Ambitious historical thriller with British Indian heroines
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A historical novel set during WWII but in London, and with a focus on the Indian independence movement? Sign me up! Unable to practice as a lawyer, Hindu Kitty focuses her energy on her colleagues at the India Forum while supporting her Muslim husband in his work. Half-Indian Ruby is an air raid warden who takes her position seriously but who finds her curiosity piqued when she attends a meeting at the India Forum and becomes embroiled with the multitude of characters there, trying to find common ground in their mutual fight for Indian independence. As the two women become more and more entwined in the political danger of the cause, the added turmoil around the war and the intrusion of government agents builds the tension, until violence is inevitable.

Shah makes a great attempt at highlighting a lesser-known strand of WWII history but the book has to do a lot of work with few foundations: a relatively unknown perspective on British India before partition is juxtaposed with the Home Front and the Blitz, and then also has to give us the context of Kitty’s psychological journey from India to London, and also Ruby’s story of her hidden Indian heritage. It’s a lot and perhaps might have benefited from a more expansive novel that wasn’t so centred on London; but the story rollicks along, more thriller than saga.

Neema Sharma’s Thread of Light takes on a refreshingly different canvas—Indians in the UK during the Second World War, caught between the urgency of the fight against fascism and the quieter, persistent struggle for India’s independence. The perspective, particularly through two strong women at the center—Ruby and Kitty—feels fresh and overdue in historical fiction.

The novel alternates between their voices, but the narrative never quite makes their relationship feel organic. Instead of two threads weaving into a strong fabric, the strands remain parallel—interesting on their own, but never forming the closeness I kept expecting.

Characters like Jit stretch believability with their unguarded trust, especially in the fraught political and personal climate the book is set in. His choices, particularly towards the end, feel like a retreat—settling for something smaller, safer, and far less glorious than the revolutionary ambition promised earlier. The India Forum cause, too, seemed diluted by the finish, losing the urgency and fire it began with.

That said, Sharma succeeds in shining a light on a rarely explored time and place, and on the overlooked Indian presence in wartime Britain. For that reason alone, the book deserves attention. The execution didn’t always match the promise of the premise.

A Thread of Light by Neema Shah
⭐⭐ 2.75 stars
Publication date: 10 July 2025

Thank you to Pan Macmillan and Netgalley for providing me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

London, 1941. As the city thrums with Blitz bombers, lonely air raid warden Ruby is drawn into the unfamiliar world of the India Forum, where a group of Londoners are working tirelessly to free India from British rule.
Lawyer Kitty is helping Indian men in Britain challenge conscription. Having left her family behind in Bombay to marry the man she loves, now she risks losing him as well.

I enjoy historical novels, and World War II has always been a topic of interest since secondary school and college. This book focused on the Indian community and their campaign for India’s independence from the British during WWII, and I really appreciated looking at the conflict from this different angle, and the moral dilemma of young Indian men being called to fight and risk their lives for a country that denied their native country its own independence and sovereignty.
However, I felt that the story and the characters were lacking depth and development; there was nothing that made me feel invested in their fate, and as such, there was no emotional impact. I would describe this book as “fine” - aggressively so. The writing was fine, the characters, plot and pacing were fine, and this is sadly a book that is not going to linger long in my mind.

Sheds light on one of the rarely known parts of colonial history.

Thanks Pan Macmillan | Picador books and NetGalley for the invite to read this ARC! Sorry for the delay in the review. But what better time to do it, than at the cusp of the 79th Indian Independence Day (15th August).

Synopsis-

London, 1941, is at the mercy of the Blitz. Ruby, a young air raid warden gets acquainted with the India Forum, where local Indians are working tirelessly for a free India. It’s here that Ruby, meets the charismatic Satyajit, who is willing to bend the rules to fight for freedom. Kitty, a lawyer with limited opportunities, is helping Indian men challenge getting conscripted to fight for the British in WWII. With Ruby & Kitty’s paths crossing, how far will they go to achieve their goals?

Review-

It’s the setting and the lesser known history that sets this book apart from all other WWII books. As an Indian myself, I hardly knew that Indians in London were joining hands to support India’s freedom movement, working closely with Indian National Congress.

Through the strong female lead characters of Ruby and Kitty, who were women well ahead of their times, Shah explores a fresh perspective of Britain’s role in WWII and how its repercussions affected thousands of Indians, who were needlessly dragged into saving Britain from Hitler, while their own country was enslaved, oppressed and exploited.

With colonialism raging in India, killing millions and the fight for Swaraj peaking, Satyajit, the rebel and extremist that he is, tackles matters recklessly, the effects of which snowball into Kitty and Ruby’s secret endeavors and aspirations.

