Best of Friends - Kamila Shamsie

I love Shamsie's writing. She has a very understated way of building worlds and bringing readers into it. I enjoyed learning about the two teenagers from different social strata and their friendship with ample foreshadowing in the initial chapters, as the atmosphere builds up for the reader to know something is going to happen.

However, I struggled with the London part of th
e story. Found lots of elements jostling for space; as role of technology in society, gender roles, relationships, immigration, politics. Shamsie's skill comes to fore at balancing all these elements and yet sometimes I struggled to keep up. Maybe it's just me, but the pace felt forced and it slowed it down for me.

I did not see the story turning the way it did. I loved being surprised as a reader and it is at this point that the story really started working for me, for by then I was fully invested in the characters.

Shamsie's ability to manoeuvre language and her sharp observations make for a great reading experience. Besides, she tends to be quite topical, and her stories are a reflection of contemporary society, yet another big plus.

Overall a great reading experience. Recommended.