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BOOK REVIEW: A GOLDEN AGEBy Poyer Hussain Angela
poyerhussain@gmail.com
[Click on the above picture to visit Tahmima Anam's website][First I would like to tell the reader somewhat about myself, in order to comprehend my views and perspective of this book. Normally I would not do this, but I thought it was required for this specific book due to its topic. I am currently a university student, and although my parents are both Bangladeshi, I was born and raised in London my entire life. So when I found a novel regarding the 1971 war in English an intrigue immediately grew, about a subject that is close to the heart, I simply had to find out more. Obviously I have never experienced this event first hand, so all my knowledge of it is through oral stories and articles. -P.H.A.]
The story is about a family consisting of a mother and her two children, their father dying when they were relatively small. The story primarily concentrates on how, for all intents and purposes an everyday mother performs remarkable acts of heroics during the war for the sake of her children. This story is an example of the countless daring acts carried out during the war by those who had previously lived a routine life.
Simply attempting to write a novel concerning this subject is ambitious, and although I’m still not quite sure what to make of the end result, there were certainly aspects of the novel that I truly admired.
The story told is by no means an epic but this was not the intent, I think its intended purpose and something that immediately reverberated after reading the book, was the sense that this was not a fabricated story but we as a reader were being told a tragic piece of history, actual fact, about the accounts of this family in 1971.
Something that may have slightly distracted the English reader but which I revelled in was the occasional dropping of Bangla words, which in a sense validated the entire novel for me. This technique was done in such an implicit way, in places where the reader could assume the meaning of words with a little common sense. What was really apparent was the extent and sheer volume of research that went behind the creation of the novel; this was partly the reason for such a realistic picture of the war and the country.
As I picked up the novel each time to read I had a sense of being transported to Bangladesh, particularly when the characters traveled through well known places, such as Mirpur Road, Danmondi Road, Neelkhet Road etc. A small technique that was used but that was extremely effective was the Radio Broadcastings; I particularly loved the inclusion of the renowned speech broadcasted on the night of the 26th of March by Major Zia on behalf of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman the national leader, which gave the story a real gravity, immediacy for action, and so a rationale for the events that followed.
The infrequent inclusion of BBC radio reminded me of a story told to me with reference something that became a ritual for families at night during these uncertain times. They would gather together huddled up with the radio on, and the sound as low as possible, listening intently to any information provided regarding the progression of the war. Such as the previous example I was often reminded of various stories told to me concerning the events of the war while reading this book. Again it is clear to see the research carried out for the book as it is an accurate portrayal of the events.
The book gives the impression of trying to include as much as possible to inform the reader of what took place, such as the ethnic cleansing of Hindus, the rape of countless women by the Pakistani army, the massacre of Dhaka University, the collaboration of Jamaat and a small number of other Islamic groups with the Pakistani army. Even the conditions of the camp in India where many Bangladeshi’s came to reside to escape the atrocities of the war were integrated into the story. So for this reason it is certainly an excellent starting point for those who wish to know and are totally ignorant on the 1971 war, but do not have the patience for a factual book.
In today’s examples of modern literature it’s certainly satisfying to find an author worth looking out for, as I’m curious to see what the style and subject of Tahmima Anams next novel will be._____