad under harsh circumstances by the British. When an opportunity came to leave his life and rebuild in Kampala, Uganda he takes his family only to experience more colonial rule and the merging of Black and Asian cultures. As activists propelled their words into the air of self rule and freedom from colonial domination, a change occurs with the rise of Idi Amin and military dictatorship. Under these political upheavals, Asians experienced increasing racism, and the family shatters into three separate continents Bombay, Uganda and Toronto where the latter immigrants must re- build their lives again. Subsequent to moving to Canada a lie is perpetuated that will have rippling effects. Throughout this chronicle, the overwhelming love of family, of loss, secrets, sacrifice, and separation tints the landscape while the author also introduces a colorful ambience of the environment, mores, and food habits of the families. I found it rather slow going in the beginning but midway it gained steam. I also wish there was a glossary because there were many non English words that I couldn't decipher the meaning; I felt that knowing the definition would have greatly benefited the novel. The characters' resilience and hope helped make this epic collage alot easier to digest as their heartbreaking lives threatened to exhaust me. There is much food for thought in this pitch perfect prose. Time to consume.

This book hooked me and then it changed me. The writing is so engaging. The point of views are very clever and unique. Each decision made is reflected in the next persons point of view, allowing the readers to see the path taken and now actions and our past inform the future. It also made the flow of time throughout the book feel like a documentary but with inside eyes. getting to know each character intimately through many eyes. Another thing I loved about this book is it's rich and colorful descriptions, you are dipped wholly into their lives and culture. it gave me an opportunity to learn. And for that this book exceeded my expectations. A History of Burning is a riveting family saga about Exile, Determination, and survival. Please read it, it is one of my favorite pieces of literature I have ever had the pleasure of reading.

Thank you NetGalley for providing an early copy for me in exchange for my honest review.

I Liked but did not love this book. Generally this is my favorite type of story, but it didn't work as well in this instance.
Some of the story line was well done, maybe could have been edited back a little bit, but in other areas the story jumped with little explaination. For example when Kiya was Pregnant with Meetu she reconnected with her sister (AWESOME) but they both were concerned about how their parents would react. Next chapter Meetu is a full on toddler. No reaction for the parents, which would have been culturally relevant.

Also left unfinished, in my opinion was the branch of the story with Latika. The story line drops her, but does pick her up, again, but does not tie up loose ends. I don't know how her story ends, or even happens in the middle. This is a lost opportunity, for this part of the story would be very interesting, Latika was a strong character when she was featured. And finally Hari. His struggle toward the end could have been more fleshed out. We could have heard his sisters and grandparents tell him what they could but instead his frustrated behaviors are what was discussed in the novel.

Over all It was a good read, but left me wanting in some ways.

This is quite an incredible debut novel by Janika Oza chronicling several generations of one family across several countries (indeed, continents!). Told from multiple perspectives over several decades, the reader follows Pirbhai and his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren as they are forcibly uprooted from one country to another (India, Uganda, the UK and Canada). In each new place, they rebuild and try to create a sense of home and community while establishing roots for their children. Among the many characters, each shows strength in different ways while still being very real, fallible beings. Throughout this book, I was struck by Oza's deft writing where you witness relationships grow and develop over time - the conflicts, the different ways individuals show compassion and love and the underlying belief in family. This is not the typical immigrant story and I appreciate its many layers showing that the immigrant or Asian experience is not a monolith. There are many events depicted in the book that are horrifying, depressing and heartbreaking, but ultimately I felt a strong sense of hope for what lies ahead as well as great appreciation and gratitude for what those before us have accomplished.

Janika Oza is one to watch! Many thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.

This book is really wonderful. If you like multigenerational family stories, if you like historical fiction, if you like learning about times and places in history you haven’t read about before, I think you will like A History of Burning. This story starts in 1898 with a boy who is taken from India to Uganda to work on a railway for the British, and proceeds to follow his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, and their lives in Uganda and Toronto. The characters in this book are very well fleshed out and I really grew to care about each of them. There is a thread of loss/misplacement, and the silence that comes with family secrets that persists through the generations, but still a feeling of hope. The ending was perfect. Very happy I read this book!

I love multigenerational stories. I find it the best way to dive deep into the characters from many sides. And this one does not disappoint. One that will keep me thinking for a long time. And this story from a debit author, I can’t wait to see more from them!

