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I Could Not Stop Crying – The Good Muslim by Tahmima Anam
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As I finished the last page of Tahmima Anam’s The Good Muslim the tears were streaming down my face. Half an hour later, I still could not stop crying.
I’m not sure if Anam just caught me on a day when I was feeling vulnerable or if it was all down to the power of her writing, but there was something about this novel which was truly heart-wrenching.
The Good Muslim is the second in what is to be a trilogy, based on one family in Bangladesh throughout the country’s short but turbulent history.
The first in the series was A Golden Age, set during Bangladesh’s war of independence against Pakistan in 1971. Widow Rehana Haque is barely aware of the growing political tensions around her as she concentrates on bringing up her two teenage children Soheil and Maya. But the war is soon on her doorstep and as Maya and Soheil become involved in the rebellion, she too must decide how far she is prepared to go in the name of the country’s independence.
I thoroughly enjoyed A Golden Age, both for what I learnt about a country of which I am shamefully ignorant, and for the powerful characters and narrative Anam created. So when The Good Muslim was released, I wasn’t quite sure where the story could go next.
I shouldn’t have worried. If anything, the second novel is even better than the first.
It is now more than ten years after the end of the war, and for many revolutionaries the aftermath has been a disappointment. The country is ruled by a dictator, former criminals have not been punished and there is growing religious extremism.
After several years as a doctor in poverty-stricken areas of the country, Maya returns home to Dhaka where she immediately feels out of place. She cannot reconcile her experiences with the lives her friends now live. They have moved on from the war, made money in the new Bangladesh and are enjoying settling down with their families and holding lavish parties.
But as much as Maya feels alienated by this, her biggest concern is the change in her own family.
Her much-loved brother Soheil has transferred his zeal for revolution, to religion. With followers throughout the country, Soheil has little time for Maya or the urchin son he leaves in the care of a group of female devotees. He disapproves of Maya’s attempts to interfere as well as her non-believing ways, and she despairs at their ever returning to the easy comradeship of their past.
In the video below Tahmima Anam takes us on a tour of the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka – the setting for the novel – as she tells us more about Maya and Soheil.
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This is a novel about many things – it is about loss, both personal and political. It explores the abuses of the past and the need for some sort of recognition and reconciliation. And it is about how underneath faith and idealism you will often find broken and guilt-ridden souls.
Anam’s prose is confident and unflinching as she tackles issues of gender, religion and politics. And while Rehana and Soheil remain in the background in this novel, Maya is a complex, endearing and ultimately fallible character who you do not want to let go of at the end. Thank goodness there is still one more novel to go.
And as to why The Good Muslim made me cry?
It was for Maya – for her idealism, for her frustrations in trying to put the world to rights and for her self-recrimination when she fails.
It was for Soheil – for his inability to remain connected to his family as he seeks solace from a higher power, and his failure to make peace with his younger self.
And if was for revolutionaries everywhere. At a time when we are seeing uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa, it is disheartening to be reminded how easily those bids for change can be hijacked in the aftermath, and how so often the will of the people becomes forgotten when a new world is forged.
I cannot recommend The Good Muslim enough, it is one of the year’s highlights for me. But while part of me wants you to pick up a copy right away, I’d urge you to read A Golden Age first. Don’t miss this opportunity to get to know Maya and Soheil in their younger days – it helps so much in understanding the adults they become.
And meanwhile , I must wait patiently for book number three…..
Suzi
Read an interview with Tahmima Anam at Bookslut
Guardian review of The Good Muslim
Telegraph review of The Good Muslim
Packabook was kindly provided with a review copy of the book The Good Muslim by the publishers.
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A Pedestrian in Paris – John Baxter shares his Most Beautiful Walk in the World
This is a post for Paris in July, hosted by BookBath and Thyme for Tea
John Baxter’s The Most Beautiful Walk in the World is the kind of book that just makes you want to jump on a plane immediately so you can join him in wandering the streets of Paris. This is a book written by a man who truly loves to understand what he is seeing around him and ponder on how it all fits into the city’s history…and with this book, you will feel the same way.
