Black Coat

by Neamat Imam

In the aftermath of Bangladesh's bloody war of independence in 1971, as thousands of migrants from the countryside flood the capital, journalist Khaleque Biswas begins to feel the stirrings of disillusionment. The revolutionary spirit that had filled the air and united the people under the leadership of Sheikh Mujib, the "Father of the Nation", seems to be dissipating. The government's response to the crisis is inadequate, and the country's slow slide into political corruption seems inevitable. Uncompromising and undiplomatic, Khaleque soon loses his job. Then Nur Hussain turns up: a simple young man from a remote village, his welfare has been entrusted to Khaleque by a passing acquaintance. Unable to turn Nur away, Khaleque sets out to secure him a job, but discovers that the placid fellow has no skills whatsoever, nor much ambition. He seems adept only at impersonating Sheikh Mujib, to whom he bears some resemblance. When the masses begin flocking to him, the authorities take notice - with shocking results. Neamat Imam's debut is an intense tale told by a born storyteller, animated by humour as dark as the iconic outerwear that gives the novel its title. The tortured origins of modern Bangladesh are brought to life vividly, and provide a poignant backdrop to a central drama that Dostoyevsky and Kafka would have applauded.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Politics, Bangladesh, Novels

353 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 15, 2013

About the author

Neamat Imam is a Bangladeshi author based in Canada. His first novel, The Black Coat, was first published by Penguin Books India in 2013. It was published in 2015 by Periscope Books in Britain. It is a dystopian portrait of Bangladesh under Prime Minister Sheikh Mujib and a "dark political satire fuelled by anger and absurdist humour" (Independent). In a review, Outlook India called the novel "an extraordinary book ... a fine work of fiction." The Sunday Guardian said it was "destined to be a future classic."

Reviews:

"Dark political satire fuelled by anger and absurdist humour." - The Independent, UK
"...one of the best to come out of the subcontinent in the recent past." - Financial Express
"A powerful fictional revisiting of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's troubled legacy in Bangladesh" - Mint
"...the book that slays Sheikh Mujib..." - Radio Canada
"The Black Coat will be used -- again and again -- as the gold standard for any book which seeks to engage with South Asian politics or history." - The Sunday Guardian
"...a tragic tale of power, pretence, idealism and greed..." - Deccan Herald
"...a poignant political tale... Imam has shown a lot of courage in dealing with one of the most tumultuous and controversial phases of independent Bangladesh's history." - The Daily Star
"...pure satire, written with such disarming earnestness that one might neglect to shake it down and dissect its numerous layers." - Asian Review of Books

Reviews

[Meema · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the guise of politics , it is one man's personal philosophical battle. While the premise and the starting of this historical fiction was very good, sadly the writing slowly gets sloppier up to the point where it becomes excruciating. At the beginning I was genuinely intrigued by the lead characters but by the middle of the book they become incomprehensible and I could not care less for any of them. Kudos to the writer for having chosen a subject which is generally considered taboo,better-forgotten and sensitive. I will also recommend this book over Tahmima Anam's Golden Age anyday.

[Meem Arafat Manab · Rating 2 out of 5]

পটেনশিয়ালের শ্রাদ্ধ এই বই জুড়ে। চমৎকার কয়েকটা দৃশ্য, মূল চরিত্রটা তো চরিত্রের পোয়াবারো, কিন্তু লেখা একেবারেই বাজে হইছে, আর বইয়ের গল্পটা হয়া গেছে দোআঁশলা। এইরকম হতাশাজনক ফিনালে সম্পাদকের চোখ এড়ায়ে গেছে, লেখার কিছু অংশ বোঝা যায় না, সেগুলিও কোনো না কোনোভাবে তার নজর এড়ায়ে গেছে। হয়তো বাংলায় লিখলে ভালো করতেন ইনি, কানাডায় বসবাস করলেই ইংরেজী চমৎকার হবে, এমন কোনো কথা তো নাই।
টপিক দুর্দান্ত, রুশদীর মুখে ছুড়ে দেয়ার মতো। একজন লোক, যে আপনার নেতার ভাষণ বিক্রি করে খাচ্ছে। কিন্তু, ঐ যে বললাম, লেখা (যেমন এক জায়গায় এক চরিত্রের বর্ণনা, 'হি ওয়াজ এ অডিও-কাইন্যাস্থেটিক লার্নার'), লেখা ওটাকে বুমেরাং বানায়ে রুশদীর মুখ থেকে আমাদের মুখে নিয়ে আসবে। প্রথম অ্যান্টি-মুজিব লিটারেচারটা আরেকটু ভালো হইলে শান্তি পাইতাম।

