Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published in USA
Aug 2011
304 pages
Genre: Novels
Publication Information
Pankaj Mishra praised A Golden Age, Tahmima Anam's debut novel, as a "startlingly accomplished and gripping novel that describes not only the tumult of a great historical event... but also the small but heroic struggles of individuals living in the shadow of revolution and war." In her new novel, The Good Muslim, Anam again deftly weaves the personal and the political, evoking with great skill and urgency the lasting ravages of war and the competing loyalties of love and belief.
In the dying days of a brutal civil war, Sohail Haque stumbles upon an abandoned building. Inside he finds a young woman whose story will haunt him for a lifetime to come... Almost a decade later, Sohail's sister, Maya, returns home after a long absence to find her beloved brother transformed. While Maya has stuck to her revolutionary ideals, Sohail has shunned his old life to become a charismatic religious leader. And when Sohail decides to send his son to a madrasa, the conflict between brother and sister comes to a devastating climax. Set in Bangladesh at a time when religious fundamentalism is on the rise, The Good Muslim is an epic story about faith, family, and the long shadow of war.
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"Starred Review. [G]ripping and beautifully written... From historical, political, and social tragedy, Anam has fashioned a mesmerizing story capturing a culture and a time..." - Publishers Weekly
"Anam seems to be a novelist not so much luxuriating in the act of writing as in total control of it, using just the right words to create her stunning story." - The Independent (UK)
"The story is dark... yet the style is so easy, that of a masterful realist unafraid to capture chaos and crisis, that it carries you through the pain." - The Telegraph (UK)
"Its clarity, alacrity and succession of brief, vivid scenes give the characters room to breathe." - The Observer (UK)
"Anam has a gift for tackling complex issues both personal and political." - Library Journal
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Photo: Abeer Y Hoque
Tahmima Anam was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in 1975 and grew up in Paris, New
York and Bangkok, due to her father's career with UNESCO
Tahmima Anam attended Harvard University, where she earned a Ph.D. in Social
Anthropology. In 2005 she completed an MA in Creative Writing at Royal Holloway,
London, and is the recipient of a Writing Fellowship from the Arts Council of
England. Anam's first book, A Golden Age is the first in a planned trilogy that brings to life the creation of her native country. A Golden Age was the winner of the Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book. Anam lives in London and Dhaka.
Name Pronunciation
Tahmima Anam: Emphasis on the second syllable of last name
A timely novel that explores the human capacity for resiliency and compassion.
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