Baxter is an Australian who has lived in Paris for more than 20 years. One day, in an effort to help out a friend, he found himself conducting a couple of guided ‘literary walks’ for writers visiting the city. It made him realise how limited traditional tours and guide books were, with their inability to allow room for the unexpected. Receiving a great reaction from his first “customers” and some encouragement from a highly entrepreneurial friend, Baxter decided to expand his tour operations…this book tells you that story, and of course, offers some great advice for those wanting to set off on their own literary meander around Paris.
John has been kind enough to answer a few of our questions… (Thanks John!)
What kind of a reaction have you had?
The book has been an astonishing success. It has already gone into five printings in less than a month, and reviews have been uniformly enthusiastic. Many people have also emailed me their appreciation. It’s been a welcome surprise.
How do you feel when you see tourists wandering around with cameras and guide book, practically ticking the sights of Paris off a checklist?
It’s better than not “doing” Paris at all, but I’m sorry to see them missing out on so much. At times, I want to grab them and say, “No, stop reading and look! “ An hour sitting in a café can tell you more than the most detailed guide book.
You really make the sixth arrondissement sound like the stuff of dreams, especially for those in love with all things literary, is it really as romantic as it appears?
Even more so! There is hardly a street or square that doesn’t have some literary association. There is a magic to the very stones. They breathe poetry.
If someone was coming to Paris and they only had one day to experience the city, what would you suggest they do?
Breakfast at the Cafe Flore or Deux Magots on Boulevard St Germain, a Metro ride to Montmartre to view the city from the terrace of Sacre Coeur, a sandwich eaten in the Luxembourg Gardens, a visit to the church of St Severin in the Latin Quarter and to the Shakespeare and Company bookshop nearby, a nap back at your hotel, then dinner in a great restaurant, and a walk across Pont Neuf, pausing in the middle to watch the Seine by moonlight. (Of all these experiences, the Seine by moonlight will probably be the one you remember best.)
Image courtesy of Savani1987 via Wikimedia Commons
I normally ask our contributors to recommend somewhere off the beaten track, a hidden gem they can go and visit, but your book is full of them. Can you give us a favourite?
At least once a month, you’ll find me at the flea market at Porte de Vanves that takes place year-round each Saturday and Sunday morning. It’s a cornucopia of treasures that also reveals an enormous amount about the history and culture of France. (Don’t be surprised if you run into Catherine Deneuve. She’s a keen flea-marketeer and a frequent visitor.)
And if a visitor just went to one place to eat, where would you suggest?
The Au Bon St Pourcain on rue Servandoni, next to Saint Sulpice church. A classic one-room restaurant that hasn’t changed in a century.
Your timing for the book is perfect. There seems to be a real Paris fascination at the moment, perhaps helped by Woody Allen’s new movie, ‘Midnight in Paris’…
There are times when Most Beautiful Walk reads like the Book of the Film. But it was pure coincidence. Oddly, Woody is an unwilling visitor to Paris. He doesn’t trust the water, doesn’t like the food, and speaks no French. But he’s as susceptible to its magic as the rest of us.
What do you hope The Most Beautiful Walk in the World leaves people with?
I hope it makes those who have never visited Paris decide to do so, and those who already know the city to return. The city is inexhaustible. There is always more to discover.
Image by Matism via Wikimedia Commons
This book is not just about Paris though is it? It’s about walking, observing and taking it all in, wherever you are…
It’s about jumping in at the deep end; experiencing life without preconceptions. Life is more enjoyable if one can stop and look. Paris makes that easier, since there’s so much more to see.
Do you still offer guided walks yourself? How can people find you if they are keen to hear your stories in person?
I still do a few tours, but pressure of work has forced me to limit them. Anyone who is interested could email Terrance Gelenter at Paris Through Expatriate Eyes.