অভিন্ন ঘৃণা সত্ত্বেও বইটারে ভালো বলা যাচ্ছে না। আইডিওলজি জায়গায় জায়গায় ভয়ঙ্করভাবে মিলে যাওয়া সত্ত্বেও। আরে ভাই, আর্ট বলে তো কিছু আছে, না?
(জহির ভাইকে ধন্যবাদ)

[Ravi Jain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most of us in India, remember 1971 as the year in which we had fought a war with Pakistan. We do not realise the importance of that war, which led to the birth of a new nation, a new neighbour – Bangladesh. This book, set in the nascent period of Bangladeshi independence, is a satire on the Mujib government of that time.

Full review of The Black Coat on BookGeeks.in

[Arfaz Uddin · Rating 4 out of 5]

মনে রাখবা, রক্ত যখন দিয়েছি, রক্ত আরো দেবো। এদেশের মানুষকে মুক্ত করে ছাড়বো ইনশাল্লাহ। এবারের সংগ্রাম আমাদের মুক্তির সংগ্রাম, এবারের সংগ্রাম স্বাধীনতার সংগ্রাম। জয় বাংলা!

১৯৭১ সালের ৭ ই মার্চে প্রদানকৃত বঙ্গবন্ধু শেখ মুজিবুর রহমানের ভাষণের অংশবিশেষ।

সাদা পাঞ্জাবি, কালো ফ্রেমের চশমা, কালো কোটি, মাথায় কাচাপাকা চুল, ঘন গোফ, এই চিত্রগুলোর খন্ডাংশকে জুড়লে দাঁড়ায় এক বড় ছবি, আমাদের জাতির পিতা বঙ্গবন্ধু শেখ মুজিবুর রহমান। তার দৃঢ় কন্ঠ এবং বলিষ্ঠ ব্যক্তিত্ব তখনকার সকলের মন জয় করে ফেলে। শুধুমাত্র একটি ভাষণে, একটি আঙুল হেলনে যেনো দেশের শত কোটি মানুষ ঝাপিয়ে পরে নিজের জীবনকে বলিদান করতে প্রস্তুত হয়ে যাবে। তিমিরের মত স্তব্ধ আর বজ্রের মত স্পৃহা তার। ইতিহাসে একটি জাতি গঠনের জন্য সকলের জাগরনী গান শোনানোর মত একজন রক্ষকের চরিত্রে শেখ মুজিব নিজের ভূমিকা বেশ সুন্দরভাবেই পালনে সক্ষম হলেন। তার নেতৃত্বের জেরে দেশের মানুষ একত্র হলো, লড়াই করলো হায়েনাদের বিপক্ষে এবং জয়ী হলো। ইতিহাসের পাতায় লিখিত হলো স্বাধীন বাংলাদেশের নাম। আর স্বাধীন বাংলাদেশ গঠনে যার নাম ইতিহাসের পাতায় জ্বলজ্বল হয়ে রইলো তিনি আর কেউ নন, বঙ্গবন্ধু শেখ মুজিবুর রহমান। যিনি কিনা ২৬ শে মার্চ থেকে ১০ জানুয়ারী পর্যন্ত জেল খেটেছেন, তবুও তিনি হয়ে দাড়ালেন নতুন বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনের এক অসীম বীর হিসেবে, কেননা বাগ্মী অনুভূতিপ্রবণ দেশপ্রেমি এই নেতা একটি ভাষণ দিয়ে স্বাধীনতার দিকে তিলে তিলে ধাবিত করেছেন বাংলাদেশকে। আর তাই তিনি এ দেশের যোগ্য জাতির পিতা বলে আখ্যায়িত হলেন, যদিও ব্যক্তিগতভাবে এই পুরো ব্যাপারটির সাথে দ্বিমত পোষণ করেন, সে মতভেদের ফলস্বরূপ ১৯৭৫ সালের ১৫ আগস্টে স্বপরিবারে নিহত হন বঙ্গবন্ধু। কিন্তু কেন ফিদেল কাস্ত্রের হিমালয়সম ব্যক্তিত্বধারী শেখ মুজিবের এই দশা হলো? কেনই বা স্বদেশীরা শেষমেষ নিজ জাতির পিতার রক্ত নিজ গায়ে মাখলো? সে ইতিহাস কমবেশি সকলের ই জানা আছে।


