Tahmima Anam

Set during the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, A Golden Age follows Rehana Haque, a widowed mother living in Dhaka whose greatest priority is protecting her children. When her son and daughter become involved in the struggle for independence from Pakistan, Rehana finds herself drawn into a conflict that challenges her understanding of motherhood, loyalty, and sacrifice. Initially determined to keep her family safe, she gradually becomes involved in the resistance movement, using her home and personal resources to help those fighting for freedom. As violence escalates and ordinary life becomes increasingly dangerous, Rehana must confront the possibility that protecting her children may require supporting decisions she cannot fully control. Anam explores the intersection of private family life and national history, portraying how war transforms ordinary people and forces them to reconsider what they are willing to sacrifice for those they love.

The Startup Wife follows Asha Ray, a brilliant computer scientist who leaves her academic career to build a technology startup with her husband, Cyrus Jones, and their friend Jules. Their company develops an app that offers users personalised rituals and a sense of connection in an increasingly secular world. When the platform becomes a sensation, Cyrus’s charisma turns him into the public face of the business, while Asha’s technical contribution and intellectual authority are gradually overshadowed. As the company grows, the imbalance between their professional recognition and personal responsibilities begins to threaten both their marriage and Asha’s sense of self. Anam combines satire and contemporary fiction to examine gender inequality, entrepreneurial ambition, technology, and the cult of charismatic leadership. The novel questions who receives credit for innovation and how power can shift within relationships when professional success becomes inseparable from public image.

On a sinking island off the coast of Bangladesh, a community of women and children lives under the brutal control of Amma, a madam who buys and sells women trapped in sexual exploitation. The children grow up watching their mothers endure violence and servitude, dreaming of a freedom they can barely imagine. Everything begins to change when Kusum Khan, an educated young woman from the city, arrives on the island and refuses to accept her fate. Inspired by her defiance, the women begin to challenge the system that has kept them captive for generations. Told through the collective voice of the island’s children, Uprising is a powerful story of resistance, female solidarity, and the fight to reclaim one’s life. Against the backdrop of environmental vulnerability and entrenched inequality, Tahmima Anam explores how even the most oppressed can find the courage to imagine another world.