Broken Threads
My Family from Empire to Independence
Format:Hardback
Publisher:HarperCollins Publishers
Published:6th Jun '24
Should be back in stock very soon
In Broken Threads, Mishal Husain explores her family's history during the upheaval of partition, weaving personal stories with broader historical events.
In Broken Threads, acclaimed newsreader and journalist Mishal Husain presents a deeply personal family memoir that uncovers the lives of her grandparents against the backdrop of empire, political upheaval, and the partition of India in 1947. This extraordinary narrative begins with a fragment of an old sari, which prompts Husain to delve into the stories of her ancestors, piecing together a rich tapestry of their experiences through letters, diaries, and audio tapes. The author captures the essence of a time when the world was in flux, revealing how the events of history shaped the identities of those who lived through it.
The memoir introduces us to her grandparents, Mumtaz and Mary, as well as Tahirah and Shahid, who navigate the tumultuous landscape of pre-partition Delhi. Mumtaz's rejection of an arranged marriage in favor of a love story with Mary, a devout Catholic, serves as a focal point in the narrative. As the political climate shifts and communities are torn apart, the couples struggle to forge new identities while holding on to their shared heritage. Husain's exploration of love, loss, and resilience resonates deeply, making Broken Threads a universal tale of transformation.
With a blend of historical insight and emotional depth, Broken Threads invites readers to reflect on the complexities of identity and belonging. Husain's accessible storytelling, coupled with her meticulous research, sheds light on a pivotal moment in South Asian history, making it not just a personal memoir, but a significant contribution to our understanding of the past.
'[A] superb family history that teems with historical colour and details that both fascinate and shock … Broken Threads is a calm and compassionate tale; but it also offers an accessible primer on a little-understood area of recent world history’DAILY TELEGRAPH
‘Mishal Husain weaves an intricate family web that catches all the hope and optimism, as well as the tragedy and disappointment of the birth of Pakistan and independent India in 1947. With clarity, warmth and profound sympathy, as well as some brilliant archival detective work, she performs a fascinating act of reconstruction’ WILLIAM DALRYMPLE
‘At times this book feels like vital history, which just happens to read like a great novel. At other times, it reads like a novel that just happens to inform us about great history’ SATHNAM SANGHERA
‘The most important and accessible book I have ever read about the days leading up to and surrounding the partition of India. I read it as one would a thriller, a page-turner; a fabulous achievement by a skilled writer, packed with facts but floating like a butterfly’ JOANNA LUMLEY
'A love story and an extraordinary personal journey set against some of the greatest upheavals of the 21st century … As moving as it is important’ PETER FRANKOPAN
‘An unflinching portrait of a family splintered by partition. Husain’s beautifully written family memoir examines the shared trauma that so many families like hers endured, finding hope and compassion in one of South Asia’s darkest chapters’ JEMIMA KHAN
‘The play between darkness and light, the assiduous research and emotional literacy makes Broken Threads one of the best books ever on the epochs that shaped three nations. A triumph’ i News
‘A deeply engrossing book … I was completely gripped by it’ INDIA KNIGHT
ISBN: 9780008531683
Dimensions: 222mm x 141mm x 33mm
Weight: 400g
336 pages