গল্পের মূল নায়ক খালেক বিশ্বাস, যিনি মুক্তিযোদ্ধা নামে এক পত্রিকার সাংবাদিক ছিলেন। যুদ্ধপরবর্তী দেশে নিজের কথাকে দেশের মানুষের মাঝে পৌছে দেয়ার মাঝেই পত্রিকা থেকে চাকরী ছুটে যায় তার। তার আগেই পরিচয় এক অকূপমুন্ডক যুবক নুর হোসেনের সাথে, যে কিনা এসেছে রূপসাগর গ্রাম থেকে। যুদ্ধপরবর্তী দেশে চাকুরীর সন্ধানযুদ্ধে বাজেভাবেই পরাজয় ঘটে খালেকের। এদিকে জীবন্মৃত যুবক নূর হোসেইন এর যেনো বেচে থাকাই দায়। কিন্তু একদিন শহীদ মিনার প্রাঙ্গনে যেনো ভূতে ধরে তাকে, চেচিয়ে উঠে বলতে থাকতে শেখ মুজিবের ৭ ই মার্চের সেই ভাষন। সেই ভাষনে ফুটে উঠে মুজিবের সেই দৃপ্ততা, বলিষ্ঠ কন্ঠের জোয়ার এবং মুজিবের মত হুবুহু কণ্ঠের তীব্রতা। সেখানকার আশেপাশের মানুষদেরকে উদ্দীপ্ত করে সেই ভাষন, যে ভাষন হয়ত কখনই শোনার সৌভাগ্য তাদের হয়নি। সেই ভাষণ শোনার বিনিময়ে নূর হোসেনের দিকে সেই অর্ধনগ্ন জরাজীর্ণ মানুষগুলো কিছু পয়সা ছুড়ে মারে৷ আর তখনি খালেক বিশ্বাসের মাথায় আসে এক অভিনব বুদ্ধি। আর সেই বুদ্ধিকে কাজে লাগিয়েই ঘুরে যায় তার আর নূর হোসেনের মোড়।

একটি প্রতীক কে ব্যবহার করা, এবং সেই ব্যবহার দিয়ে ব্যক্তিস্বার্থ সিদ্ধির চমৎকার নজির এই উপন্যাস। ৭ই মার্চের ভাষণ ছিলো আমাদের দেশের মানুষদের জন্য আবেগের স্থান। এটি এমন এক ভাষণ যেটি দিয়ে স্বাধীনতা অর্জিত হয়েছিলো। কিন্তু সে ভাষনদাতা আর ভাষন সেটি ই স্বাধীন পরবর্তী দেশের জন্য হয়ে দাড়িয়েছিলো সবথেকে বড় ক্ষতির কারন। সেই সময়কার প্রেক্ষাপটে এই গল্পটির প্রতীকায়ন বেশ গভীর এবং চমৎকার। কেননা জাতির পিতার ধারক যেকোনো কর্মকান্ড করবার লাইসেন্স পেতে পারে, এটি ছিলো সে সময়কার একটি অহরহ চিত্র। দেখা যেতো দেশে ঘটা যেকোনো অপকর্মের পেছনে শাসকের চাটুকারদল দায়ী থাকতো, সে চিত্রকে বেশ ভালোভাবেই তুলে ধরেছে।

খালেক বিশ্বাস চরিত্রের মাধ্যমে তিনি দেখান এক স্বার্থান্বেষী অন্ধ মানুষ যার চোখে নিজ স্বার্থ ব্যতীত আর কিছুই নেই। তিনি মুজিবের ব্যক্তিত্বকে তার আইডিওলজি তে অন্ধ হয়ে সেটিকে পুজি করেছেন। আর নূর হোসেন হয়ে দাড়ালো চেপে ধরে রাখা ন্যায়ের প্রতীক হিসেবে। যে ন্যায় আসতে চাইলেও ফ্যাসিবাদ তার নাক কান মুখ কে দৃঢ়ভাবে চেপে ধরে রাখে। নূর হোসেন যেনো সেই জনগন যে জনগন তৎকালীন জাতির পিতার শাসনের উদাসিনতার স্বীকার হয়েছেন।

