The World in My Hands

by K. Anis Ahmed

Struggling newspaper-editor Hissam is finding it harder and harder to pretend that believing in your work is just as satisfying as landing a big promotion. His old college friend Kaiser has fared considerably better as one of the citys wealthiest property developers, who also happens to be married to the woman of Hissams dreams. Hissams chance to strike it big presents itself in the form of a military- backed Emergency that upends the countrys social order. Choosing to back different sides, Hissam and Kaiser find themselves trading places in a way that changes their relationship, and their lives, forever.

This richly satirical novel heralds a major new voice from Bangladesh.

K. Anis Ahmed is the author of Goodbye, Mr Kissinger, a collection of short stories. His short fiction has previously been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. Ahmed is the publisher of the daily Dhaka Tribune. The World in My Hands is his first novel.

Genres: Bangladesh, Asia

384 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2013

Reviews

[Dr Tanzeel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice story, though I feel the ending is a bit abrupt...

[Monideepa Sahu · Rating 4 out of 5]

K Anis Ahmed is a clever satirist with a wonderful sense of humour. Nothing escapes his sharp eye. He has presented an eminently readable story with well-rounded, likeable characters who struggle to live, love and succeed in Pandua, a thinly-disguised fictional representation of Bangladesh today.

[Iftekhar Alam Himel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really great political satire with a realistic anatomy of Bangladeshi politics. The writing is equally funny and poignant. Very promising!

[Hossain Mohammad Sarram · Rating 5 out of 5]

To those of us who loved through the 'emergency' especially as a student of the university, it was nostalgia, an homage to the some of the most exciting times of our lives.

K Anis Ahmed, brings to life the things which we only heard as rumours in those times.

This book is not only a satire on Bangladesh, it could well be set in Pakistan, or Malaysia, or Indonesia or Sri Lanka. What matters is how when the back is forced against a wall how human beings behave, whether it is the aggressor or the general public.

[Robert Kraybill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing historical fiction. Makes me want to know which parts are true to life and which parts fictionalised

[Fuad Saifullah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This satire is based on the military-backed caretaker regime of Bangladesh. I had better expectations from this novel.

[Saad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic piece of a political fiction based on a true story that I have witnessed first hand as a journalist. Awestruck by the author's narration of the storyline, the chronology of events as well as mix of politics, business, romance, sexual innuendos and strains in relationship. A must read for anyone who wishes to understand the political spectrum in Bangladesh between 2007 and 2008 that was formulated by a group of technocrats backed by a regime in uniform.

[Indiabookstore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bangladeshi author K. Anis Ahmed pens a story of two friends’ journeys, right from their childhood to manhood. The backdrop of the story is the Bangladeshi national emergency. Ahmed has intricately woven the minutest details of every situation in the story, but it is slightly slow-paced. Read on for the full review: http://www.indiabookstore.net/bookish...