Andrea's Reviews > A Golden Age

Set in Dhaka against the backdrop of the Bangladesh War of Independence (aka the Liberation War), Tahmima Anam's debut novel is a small but powerful story about family, heroism and different kinds of love.

Rehana Haque was widowed at a young age and struggled to keep her small family together. But on the eve of war, Sohail and Maya, her two children, are with her in Dhaka. Both are fiercely patriotic and politically active university students, and when war breaks out both play an active role. Rehana is drawn into their high-risk, underground world, and ultimately it is she who makes the decisions and takes the heroic actions that affect the lives of those around her.

She heard the trucks before they turned on to the road; she felt them slowing in front of the bungalow, lining up along the neighbourhood gates. She had time to wake Maya and drag her to the drawing room. The army is here.

The language, the pace and the restraint from providing too much graphic detail added up to make this a surprisingly easy read for me. Anam's skill at gradually building a sense of doom was quite impressive - I almost couldn't read the last few pages. This is the first part of the Bangladesh trilogy, and I will certainly continue reading on to part #2 (which focuses on Sohail and Maya a decade later).