“A blisteringly powerful tale of standing up to oppression and terror . . . [a] haunting novel.”- Independent (UK)
“Homa unfurls the history of an oppressed people fighting for their right to live, love, thrive, and create.”
- Chicago Review of Books
“A fiery, soul-nourishing debut novel"
- Los Angeles Review of Books
"At once a feminist text, a story of survival in the face of adversity and an exploration of cruelty through the eyes of those who are powerless, 'Daughters of Smoke and Fire' is a superb narrative that marks the arrival of a new voice in contemporary fiction" - San Francisco Chronicle
Winner: 2020 Silver Nautilus Award for Fiction
Finalist: 2022 William Saroyan International Writing Prize
Selected: Roxane Gay's Audacious Book Club
Book Browse Book Club
Unplugged Book Box
Voted a best 2020 novel by
Praise for DAUGHTERS OF SMOKE AND FIRE
“A story of slowly-building self-liberation and resilience. . . . Our conversations around this book are going to be meaningful, engaging and urgently necessary.”
- Roxane Gay
"One of the 5 biggest books of May (2020)"
- The Independent
"A best new fiction"
- The Globe and Mail
"A must-read"
- Now Magazine
"One of the best reads of 2020"
- Reader's Digest
The unforgettable, haunting story of a young woman's perilous fight for freedom and justice for her brother
Set in Iran, this extraordinary debut novel takes listeners into the everyday lives of the Kurds. Leila dreams of making films to bring the suppressed stories of her people onto the global stage, but obstacles keep piling up. Leila's younger brother Chia, influenced by their father's past torture, imprisonment, and his deep-seated desire for justice, begins to engage with social and political affairs. But his activism grows increasingly risky and one day he disappears in Tehran. Seeking answers about her brother's whereabouts, Leila fears the worst and begins a campaign to save him. But when she publishes Chia's writings online, she finds herself in grave danger as well.
Daughters of Smoke and Fire is an evocative portrait of the lives and stakes faced by 40 million stateless Kurds and a powerful story that brilliantly illuminates the meaning of identity and the complex bonds of family, perfect for fans of Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Half of a Yellow Sun.