সব মিলিয়ে চমৎকার একটি উপন্যাস, একটি নিখুত চিত্র তুলে ধরতে সক্ষম হলো কিন্তু পুরো গল্পের প্রতীকায়ন যেনো বেশ ছোট হয়ে দাড়ালো গল্পের তুলনায়৷ এটি পুরো গল্পের গভীরতাকে যেনো অনেকটাই ক্ষুণ্ণ করেছে। পুরো গল্পটা যেনো অনেক গভীরতা ধারন এবং চিত্রের পরিসর কে বাড়ানোর পটেনশিয়ালটি ছিলো কিন্তু কোনো কারনে লেখক গল্পের একই দিকে বারবার চক্কর খেয়ে গেলেন, যে ব্যাপার অবগত হলো না আমার। এতে গল্পটি যেনো কোথাও গিয়ে খাবি খেতে থাকলো সামান্য ভ্যালিডেশন এর আশায়।

সব মিলিয়ে বেশ চমৎকার রাজনৈতিক ফিকশন বই। ভালো মন্দ সবটাকে পাশে রাখলে পড়ার মত বই। বইটির আরো অনেক দিক আছে যা বইটিকে বেশ ইউনিক করেছে। জাতির পিতার প্রতীক কে ব্যবহার করে সমাজে নিজ ত্রাশ আর লাভ অর্জন করবার প্রবনতাকে এত চমৎকারভাবে প্রকাশ করা সহজ নয়। আসলেই জাতির পিতার একটি অন্ধকার চিত্রকে তুলে ধরতে সক্ষম হয়েছেন তিনি।

[Tariqul Ponir · Rating 4 out of 5]

What to say about a book that says in its cover, "A dark dystopian portrait of Bangladesh under Prime Minister Sheikh Mujib"?
The thing to learn from this line is that there is a very high probability of getting hurt if you are a Sheikh Mujib fan but may find it intensely pleasing if you psyche is the other way around. Now that I've read it I have a lot of question about the authenticity of some of the data I came to know. Let me see the book through the eye of a foreigner, the way I read books about Cold War, Second World War, Vietnam War, Iraq War; mostly written by an American writer. Although the incidents I mentioned are all wars, this book is not about Bangladesh Liberation War but about the events that followed the war.
The newly born nation has formed its government almost one year after the liberation. But but a famine struck the country before every sector of the administrator became stable. According to the legends the words that Mujib says, "After the liberation I'm left with a bunch of thieves." The famine takes a lot of life. And amidst of this we get a story of a newly unemployed journalist, a young boy who came to capital to find work. There is another major character named 'Moina Mia' who is the representative of the Political Leaders of that time.
The story is well written in many short sentences including a lot of lectures about what everyone's duty in the country is. It is described in the first person view of the journalist Khaleq Biswas who upon struck with unemployment uses the silent, carefree boy Nur Hossain to create a fake Sheikh Mujub and exploits people's admiration about Sheikh Mujib. But as the story progressed the prime minister Sheikh Mujib becomes more and more notorious among the public for his wrong decisions. And the journalist's protegé begin to have a say of his own and being the person 'nothing to loose', his thoughts show some fiery explosions, which in turn make the relation between the journalist and the boy very complicated.
The character Moina Mia a Member of Parliament is the typical politician of the south asia. He is more concerned about the leader's fame than the well being of the people. He spends enough money to print enough copies of 'Sheikh Mujib - OUR PROTECTOR' so that everyone in the proximity can have five copies of it, than spending the money for providing food for the starving people. And uses Militia to a great extent. His working force is described who were dumb and became more dumber as the party sucked intelligence out of them.
One thing I must mention, that the author has spent enough time and word to justify each action of every character and didn't leave it to the reader. Even the seemingly fraud journalist will make sense at times. And this cheat, even though changes his opinion time to time, will convince you that he is right.
The prime minister appears only one time in the whole novel. And he is portrayed as the person who loves his people and he should not be asked any questions. Even though at later part we see how unsatisfied the people were. And the small number of books of Bangladeshi writes that I've read, I found that, they all had satisfying conclusion. This book is not an exception to that. The conclusion is satisfying as well as shocking, the poor perishes, the middle class loathes itself, and the upper class gets away. A spot on ending.
Now that I've said that, as a Bangladeshi I doubt some aspects. The writer informed that only 0.3 million people died in the war. But I believe it is 3 million. I have a lot of other questions, but let them slide.