I loved that Shah also delves into India’s diversity of religions - how unity would be of utmost importance to self-govern once the colonizers left, but how with talks of India’s partition driven primarily by religion, the repercusssions are far and wide.

#AThreadOfLight is all about the true essence of freedom and what it would mean for a country like India, for bold, courageous women like Kitty and Ruby. Sacrifice, hope, loyalty and betrayal will all play out in the end.

Worth a read!

Thank you, NetGalley and the publishers, for the opportunity to read this book!
This was such an incredible story, and I learned so much from it!
I was hooked from the start - so gripping

ARP warden Ruby is the daughter of an Indian father and an English mother. She lives life on the edge, stealing from bomb sites but when she meets the charismatic Jit, she starts to reflect on her life. Kitty was a successful Indian barrister but her decision to marry the man she loves meant she was disowned by her father and now is trying to build a life in London. Both women meet at a group dedicated to fighting for Indian independence but the ongoing war is going to affect them in very different ways.
I was rather surprised by how much I enjoyed this book as it pulls together lots of themes about class and religion as well as the fight for Independence. This is placed in the context of London during the Second World War and so it is a rather rich mix. The story rather drags the reader in and the characterisation is drawn really slowly and carefully so by the end I was invested in Ruby and Kitty. Even the ending is not a 'happy ending' but rather one that makes sense with the storyline.

I enjoyed this story about Indians living in London during WWII. I found the history quite interesting about the independence movement of India but there was a little too much of it.

This is not your typical WW2 story. It tells the story of two Indian women, one a volunteer air raid warden and the other a frustrated lawyer, both campaigning for Indian Independence. An interesting topic, however I found the story very slow going, slightly disjointed and quite dull. Maybe because I was not familiar with the topic.
Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the advance copy of this book.

I love the WWII era so as soon as I saw this book was set then, I knew I needed to read it. It turned out to be a big surprise, set within the era but covered events and topics which I am not familiar with. I do not know how accurate it is but what I can say is that it was wholly enjoyable to read. The book was well written with some likeable characters to add to the mix. It’s definitely one I’d recommend.

First book I’ve read by @neemashahauthor and I thoroughly enjoyed it. A story of sacrifice, betrayal, belonging, love and loss. I was immersed from the beginning right to the end.
Set in London during WW2 and the blitz. The story is told through the POV’s of Ruby, an air raid warden and kitty, a lawyer both with connections to India.
It’s beautifully written, informative and detailed with interesting characters. I couldn’t put it down.
This book is an enjoyable and thought provoking historical read. I liked learning about a part of history I didn’t know anything about.
Definitely recommend this one. It’s well worth the read.
With thanks to #NetGallery #PanMacmillan for an arc of #AThreadOfLight in exchange for a honest review.
Book publishes 10 July 2025

There is so much to enjoy in this novel. A highlight is definitely an insight into Indian perspectives during world war 2. I was incredibly interested to find out out about some of the events that were running concurrently with this war.

I found so much of the British political rhetoric interesting, because we've heard it all before and in Scotland how our best chance is being 'stronger together ' has been used against those seeking independence throughout the Empire.

I sometimes found it hard to follow the time of events as it often had to jump forward to cover time passing. I actually really liked Ruby and Kitty for such different reasons, but it felt like I was reading at a distance and I wasnt connecting as well as I would have liked.

However, I was intrigued by the plot and characters and thought the atmosphere of the book was really well drawn. I'd say this will appeal to those who enjoy Historical Fiction to bring a new take on British history.

A Thread of Light by Neema Shah is not your typical World War 2 set historical fiction, instead it looks at that era from the perspective of two women involved in the struggle for Indian independence from British colonisation. The book is set in London in 1941, and centres on the stories of two women, Ruby and Kitty. Ruby is an air raid warden who spends her nights looking for survivors (and occasionally anything worth stealing ) in the bombed out city while Kitty is a frustrated lawyer who longs to be able to work more and is desperate to help Indian citizens fight forced conscription into the British army, a fight that becomes even more personal when her own husband is called up for service. At first it seems the two women have little in common and in fact Kitty is surprised and suspicious about Ruby's attendance at the India forum. Ruby is hiding a secret however and between that and her growing attraction to the mysterious and dangerous Satyajit, she finds herself drawn into the fight.
I enjoyed the fresh perspective on this time period and reading this book has inspired me to seek out more information about the struggle for Indian Independence but I cannot help but feel like there was something lacking in the book overall. I think the characters, particularly Kitty needed more development, there was a stronger focus on educating the reader about the history than having them be compelled by the characters or the storytelling. The historical detail is interesting and I thought the depiction of the racism experienced by the characters was really well done, using the different backgrounds of the characters very cleverly.
Overall I found the book interesting and would recommend it to those looking for something a little different in the genre.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own .

Thought-provoking .. I love it when I learn something from a novel!