Do you have a favourite novel set in Paris?
Le Divorce by Diane Johnson, who’s another long-time expatriate (and neighbour). Despite the title, it’s in English; the witty and observant story of a collision between an American and a French family over marriage, infidelity, sex and a 17th century painting both claim to own. The movie version of a few years back didn’t do it justice.
The Most Beautiful Walk in the World reminds us just how much has happened on the streets of the cities we visit. How often do you fly through a place in a few days, just making sure you see the main sights before moving on? Of course it’s rare to have the luxury of truly exploring the streets as John does, but it is good to be reminded that even if we can’t always see them, the pavements we walk on and the buildings we pass are rich with stories of the past. Next time you are walking the streets of an unfamiliar city, just stop from time to time, take a deep breath and look around, and wonder what ghosts are walking along beside you.
And of course, if you are off to Paris anytime soon….then I highly recommend The Most Beautiful Walk in the World as a companion. If you are looking for a traditional guide book, then this is not for you. But if you are keen to explore the poetry of the streets alongside someone who can whisper stories in your ear – then John Baxter’s book is a fine way to do it.
Suzi
Packabook was kindly provided with a review copy of the book “The Most Beautiful Walk in the World” by the publishers.
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Books set in Pakistan – A Case of Exploding Mangoes
Looking for a book set in Pakistan to read for the World Party Reading Challenge, I was immediately drawn to A Case of Exploding Mangoes by Mohammed Hanif, not least because of its intriguing title. (It also has a gorgeous mango golden color on the cover which was very tempting!)
The novel included elements of politics and history which are generally winners for me, as I try to delve deep into what makes a country tick, and I wanted to know more about Pakistan’s military dictator General Mohammad Zia-ul-Haq, one of the main ‘characters’.
There is no doubt that this is an extremely well-written and intelligent novel, with plenty of very dark humor. But, in a lot of ways, it’s not for me.
I guess the best way I could describe it is as a bit of a ‘boy’s book’. I hadn’t quite realised that so much of the novel was to be set slap bang in the middle of the Pakistani army scene, and how few female characters there would be. Our hero is Ali Shigri, a young military officer who is evidently up to something, we’re just not sure what, for most of the novel. Someone suspects something though, because he is soon whisked away by the Pakistani security forces who attempt to find out more details, and as you can imagine that’s not a particularly pleasurable experience for young Ali. (Or for the reader!!)
General Zia’s mysterious death
What we do know, is all of this will somehow climax in the death of General Zia, when his plane crashes in the desert on August 17, 1988.
We know Ali has something to do with it, but again, we’re not quite sure what…
If this all sounds a bit cloak and dagger, then that’s because it is. It may be because my reading of this novel was a bit interrupted, but I found it challenging at times to remember what I was suppose to know and what I wasn’t. The story meanders a fair bit in time, and for me, took too long to get to the bit I was really interested in – the plane crash.
It wasn’t only Zia who was killed when his plane went down – several of his top generals and the US ambassador also lost their lives. Hanif includes many of the real characters and facts known about the crash in his reconstruction in Mangoes, but he plays on the speculation about its cause in coming up with his own interpretation of the events.
I did enjoy the comic portrayal of General Zia, who suffers from (justified!) paranoia that his life is in danger, subordinates who are trying to usurp him, an uncontrollable fascination with the cleavage of an American journalist and a severe rectal itch he is embarrassed to share with his own doctor.
In real life, Zia took Pakistan’s helm after staging a military coup in 1977. He became president in 1978 and ruled largely under martial law for eleven years. While in the past I’m sure his name has passed me by, I will be far more interested in any references to him in future reading on Pakistan having read this book. While it is no doubt an unfair portrayal of the man, it is going to be hard not to imagine him bending over with his head between two flags, as a Saudi doctor gives him a rectal examination next time he’s mentioned in a newspaper article! This is the magic of novels – they give us memorable anecdotes to refer to as we go about our lives!