[Ming · Rating 3 out of 5]

What an intriguing read! This parody and/or morality tale critiques the "father of Bangladesh." I thought I had known a good amount about Bangladesh and the war for its independence but I appreciated reading this book to stretch or revise some notions I had held.

The book creates an innovative tool or springboard from which to reveal some history. As I read this, the story crept up slowly and then grabbed me. Its hold was solid and assured. The writing is confident and very clever. I would definitely read other works by this author and I hope he is working on something, several somethings.

[Ruponti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Need more recommendations about political fiction from Bangladesh!!!

[Miu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting topic with a complex narrator and dark story, which, however, became a bit boring after like 150 pages

[Emma Griffiths · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway and picked it up knowing absolutely nothing about Bangladesh or it's Political history.

The book is about a charismatic leader who takes control of a state. However, Once in power, We realise that he has no intention to act in the interest of the people that he is supposed to be representing. This is something that is all too familiar in the world of politics. Therefore, I found the story all too easy to relate to.

This is an extremely haunting tale, That I would certainly recommend to anyone. It has furthered my interest to find more out about Bangledesh and it's history.

[Kadri · Rating 4 out of 5]

After finishing reading this book I couldn't find anything to say about it - it seemed surreal and crazy and violent and then suddenly everything calms down. It is fascinating what is going on in the book, and it's very well written, and I'll be reading it again and will write a longer review after I've done so.

[Animesh Mitra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dystopian novel. Similar to 1984 of George Orwell.

[Aritra Ahamed · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very poignant tale indeed. At times, it will instigate your tears. At other times, it will seriously enrage you.The novel deals with the famine of 1974 that was caused by the maladministration of Sheikh Mujib and Co. The other Evils of Sheikh Mujib, like BAKSAL or Rakkhibahini, have not been dealt with, but the author is quite successful in his portrayal of the horror of the famine as well as the brutal disinterestedness of the Makers of the famine.

The Black Coat can be an ideal example of 'Fictionalised History'. While dealing with history, fiction should not repeat dry historical details. It is more important for the author to touch on the significance of the details, to make readers feel the true spirit of the historical events he is dealing with. We don't read historical novels so much to learn the detailed account of a particular historical event as to learn how to 'react to that event' as a neutral spectator. An author must take help of his imagination to guide his readers through the entrails of history, to help the readers adopt the suitable viewpoint to judge what happened, how, and why. However, this is not easy. 'Too much history' may blur the truth. At the same time, too much imagination may subvert the history itself.

So, the most difficult job is to maintain a balance between imagination and recorded historical truths, especially when matters are highly political and any excess in imagination or in details can significantly mislead the reader. 'The Black Coat', in my observation, is successful in that regard.

The novel is especial to me for many different reasons. But the most especial of them is to imagine three Sheikh Mujibs side by side. One is the ruler Mujib, the real Mujib. Then, Nur Hossain, the fake Mujib, who ultimately rejected Mujib and Mujibism. And lastly, Klaleque Biswas, the 'little Sheikh Mujib', a truth-seeking journalist transformed into an arrogant, power-mongering Mujib-supporter, who, despite his knowledge of the futility of Mujib's rhetorics, accepted Mujibism to earn money. He killed Nur Hossain when Nur Hossain called him 'little Sheikh Mujib' to insult him; however, by this act of killing, he only confirmed the Mujibity he acquired as a response to the famine. He spent his later life trying his best to erase his guilt, but found it impossible. The tragedy of Khaleque Biswas hurts us, but it reveals how a sane, sensible and sensitive person like him can also be affected by the surrounding businesses of politics, power and greed, and can eventually lose the basic human qualities temporarily or permanently.

