Book Review: Why There Are No Noyontara Flowers in Agargaon Colony
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Publisher: Harper Perennial India
Total Pages: 280 pages
Author: Shahidul Zahir
Translated by: V Ramaswamy
About the Author:
Born in 1953 in Old Dhaka, Shahidul Zahir published only six works in his short life – but these are some of the most unique and powerful works of fiction to have come out of the subcontinent. With his own particular blend of surrealism, folklore, oral storytelling traditions, magic realism, a searing understanding of social and political reality, and rare clarity of vision, he created a truly extraordinary oeuvre.
Book Cover: Why There Are No Noyontara Flowers in Agargaon Colony
The book Cover green background, with the title and author’s name in all caps white colour font.
There is s red circle in which 2 flowers and 1 silhouette like a person are made.
You cannot make out much from the cover. The complexity of stories and human emotions that’s hidden inside are absolutely contrast to the simplicity of the cover..
Plot/ Story Line:
In these pages is the world of the moholla, where rumours and gossip abound and where everyone knows everyone, where seemingly bizarre yet intriguing creations deliver profound commentary on post-independence Bangladesh. Superbly translated by V. Ramaswamy, each of these ten stories takes you beyond the rules of language and storytelling, into a place that is at once achingly familiar and terrifying.
My Take:
There are 10 stories from the mohalla in the book. Every story shows many facets of human emotions. The stories are set in Dhaka or a certain Ghost lane in South Moishundi, these stories are about both individual heroism & collective failure as a community. Couple of stories have a dramatic or violent climax and some a strong social-political implications.
The Thorn, The Fig-eating Folks, The woodcutter and the Raven and the title story about Noyantara flowers will always remain in my memory.
What worked for me?
The Author has left many stories at a cliff-hanger, it is up to the reader to make or imagine the climax on his own. The stories are addictive and drag you deeper into the mohalla and its people. You tend to think like you are part of the story. What if they have done it in a different way? Will the results change? And that is the magic of the Author.
What could have been better?
This book is a Legacy, I am no one to make or suggest any changes here as a reviewer. I enjoyed each and every story. As a happy go lucky reader, I would have loved some light at end of the tunnel at the end of at least one story.
I liked the book; however I am not eligible to give rating to the book that
Amazon link to buy is HERE!!
Please add Fast But Lost by Dr. Pallavi Joshi, published by Rupa publications in your 2023 TBR, and read it as soon as possible. This is not a collabration but a good will gesture to all my readers. here is the link to a quick review of the book.
Thanks to #bookchatter book review program by The Blogchatter, for bringing this book my way. Another Book that I have reviewed recently is The Curse of Kuldhara a criminal fiction.