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Golden Age

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|Book Review |
|'A Golden Age' by Tahmima Anam |
| |
|Reviewed by Efadul Huq for Star Campus readers |
| |
|(As I read it I felt an unknown joy, as if I am reading about my grandparents and their doings; and as I savored the wonderful prose of |
|Tahmima Anam, it seemed to me that finally the golden age for Bangladeshi English writers had begun.) |
|Whispers of the past have become the domineering voice; small real-life stories have fused together; petty characters have taken up pretty |
|big roles; everybody has a choice to make and will be held responsible for it with all that and more comes a memorable novel 'A Golden Age' |
|by Tahmima Anam, inspired by a glorious chapter in the history of the world, it doesn't stop surprising you with it's simply beautiful prose|
|and intriguing plot. |
|Rehana, mother of two children (Sohail and Maya) is the protagonist whom the readers chase through Dhanmondi, Neelkhet, Mirpur and Kolkata. |
|Along with Rehana, are a group of ladies better known as gin-rummy ladies and the daughter of one of these women has snatched Sohail's |
|affection. But as Sohail's card-house of love falls apart, it leads him to join the Muktis and on the other hand, Maya's courageous |
|determination to act her part, paves her way to camps in order to serve the wounded and the refugees. As the two children leave, Rehana |
|clutches to their memories, and plans to perform her part of the scene, which for her is a test of courage and valour. |
|From rickshaw-wallahs to collecting saris to stitch kathas, nothing has been left untouched. The authenticity of the novel is the most |
|striking feature which undoubtedly, brings a foreign reader close to the environment of Bangladesh, and for a Bangladeshi reader, brings him|
|closer to the novel. This bond of familiarity is sure to make you hold on to the book. But is that all? No, the plot will leave you |
|entertained and the imagery offered is a dish fit for the most passionate readers. |
|Each image in 'A Golden Age' is so well-described that words become sheer reality; especially the descriptions of the tortures inflicted on |
|the arrested people wrenches your heart and dips it in horror. Anam writes with tenderness and she is compassionate to the poor characters, |
|but it never arises pity in you instead it makes you respect her characters. From the dramatic start, “Dear Husband, I lost our children |
|today” you are suspended and only at the astonishing end can you fall back to rest. |
| |
|The bottom-line is, once you close the book, it'll make you proud to be a Bangladeshi and as a reader it will demand another reading. |
|First Published in Great Britain in 2007 by John Murray. |
|Bangladesh edition published by Shahitya Prakash. |

Copyright (R) thedailystar.net 2007

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