Slums of Paradise
Bangladesh

Slums of Paradise

by Samiha Hoque

War & Conflict Historical Fiction Fiction 2026

Summary

In 1970s Sylhet, Bangladesh, eleven-year-old Sumaya grows up sheltered by her family’s wealth, while fifteen-year-old Murshed lives under the shadow of his father’s controversial political loyalties. As the Bangladesh Liberation War tears the country apart, a chance encounter binds their lives together in ways neither could imagine. Four decades later, their children, Hinna and Burhaan, meet at a family gathering. Raised in America, Hinna longs for independence from the traditions governing her future, while Burhaan struggles with the inherited stigma and resentment surrounding his family. Drawn to each other despite the forces working against them, they must confront the secrets, loyalties, and political wounds passed down through generations. Spanning two eras, Slums of Paradise explores how war reshapes families long after the fighting ends, questioning whether love can overcome the weight of history and whether a new generation can escape the mistakes of the past.

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Country
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Asia
About the author
Samiha Hoque
Samiha Hoque

Samiha Hoque is a Bangladeshi American author, environmentalist, and co-founder of Shaherazad Shelves, an independent publishing press. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, she holds a bachelor’s degree in Earth and Environmental Sciences, with a minor in English. Her environmental work includes two Climate Justice Fellowships with the Center for Engagement, Environmental Justice, and Health. Hoque is also the author of the children’s books A Country of Beautiful People and Brave Is the Tiger, which draw inspiration from her Muslim Bengali upbringing. Her essays have received recognition, including the Dean Myrtle Saxe-Jacobson Award in Expository Prose. Her debut novel, Slums of Paradise, was selected as a winner of the She Writes Press STEP contest. Drawing on Bangladesh’s turbulent political history and the experiences of Bengali families, her fiction explores migration, cultural identity, intergenerational trauma, and the enduring influence of political conflict on private lives. She lives in Delaware.

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Details
Published
2026
Author
Samiha Hoque