‘Anam’s prose is glowing and graceful throughout; whether detailing the degradations of a refugee camp, the tenderness of an unexpected love affair, or the exhilarated dread of a nation in cataclysm.‘

‘Beautifully told, intimate and touching; Anam has a knack for making you care so desperately for her characters that you admire their failings as much as their strengths.’

‘This is storytelling at its best…A beautiful story of hope, heroism and human survival amid cruelty. Everyone should read this and learn.’ 

‘I couldn’t tear myself away…the authenticity shines through Anam’s beautiful, simple prose.’

‘In this striking debut novel…Anam deftly weaves the personal and the political, giving the terrors of war spare, powerful treatment.’

‘A major new talent.’

‘Tahmima Anam’s startlingly accomplished and gripping novel describes not only the tumult of a great historical event but also the small but heroic struggles of individuals living in the shadow of revolution and war.’

‘The author…is entirely in control of this absorbing book. Her characters are genuine and she cleverly delays resolutions and revelations. The story moves easily between its dual timelines, never confusing the reader but actually contributing to the plot see-sawing balance of country and city, East and West, religious fundamentalism and simple personal faith, bigotry and tolerance, life and death, loyalty and betrayal, love and hate.' 

‘Another epic novel of the Indian sub-continent, written by a gorgeous and precociously talented young woman…[Anam] writes both lyrically and loudly. Her style is rich with cadence and incantation. At the same time, it’s always accessible, always purposeful…A startling and sensuous story.’

 ‘Movingly poetic…Anam’s great gift is picking illuminating threads out of the chaos of life in masterful prose while maintaining an overwhelming sense of mystery. Superb.’