I like the historical setting of the novel but I did not quite like the characters. There are strong female characters in this book like Rehana, Silvi and Maya but Sohail fails to show the same courage and his obsession with Silvi becomes unsettling and annoying in my opinion. In the end, he does all these things for Silvi to win her back when he should have been focusing on the important things at hand; like the war. Rehana's character truly uplifted this whole novel.

Loved it. It has complex characters, heartbreaking choices, a historical setting (Bangladesh fight for independence in 1971) that was totally new to me and was extremely informative. Great story. Anam's next book with these characters - The Good Muslim - will go on my to-read list.

gorgeously written in such a relatable way. i loved the narration about such a heavy topic, civil war and the question of an emerging nation. at its core, the theme is family and what you would do for your family. highly recommended.

I have to give a special shout out thank you to my GR friend Jalilah because if she had invited me to join the Middle Eastern reading group, I wouldn’t have read this wonderful book.
The novel follows Reena who lives in what today is Bangladesh. When the book opens Reena has just lost her children to her in-laws, and then the book jumps a few years into the future where Reena and her children struggle though Bangladesh birth pains as the country gains its independence from Pakistan.
While Reena herself is lukewarm on the question of independence, at least at first, her children are supportive, and Reena lives for her children. In many ways, Reena is an everywoman as she struggles to keep what remains of her family together and alive. Reena’s struggle is that of everywoman. She is not politically active, she is not a superwoman. She is what she is and that is it. And therein lays the charm of the story.
And it is a powerful story, heavy with accuracy and allowing the reader to figure things out. There is subtleness about the writing, yet it is a gripping story.

Great novel about a time and place in history I knew nothing about. Good character development, didn't gloss over the atrocities of war.

I...don't know how I feel about this story.

On one hand, it's a soft, quiet story of rebellion and perseverance and change while every day life is going on. On the other, it's cloying and too foreign for my brain - not because it takes place in Bangladesh or because it's about a rebellion I know little to nothing about but because it's about a mother's all-consuming love for her children, something I am completely unfamiliar with, and about passive resistance brought on not through strong personal beliefs but through devotion to offspring.

Maya's story made sense to me. But then, I immerse myself in tales of stubborn girls who fight for what they believe in. Suhail (I'm making spellings up, now) is the perfect foil for Maya - less charismatic (although they keep talking about what a charmer he is), more intellectual, but involved in a war because, well, his friends are doing it and he really should do it, too. Conviction vs Convenience. And yet Rehana takes to the war efforts because of her unconvincing son, not her passionate daughter. She doesn't even really like her daughter. But her son can do no wrong, even though he's just going with the flow. She follows his wake and somehow, that's enough to get them all safely to the other side. This left me bemused.

And there was a love story. It surprised me. I didn't expect to see it there.
But then there were funny neighbors and heart-tugging moments and brave excursions, too. And still, the story never gripped me. I was just listening.
And, of course, there is Madhur Jaffrey's voice. I think I will kidnap her one day and force her to read to me. Because I'm evil like that.

Stunning book. I couldn't put it down and wanted to read it again as soon as I finished.