Whilst London is in the throes of the Blitz, there are a group of people who get together on a regular basis with freedom for India as their purpose. Kitty is a lawyer who is involved helping young Indian men resist conscription while her husband fights for this new country, having left their own behind along with parents who disapprove of their marriage. Ruby has only just begun attending meetings. She has reasons of her own for being there, but that's where she meets Satyajit who is both attractive and dangerous. As Kitty and Ruby's lives collide, the threat of danger closes in - how far will things go?

I am very fond of reading about domestic life during WWII but, I feel quite ashamed to admit, knew nothing about the fight for India's freedom which took place in this country at the same time. There was so much detail in this novel that it took me longer to read that normal as I absorbed everything that was going on and the implications. Having read and enjoyed Neema Shah's Kololo Hill, I was eager to read her latest and it did not disappoint. While a more serious topic, it was beautifully written and very informative all wrapped in a very readable story.. This is a subject I will, perhaps, pursue in future reading. For me, 4* and my recommendation.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley

I always enjoy books which shine a light on less familiar aspects of history, and this one succeeds in that respect. It focuses on the end of the British Imperial rule in India and the lives of Indian and biracial people living in London. I found it interesting to consider the differing political viewpoints, and the author skilfully shows that there were many ways to see the problem of how to peacefully end the British administration and give India its rightful independence.
The opening chapter was gripping, and I found the central characters interesting, if sometimes hard to like. I never felt that Ruby’s actions at the start were fully explained or justified, and although she grew as a character I never quite managed to fully sympathise with her.
Overall, I felt this was very well written but I didn’t feel along with the main characters as much as I’d have liked to.

This book is set in London during World War Two and the Blitz. It’s told from the POV (point of view) of two strong women Ruby and Kitty. Ruby is an air raid warden and spends her nights on duty. She has Indian roots which she keeps hidden for some time, even as she gets involved with the India Forum. Kitty was a lawyer in India, but is not recognised in London. She does clerical work for the India Forum which is campaigning for Independence for India from British Rule. This is a new and interesting storyline during World War Two about a different people group.

A Thread Of Light by Newman Shah was a good read.
We follow two women Kitty, a married Indian woman who followed her husband to war torn Britain, trying to help Indian people within the law courts, while also fighting for independence from Britain. They have meetings to discuss the way forward in that regard.
Then we have Ruby, a warden who helps evacuate residents from their obliterated houses. She’s a little naughty, but I’ll let you find that one out!
She starts attending the Indian meetings with another agenda that is not supporting the crowd’s needs. As she keeps going, she notices a man who stands out to her. She develops a little crush…
The trouble is that this is all happening with the war in full effect, bombing Britain most days, driving them below ground with the slightest notice. Making life like a knife’s edge. …
I enjoyed the story, it flitted between the two women and what they were doing. Easy to follow and steady, this would be an enjoyable story for all.
Many thanks to Pan MacMillan for the opportunity to read this arc copy via Netgalley. My opinion is my own.
#Netgalley, #PanMacmillan, #NeemaShahAuthor.

I was immediately drawn in at the beginning of the book with Ruby entering the Richardsons bombed house. Unfortunately I gradually lost interest in both Ruby and Kitty even though I found the different perspectives interesting.

The interesting story about two women caught up in WW2, one an ARP warden, the other a barrister not allowed to practise fighting for Indian independence. Unfortunately I had to skim quite a bit of Ruby's story - sometimes WW2 stories don't have graphic detail about the aftermath of bombs etc but this one did and it was a bit much for me.

A very different vantage point to bring to a World War 2 story from the viewpoint of Indian people who , as a nation, were seeking independence from UK. This story however takes place in UK and introduces us to the India forum that also has tensions amongst it’s followers..
An intense and interesting read

London 1941. As the city thrums with Blitz bombers, lonely air raid warden Ruby is drawn into the unfamiliar world of the India Forum, where a group of Londoners are working tirelessly to free India from British rule. Ruby has her own secret motives for joining the fight, but when she meets Satyajit, charming, aloof, and potentially dangerous, she finds herself torn between head and heart. Lawyer Kitty is helping Indian men in Britain challenge conscription. Having left Bombay to marry the man she loves, now she risks losing him as well. As Kitty and Ruby's lives collide, the threat of violence closes in. Just how far is are they willing to go for the people they love.

Set in London during WWII. Ruby is an air raid warden, Kitty works for the India forum. This is an interesting and informative read. I haven't read about India's fight for independence before. The story is told from Ruby and Kitty's perspectives. The women come from different backgrounds. The pace is steady.

Published 10th July 2025

I would like to thank #NetGalley #PanMacmillian #Picador and the author #NeenaShah for my ARC of #AThreadOfLight in exchange for an honest review.