This novel pulled at me, working its way deeper into me with each page I read. This one will stay with me for a long time.

I am astounded that this is a debut author - Ms. Oza is immensely talented and I look forward to reading more of her future works.



Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC!

If you loved Pachinko, Homegoing, Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow or Half of a Yellow Sun this is a book for you! It's hard to believe that Janika Oza is a debut author! She has skilfully woven together a generational saga that expands over continents and includes vivid descriptions of foods and traditions.

The book starts with the story of Pirbhai, a young Indian boy looking for work who is essentially kidnapped and forced into a labor camp in East Africa. The majority of the story, however, focuses upon his three grandchildren as they navigate the political uprisings in Uganda and make personal decisions on based on their experiences.
This novel is going to be well read and very much talked about! Grab it when you can!
#Ahistoryofburning #jankikaOza #GrandCentral Publishing

This was a great multigenerational family saga. I loved the continuation of the story and callbacks to earlier parts of it throughout the writing.

Not quite perfect, but so darn close. Just loved this book -- traces of Poisonwood Bible, The Namesake and yes, the beloved Cutting for Stone. A multigenerational story that starts in India when a young man sets out for work to improve his families circumstances...it ends in Toronto generations later with history repeating itself many times in many ways in between. I loved this family and all the characters. Their secrets, traditions, dreams, struggles and the distance that occurs between parents and children and among siblings were so vivid and heart-wrenching. This book will not be published until May but put it on your list now. Not to be missed -- my only (small) critique is a slightly unsatisfying ending. But I find that so often with a really good book, that I don't think I can even be objective if this is me just wanting more or if it is a fair criticism. Can't wait to talk about this one with all my book-loving BFFs.

In "A History of Burning", Janika Oza lays out a multi-generational story following one family and the trials and tribulations each generation endures. Starting in the early 1900s, young Pirbhai is taken from his home in India, tricked into becoming a laborer for the East African Railway in Uganda. Despite his homesickness, he's able to escape and is taken in by a sympathetic family, learning to live in a whole new country where he's considered an outsider. Nonetheless, Pirbhai is able to grow his own family in Kampala, and watches as Uganda moves forward towards independence under the military dictatorship of Idi Amin.

Pirbhai's three children include his son Vinod, who comes to marry Radhi, and the two have three children of their own: Latika, Mayuri, and Kiya. The novel focuses the bulk of its time focused on these 3 daughters as their lives are completely changed due to the political upheavals in Uganda, where Asians are slowly but forcibly racially discriminated and the family eventually splinters. Latika and her husband Arun are political activists, and her loyalty to her cause and her husband forces her to stay behind. Mayuri, the middle daughter, is deemed safe at a medical school in Bombay. The remainder of the family flees to Toronto where they're forced to start their lives over again, although with the lie that Latika's son, Harilal, is Vinod's and Radhi's son. The final portion of the book follows Hari's transition out of childhood as he learns the truth of his parents, including his mother's eventual location in Great Britain, and follows the family as they try to stay together against all odds.

I had no historical context going into this novel, and while there were moments of confusion where I struggled to understand the events occurring in the first half of this novel in Uganda, Oza is able to present these in a way that's understandable to all readers, including the complex caste system and the communities of Indians in Africa. As a first generation immigrant myself, the second half of the novel felt the most familiar to me, reading about Vinod's and Radhi's struggles to find footing in Toronto, their daughters individual attempts to make their own lives and careers, and Hari's own confusion over his identity and family.

All throughout the novel, Oza highlights the changing face of racism and discrimination, countered by one family's love and dedication to each other. Her writing is fluid and adaptable, taking on the perspectives of different generations and family members to lay out what happens across the following century, dotted with moments of reflection and poignancy. I'm incredibly impressed that this is the work of a debut author, and am sure many will come to love this novel after its publication in May 2023!

I really enjoyed a History of Burning. I loved the multi-generational tale, looking at the Indian community in Uganda. I loved the themes of resilience, family, loss, and heartbreak. It was well done and sucked me in.

This already has lots of high ratings and reviews and I can see why. Oza is a talented writer, and this will satisfy many, especially those that like family sagas.

Thanks very much for the free ARC for review!!

The cover caught my attention! Love the vivid colors, the writing kept me around. I love a good family saga. Multigenerational storytelling, good character building and bold. A bit heavy.