Revenge
A Fable
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
From the exiled Bangladeshi poet and internationally acclaimed author of Shame comes a delicious tale about getting even.
In modern Bangladesh, Jhumur marries for love and imagines life with her husband, Haroon, will continue just as it did when they were dating. But once she crosses the threshold of Haroon's lavish family home, Jhumur is expected to play the role of a traditional Muslim wife: head covered, eyes averted, and unable to leave the house without an escort. When she becomes pregnant, Jhumur is shocked to discover that Haroon does not believe the baby is his, demanding an immediate termination of the pregnancy. Overwhelmed by his distrust, Jhumur plots her payback in the arms of a handsome and artistic neighbor.
Readers the world over will eat up this cautionary tale of love, lust, and blood ties, delivered by the award-winning "voice of humanism everywhere" (Wole Soyinka).
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Nasrin s meager novel, Jhumur finds that her world has narrowed considerably following her love marriage to Haroon. Despite her education and determination, she is reduced to fulfilling her domestic duties as a daughter-in-law, staying home, and keeping veiled at all times, and she soon spirals into depression. Though Haroon is described as having once been considerate, respectful, and even romantic, the interwoven reveries of their courtship feel strained when juxtaposed with the controlling and jealous man he s become. Although the contrast is clearly intended to embody what Nasrin deems the inevitabilities of Islamic society, the effect is less critical than banal. The characters remain two-dimensional throughout, and the patterns of oppression into which they re locked feel trite rather than nuanced or real. However, given the author s exile from her native Bangladesh and the multiple fatwas against her, the themes of her work do resonate. Nasrin s is an important voice and her experiences, both with her art and as a fierce human rights advocate, demand international attention.