Click on the image below to see a video announcing the death of General Zia
Read about General Zia’s death in the New York Times
While I can’t say I ‘enjoyed’ Mangoes particularly, it is a novel which will remain with me for a long time. Pakistan’s history is filled with political assassinations and military intrigue – and while this book is obviously satire, it does give us a way into that history in an unusual way.
There are very few female characters, and those there are play very small roles. For me, that always makes the reading of any novel that little less enjoyable. But to be fair to Hanif, this novel is set in a man’s world, and there is little opportunity to explore what the women were thinking at the time.
If you enjoy satire and can see the attraction in hanging around with military cadets and political prisoners you will enjoy this novel. You will enjoy the absurdity of ‘OBL’ of Laden and Co Constructions trying to make small talk at a Fourth of July BBQ hosted by the US ambassador, and of General Zia heading out on a bicycle in disguise in an attempt to find out what his people really think of him. Hanif has created many amusing, preposterous scenes that you cannot help laughing at, and there are images which will stay with you for a long time.
A Case of Exploding Mangoes is a truly original novel which will show you a side of Pakistan I suspect you have not seen before, and while I can’t say I ‘enjoyed’ this book, it is still one which is very much worth reading.
And if you are fascinated by the conspiracy theories the novel throws up, then you may enjoy Hanif’s facebook group called Who killed General Zia? where they are discussed in great detail. We also have plenty of other suggestions for books set in Pakistan if you’d like to explore the country a little further.
For our next World Party Reading Challenge adventure we are off to Russia…more on that soon!
Suzi
PS: Here’s the full list of World Party Reading Challenge countries for the year
October 2010 – Afghanistan
November 2010 – Turkey
December 2010 – Greece
January 2011 – Iran
February 2011 – England
March 2011 – Ireland
April 2011 – Jamaica
May 2011– Pakistan
June 2011 – Russia
July 2011 – Spain
August 2011 – Thailand
September 2011 – India
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Books set in Pakistan – World Party Reading Challenge
I have been looking forward to this one – Pakistan has a fascinating history, and with many new writers emerging for English-language readers it is an exciting time to learn more about what makes the country tick.
In reading any novel about Pakistan, a bit of an understanding of the history is important. Please bear with me here – it is a little complicated, but we will get there in the end!
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The Partition of British India in 1947 which led to the formation of two states along religious lines – Pakistan (Muslim) and India (Hindu) – lies at the heart of many novels set in both countries. This is understandable, it led to massive upheaval for those who were forced to flee their homes so they could be on “the right side” of the lines of division, as well as to horrific sectarian violence and bloodshed, often between people who had been friends and neighbors for a lifetime.
Three novels which explore the Partition itself are Cracking India and The Pakistani Bride by Bapsi Sidhwa, and Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh.
But Partition was not as simple as simply dividing British India into two. The Muslim population was concentrated in two different areas, the north-west of the Indian subcontinent and a delta to the very east, on the Bay of Bengal. So when the two states of Pakistan and India were created, Pakistan itself was divided into two with one part in the west and another more than a thousand miles away to the east – in between was India.
If you’d like to know a little bit more, the BBC gives an overview here. There are also some excellent BBC videos over at YouTube, but I am not convinced they have been uploaded with the permission of the BBC so am loathe to link to them. Have a look yourself if you are keen to see some great footage.
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This set the scene for more conflict, when in March 1971 the more politically powerful West Pakistan launched a military operation against Bengali civilians in East Pakistan who were calling for independence. This resulted in a civil war, complete with guerrilla operations and a flood of refugees to India. India decided to support the East and this led to conflict on the India-West Pakistan border. In December 1971 the West Pakistani forces were defeated in East Pakistan, which became the independent nation of Bangladesh.
A Golden Age by Tahmima Anam explores this conflict through the eyes of one family – a young widow Rehana Haque and her two teenage children. Initially oblivious to the political dissent around her, Rehana is soon caught up in the rebellion and resulting conflict. The novel is the first of a proposed trilogy, with the second instalment The Good Muslim just about to be released.
