Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Review: Killing the Water by Mahmud Rahman (Penguin, 2010)

It's nice when I can genuinely say nice things about a book (okay, you may laugh). :)

Mahmud Rahman's collection of short stories set in Bangladesh, and the US, during the time of unrest in Bangladesh, is sensitively written. The language is simple and evocative, and beautifully portrays the bewilderment of the common man caught in such a scenario.

In spite of their realism, the stories remain non-cynical, and there seems to be an innocence about Rahman's central characters. Most stories end on a note of hope and positivity - the feeling that all is or will be well again.

My personal favourite would be 'Postcards from a Stranger', 'Killing the Water', and 'Interrogation'.

1 comment:

  1. thanks...this should be an interesting read especially since our family also technically belongs to that side of the border... :)

    ReplyDelete