As I wrote earlier, the author kept the famine in his focus, and didn’t touch the other aspects of Sheikh Mujib's regime (although he mentioned BAKSAL once in the penultimate chapter of the novel). Although this fact does not undermine the novel as an artwork, the reader must remember one thing. The brutality and the arbitrariness of Sheikh Mujib's regime were not limited to the famine of 1974 (which claimed the lives of 1.5 million people) alone. After reading this novel, one can add BAKSAL and Rakkhibahini to the story to get a full picture of the so-called father of the nation, Sheikh Mujib, who was actually the most brutal dictator Bangladesh has ever produced.

All thanks go to Neamat Imam for producing such a wonderful work of fiction. At a time when we are confronted with the strenuous task of rewriting the post-independence history of Bangladesh, fictional works like 'The Black Coat' can guide and inspire us more than many of the so-called history books available in the market.

[Shaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this book. It follows a man, Khaleque, who sort of doesn't believe in anything in a time where nationalism and patriotism are at a high in Bangladesh as it gained independence from Pakistan. It's a story about how Khaleque exploits the faith and misfortune of those around him for personal gain and the consequences of that.

We see this protagonist deliberate on the issues he initially doesn't care much about, including poverty, famine, and the saint-like veneration given to the Prime Minister, Sheikh Mujib.

Mujib is presented as a distant leader; though he is leading the country, he is seemingly turning a blind eye to the rampant poverty and famine plaguing Bangladesh at the time. I thought it was interesting that Khaleque's relationship with Sheikh Mujib sort of reflected this; despite being an Awami League member, Khaleque has no real idea of who Sheikh Mujib is. Because of this, this book felt like much more of a character study of Khaleque and though it's set against an intense political climate, involving a political leader, it's less of a political book than I had expected.

Khaleque's exploitation of the poor came in the form of creating a sort of tribute figure of Sheikh Mujib using a man, Nur, as the Mujib figure. This book also explores Nur's disillusionment with Mujib as well as his loss of respect for Khaleque.

Nur's speech is a strong symbol in this book. He uses his speech to achieve various things, from inspiring to protesting to preaching to hatred.

Overall, I liked it.

[eisha sarkar · Rating 3 out of 5]

An eye-opening historical fiction

Rarely have I come across historical fiction set in 1970s Bangladesh. The new country suffered while the old ones gradually forgot about it after its Liberation War in 1971. From the very brief readings about the war in India, I had always believed Sheikh Mujibur Rehman to be a Bhagat Singh-like extremely charismatic and brave revolutionary figure. To find him portrayed in negative light after he became the head of the country and slowly turning dictator as people starved to death during a famine is an eye-opener. I have found The Black Coat, dark and miserable and been almost on the verge of giving up because of the bleakness portrayed. But I egged myself on, to finish it. I only had to read it. Many Bangladeshis have had to live it. The author, Neamat Imam, has made his point well.

[Khalid Mahbub · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that describes the psyche of all traumatized post-colonial nations coming to terms with its own pitiful existence. A fiction more real than all the crafted history of failed dictatorships brutally struggling to survive. A truth so raw one cannot understand it unless one lives through it. Kudos to Imam Neamat. You have given future generations the answer that questions all of this madness. And from it the solution that shall be self-evident.

[MIA · Rating 3 out of 5]

a psychological narrative of post-independence bangladeshi politics. the personal as political.

although i was very much intrigued by the trajectory of Khaleque and Nur both as individuals and within their relationship, the lack of place and at times plot left me wanting for more. it was a slow read and the dialogue, too, felt burdensome.

[Chandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

The good part: You go through a journey of mental and moral downfall along with the main character, all while observing a "fictional" picture of a very real and "politically sensitive" event...
The bad part: It gets too close to real mental breakdowns and illusions...making it feel real and thus sloppy and hurting your head, in stead of sounding like a "story"...so might be tiring for many.

[Jack Greenberg]

Worthwhile to revisit this novel in the aftermath of Sheikh Hasina's resignation. Raises difficult questions about the legacy of Sheikh Mujib not only in light of recent calamities but also with fifty years now having passed since the 1974 Famine.

