by Tahmima Anam
First published 2007
In 1971 East Pakistan, widow Rehana Haque prepares a garden party for her nearly grown children, unaware that political revolution will soon shatter their fragile peace. As student protests escalate and military tensions rise, the country fractures into violent conflict. Rehana must protect her son and daughter while navigating impossible choices between personal safety and national uprising. With war consuming every corner of their world, she will be forced to make heartrending decisions that test the limits of maternal love and political resistance.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, political-thriller, family-drama
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: family-drama, political-resistance
Setting: Bangladesh
Period: Revolution, 1971
276 pages · Hardcover · John Murray (Publishers)