Uzma Aslam Khan’s The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali is indeed a miraculous performance, although the young girl called Nomi Ali is only one of the many characters whose histories are entangled here...Set in the Andaman Islands, a British penal colony in the Bay of Bengal, just before and during World War II, Khan’s suspenseful, thought-provoking narrative is a challenge to simple assumptions about enemies and friends, loyalty and betrayal.
In a historical novel that is both deeply researched and beautifully written, Khan shines light on a story little known outside the Andaman Islands and gives voice to the most vulnerable in this global narrative...At times, the first half of the novel can seem a bit disorienting with all of its figurative language, twists in chronology, and nuanced political situations...This may be intentional, though—a metaphor for the exiled inhabitants of the island who are ultimately portrayed as people without a country...Things pick up quickly in the second half as Nomi’s story hurtles to its heartbreaking but empowering conclusion...Khan perfectly captures global history in all of its ironic and disorienting glory.
Khan draws on the history of a British prison colony on the Andaman Islands in this carefully plotted examination of power and oppression...At the core are four vividly drawn characters; along with 218 D, there are siblings Zee and Nomi and their friend Aye, all 'Local Borns'...In Khan’s intricately intertwined narrative, the characters experience the brutalizing rule of the various occupiers...Khan engages readers with a confident style and seamless storytelling.
