The Good Muslim - Tahmima Anam

I heard of Tahmima Anam's first book "A golden age" but I did not get that book in the expo. So I bought this book . I started the book sometimes back finished more than 50 pages and left it, don't know why I did not continue. After almost 2 months I picked the book and started reading from where I left. Good that I finished the book , if not I would have missed a wonderful book.

This is the story during wartime Bangladesh , a bloody war which killed more than " 3 lakh" . I never knew that Bangladesh had this much bloody and horrible history. An eye opener. The story is about a relationship that changes after the war between a sister and a brother. Maya who returns home after a stint at a village as a medical officer (doctor) finds her brother completely changed from his old. Sohail who also fought the war as an Afgan soldier killed an innocent old man which haunted him and convert him to a pious man, in fact changed him to a religious teacher. And a sick mother.

First the author beautifully explores the pain and suffering of a whole country specially the young ones . Sohail and Maya's childhood life was told beautifully , they had their own dreams about future expecting good things from the country as well as from other people. Though they were in muslim country they were grown up with a liberal environment , thanks to their parents specially the mother.  The transformation after the war was dramatic , none of them expected it and no one know how to cope with the situation.

The experience of a doctor during war was told realistically through Maya's character. Specially how the so called "heroines" were treated . By the way 'heroines" means those girls who were raped by the Pakistani soldiers. Sohail experiences death of his friend and fate of a girl (Piya) who travelled with him .These two along with his murder of the old man made him to clung to more hardline practises of religion.

The book explores the clash between secular religious belief (Maya) and hardline Islam (Sohail). Slowly Maya understands her brother's stand on religion and even contemplating praying again. And there is  a story of Zaid, son of Sohail, who was not treated well by Huzoor at a madarasa , was rescued by Maya. But he was killed (?) or died . Maya never forgive her for let him die.

The writing is crystalline and it flows, I did not felt any difficulty in reading it. The story also tells the reader about the courage one needs to let go the nightmares of the war and move on in life. The country side life was told in a manner one can easily find himself/herself in it.  I will never think Bangladesh again in the same manner as I used to do before. This is the second book of the planned trilogy. I have to read the first one and I will definitely read the third one too.

A must read Asian author book !