In a few words
A mother struggles to protect her children as Bangladesh fights for independence; winner of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize and shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award
In a few words
A mother struggles to protect her children as Bangladesh fights for independence; winner of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize and shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award
Deftly balances the story of nation against that of family . . . heart-shattering
Kamila Shamsie
GuardianA stunning debut. Anam writes of torture, brutality, refugees and desperation, but she also writes of love and joy, food and song
Deftly balances the story of nation against that of family . . . heart-shattering
Kamila Shamsie
GuardianA stunning debut. Anam writes of torture, brutality, refugees and desperation, but she also writes of love and joy, food and song
More about
the book
Spring, 1971, East Pakistan. Rehana Haque is throwing a party for her beloved children, Sohail and Maya. Her young family is growing up fast, and Rehana wants to remember this day forever. But out on the hot city streets, something violent is brewing. As the civil war develops, a war which will eventually see the birth of Bangladesh, Rehana struggles to keep her children safe and finds herself facing a heartbreaking dilemma.
More about
the book
Spring, 1971, East Pakistan. Rehana Haque is throwing a party for her beloved children, Sohail and Maya. Her young family is growing up fast, and Rehana wants to remember this day forever. But out on the hot city streets, something violent is brewing. As the civil war develops, a war which will eventually see the birth of Bangladesh, Rehana struggles to keep her children safe and finds herself facing a heartbreaking dilemma.
A real page-turner, with a bravura, heart-stopping ending
Beautifully told, intimate and touching; Anam has a knack for making you care so desperately for her characters that you admire their failings as much as their strengths
Anam's prose is glowing and graceful throughout; whether detailing the degradations of a refugee camp, the tenderness of an unexpected love affair, or the exhilarated dread of a nation in cataclysm
Spellbinding
Tulip Siddiq
A real page-turner, with a bravura, heart-stopping ending
Beautifully told, intimate and touching; Anam has a knack for making you care so desperately for her characters that you admire their failings as much as their strengths
Anam's prose is glowing and graceful throughout; whether detailing the degradations of a refugee camp, the tenderness of an unexpected love affair, or the exhilarated dread of a nation in cataclysm
Spellbinding
Tulip Siddiq