If you would prefer to explore more contemporary Pakistan in this challenge, rather than delve into the history, here are a few ideas.
You could visit Karachi with Broken Verses by Kamila Shamsie or Tresspassing by Uzma Aslam Khan or make your way to Lahore by reading Mohsin Hamid’s Moth Smoke.
But for this challenge I am going for something a little off-beat.
Apart from anything else A Case of Exploding Mangoes by Mohammed Hanif has one of the most intriguing titles I have come across for some time!
A fictional take on the death of Pakistan’s dictator General Zia in a mysterious plane crash in August 1988, this novel is touted as a comedy. Apparently many of the characters and events portrayed in the book are real – and the reviewers on Amazon promise me and “unpredictable but very enjoyable read”. That’s enough for me!
What is your choice for the Pakistan World Party Reading Challenge? If nothing here strikes your fancy, then have a look at the other books set in Parkistan we have found. And then let us know what you are reading in the comments below…..
And if you have enjoyed this post, please click the Facebook Like button on this page, so we can spread the word to other potential Challengers…
Happy exploring…
UPDATE: Read my review for A Case of Exploding Mangoes
Suzi
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Review of The Long Song by Andrea Levy – Books set in Jamaica
I have just finished reading Andrea Levy’s The Long Song for the April World Party Reading Challenge for books set in Jamaica. (yes, yes…I know I’m behind!) and so while I’m finding myself thinking in the style of Miss July’s Jamaican patois, I shall do my very best not to write in it!
I really enjoyed this novel in which we view the abolishing of slavery in Jamaica through the unreliable eyes of Levy’s main character Miss July, interrupted by the odd interjection from July’s son Thomas, who questions her recollections.
Born on a slave plantation and taken away from her mother to become a ‘lady’s maid’ at around nine years old, July is forced to wait hand and foot on her ‘Missus’, Caroline Mortimer, the sister of the plantation owner John Howarth. Caroline soon becomes almost entirely dependent on July, and the relationship between the two of them is one of the main strands of the novel.
It is when July is in her late teens that the plantation’s slaves start smelling the whiff of freedom, but it is still many years before emancipation, and the road there is far from smooth.
As is inevitable in any book about slavery, this novel is confronting. And at times it is almost unbearable to witness the attitudes of the plantation owners.
In one scene, Howarth is showing off the strength of his slave Kitty to Caroline.
“Show your mistress your legs,” (Howarth says to Kitty)
Kitty did not move.
“Lift up your skirt and show her your legs.”
When Kitty still did not take heed of his command he huffed,”Oh, good God,” before grabbing the worn cloth of Kitty’s skirt and raising it almost to her waist. Kitty turned her head to one side as John Howarth beckoned his sister. He commenced rubbing his hand up and down Kitty’s leg saying, “Come and feel the muscles.”
This is not the worst example of the liberties whites took with the bodies of their slaves, but it does reveal the casual indifference they had towards them – treating them as nothing more than livestock.
There is no gloss to be seen in Levy’s account of daily life on the plantation – from the birth of children to the reality of daily ablutions, the raw physical nature of plantation life is revealed in all its glory. Here are just a couple of examples:
“But Kitty did at that moment fall upon her knees and, with her heavy belly brushing the dirt floor, crawl upon the mat. Soon the trash, which was the substance of her mattress, was soaked through with Kitty’s sweat – it squelched underneath her as she writhed, tormented, for some position that might ease her pain.”
“One–wearing a bright-red madras kerchief upon her head and an apron at her waist that was so splattered with stains it did appear like a map — was chewing upon something with her mouth agape. Another picked at the contents of her nose, wiping it upon the filthy rag of her skirt as she angled her head awkwardly so she might better see through an eye that was bruised-bloody, swollen and half closed.”
All the worst of human physicality is proudly displayed in this novel – and it is not for the squeamish!
