Description

One of Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists.

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.

Publisher Review

A real page-turner, with a bravura, heart-stopping ending * * Sunday Telegraph * * Deftly balances the story of nation against that of family . . . heart-shattering -- Kamila Shamsie * * Guardian * * A stunning novel * * Observer * * The authenticity shines through beautiful, simple prose * * Harper's Bazaar * * A striking story of a spirited mother struggling to bring up her children * * Financial Times * * Compellingly twists the personal and the historical, humming with handed down wisdom * * Literary Review * * Anam has done a service to her country . . . No other writer has treated the subject with such clarity before * * Times Literary Supplement * * A stunning debut. Anam writes of torture, brutality, refugees and desperation, but she also writes of love and joy, food and song * * Observer * * I had tears in my eyes * * Woman's Own * * An ambitious and powerful debut * * New Statesman * * An assured, moving read * * The Times * * Pays tribute, with sensitivity and restrained passion, to those who fought for one such arbour: a country called home * * Independent on Sunday * * A steely tale of how one family deals with political unrest . . . Moving and beautifully written * * Woman * * An outstanding debut that glows with the golden hue of the title * * Easy Living * * The book touches on love, devotion and hope -- Hephizibah Anderson * * Vogue * * Anam is an intelligent, evocative and subtle writer and her tale of war from a woman's perspective is artful and moving * * The Age * *