[Paul Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

It meanders but it's an interesting world to meander in. Politics is nearly depoliticized - treated like a job in a place and time where jobs are scarce. (Also on chapters.ca)

[Ananna · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. Found it difficult to get into the story, not for me.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A poignant and powerful book

[Anna Landis · Rating 3 out of 5]

khaleque is truly and genuinely horrible and he is all of us

[Abu Rayhan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Assalamualaikum. Please, can we talk? Actually, I am book promotion expert, and i am from Bangladesh, so we want to talking about your book

[Isha · Rating 3 out of 5]

A promising plot but the writing left much to be desired.

[David Grieve · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story revolves around the birth of Bangladesh as a nation and its first leader, Sheik Mujib. It is told through the eyes of a journalist (Biswas) who loses his job on the Freedom Fighter newspaper and has to find another way of making money in an increasingly desperate country.

The story gets progressively more surreal as Biswas takes in Nur Hussain and finds a truly bizarre line of work for them to make money. His relationship with Nur is the core of the story as it ebbs and flows as does his sympathy for the ever more totalitarian government.

The story is described as dystopian and it is that. It was very enjoyable and well written and covered a period of history I knew nothing about. The characters are, without exception, unlikeable; although it takes a while to realise this in some cases. It is not an easy read but is worth sticking with.

[John Shepard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short Version: I would rate this story between 3 and half to four stars. It is a political story and written in the first person. It may appeal to a lot of people who love politics.

Long Version: I would rate this story between 3 and half to four stars. The writing while overall good has some strange formatting issues that I suppose could be a style choice but I have never seen it before. The first paragraph of every chapter isn't indented, which seems strange. Another thing I personally don't like is that the book is in first person, I just never cared for first person books.

Now I don't want people to think I'm slamming this book. Putting the formatting and writing style aside, the author did a great job on his research and the hard work he put into the story. Personally i know next to nothing about Bangladesh or its history so in that regard this book can help to enlighten readers on its dark history.

As for the story itself, it really wasn't my kind of book. Politics just aren't my thing. However, like with all writing, what is boring to me is amazing and great to someone else. So I know this story will appeal to a lot of people.

[Big · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gives a general idea into how Mujib ran his government; true chilling facts. If you are reading the book for the sake of knowing the facts only, The entire book is summarized in the last three chapters! And it only focuses on the 1974 famine history, which is a taboo subject even among the current opposition parties. Not much can be found about the atrocities of "Rokkhi Bahini"

For the fictional part, I found some of the dialogues over dramatic; and sometimes the characters didn't even sound Bangladeshi! The protagonist was immature and overly emotional as usual. I also hoped that the author could describe the environment of Dhaka city a bit more elaborately, and the role of citizens and opposition parties during famine. Even the neighborhood of Khaled wasn't vividly described. Overall, the general impression i got was that the author didn't do much research into this period of time and executed a half-hearted attempt into making this book, where the idea is brilliant, but the finishing is poorly done.

[Octavio Saviano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished this. Amazing. The protagonist is a journalist, who utilizes his protege to earn money during the time of a devastating famine in Bangladesh. The book is like a fable. It is absolutely Orwellian. Politics is at its core, but politics is not the main issue; it is only the outer shell. Inside politics there is a world of deception and fraud, repression and regret. Not many novels I know of have mixed the public with the private so skillfully.

Imam writes in small sentences. His prose if dispassionate. He maintains a considerable distance from the story he writes, which is why I liked it most.

A serious piece of literature.

[Aurnab Arc]

Obviously, no one can do that for you or make you know what you don't want to know. You must exercise your free will to do so. No one can make you accountable for your thoughts or make you reason through this explanation for you. You've got to think about it on your own, and discern in your own soul how this explanation checks out. If it has the ring of true to it, take it as your guide.Since the dawn of representation we are in an era of text. However we could not but forget the foggy and smoggy time of Bakshal. Really wonderful experience for me to read such book like [The Black Coat]which one is full of information.

[Arafat Hassan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think it's the 1st time that a writer has taken an anarchist and analytic approach on our history of post 70's. In the present political context of Bangladesh, it is a must read for the ones that think about the future of this country. The style is unique and reflects he has successfully mastered the art of projecting words in his own way. About the content, I have to say it was royally explosive in the beginning, but I felt rewarded as I went on. It is a political thriller that we always needed!