But despite being in a novel which appears to be coated in sweat and grime, July emerges as a truly irrepressible character. She is mischievous and feisty, intelligent and quick-witted and her ability to outfox her lazy, dim mistress is true entertainment.
The Baptist War
While Levy moves through various time periods, it is the lead up to and the years following the abolishing of slavery in the British Empire which hold the most interest for me.
There is very little historical fact and background included in the novel itself because as July points out, without the benefits of modern communications, she really didn’t know what was going on around the island throughout such pivotal events. Referring to the telephone she says “If there was such an invention at the time of this Baptist War (as my son does name it), then I am sure I would have known what was going on everywhere at one time. But there was not.”
So, as July is unable to furnish us with the facts, here’s what I have been able to find out.
The Baptist War of Christmas 1831 was an uprising which saw as many as 60,000 slaves mobilised. It had begun as a general strike but soon became a fully-fledged rebellion lasting 10 days. Led by the Baptist preacher Samuel Sharpe the uprising was soon repressed by the plantation owners and Sharpe was hanged. Around 500 slaves were killed during the revolt or executed afterwards.
Statue of Samuel Sharpe in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Image by Pozole via Wikimedia Commons
But while the rebellion was unsuccessful, it is thought to have contributed to the call for emancipation, which finally came in 1938.
For July and her fellow slaves, this period is filled with much uncertainty, and it is heartbreaking to witness these promises of freedom being routinely dashed. And even when the slave-trade is completely abolished, things do not necessarily improve – the rules are all gone, and plantations are not obligated to hire or house the people who have worked their lands for generations. The former slaves do not emerge into a level playing field.
It is distressing to realise how deeply the arrogance and contempt of the white plantation owners ran both before and after abolition. Even apparently ‘enlightened’ characters are unable to contemplate a world in which the former slaves might have their own ideas, ambitions and abilities – and in fact do all they can to crush their entrepreneurial spirit.
New life for Falmouth?
The novel is set in Falmouth on Jamaica’s north coast; it had one of the busiest ports on the island and was central to the slave trade. With nearly a hundred plantations producing sugar and rum, Falmouth was wealthy and vibrant during its heyday with as many as 30 ships in the harbour on any given day.
But with the end of slavery, the town suffered a rapid decline. This has left at least one positive legacy. With a lack of development over the years, many of Falmouth’s original buildings are still standing, making it one of the best preserved Georgian towns in the Caribbean.
Falmouth has recently experienced a resurgence, as cruise companies realise its potential both for historical tourism and as a landing point for those wishing to visit Montego Bay and Ocho Rios. In fact one such cruise liner has spearheaded the building of a new port, which it is hoped will bring much needed commercial activity to the town. As with all projects such as this there is some controversy, but those behind it say it will be sensitive to the historic nature of the town. If anyone has been to Falmouth recently, I would love to hear your thoughts on this…I understand it is still very much a work in progress.
In so many ways this is a heart-breaking novel and reminds us that it often takes generations before real change is made. And even when it does, there are new sets of problems; the legacy of what has come before. But despite the dark history being told here, Levy’s (and July’s) narration manages to pick out the light moments and give us plenty to smile about along the way.
On finishing this novel I couldn’t help but think how much I’d love to sit down with Miss July to share a cup of tea and some of her finest naseberry preserve – and have her tell me some more of her marvellous stories. Of course, I know Miss July has a habit of bending the truth from time to time, but I think I can live with that!
Suzi
P.S. Have you read The Long Song? Have you ever been to Falmouth? Let us know in the comments what you thought….
Here’s the full list of World Party Reading Challenge countries for the year
October 2010 – Afghanistan
November 2010 – Turkey
December 2010 – Greece
January 2011 – Iran
February 2011 – England
March 2011 – Ireland
April 2011 – Jamaica
May 2011– Pakistan
June 2011 – Russia
July 2011 – Spain
August 2011 – Thailand
September 2011 – India
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