IT seemed that in the Ghost Lane of Old Dhaka, rumour and reality mirrored each other more often than they should. In fact, it's this mixture that's the tour de force of Shahidul Zahir's book I See The Face, and which fuels the characters across gender, age, nationality, and class.
In Ghost Lane, several spectres haunted its residents-for Chan Miya, who had been the talk of the town since he was born 'out of a bundle' and raised by monkeys, the spectre of his abusive childhood haunted him. For his mother, Khoimon, the spectre of poverty borne out of selling paper bags for a living and trading monkey-gossip for food. And for Mrs Zobeida Rahman, the spectre of Khoimon's shrewdness itself.
Most of the novel revolves around three childhood friends who drifted apart gradually: Mamun al Hye, Fakhrul Alam Ledu, and Chan Miya. Among the three, Chan Miya was bullied in school and eventually dropped out because of his association with monkeys and being a fatherless son of a destitute mother. The novel shows a deep class divide that scorns at Khoimon for sending her child to a school that had well-off children.
This story is from the May 15, 2023 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the May 15, 2023 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
The Macallan M 2023 debuts in India
Standing as a pinnacle of exclusivity, The Macallan M 2023 graces the shores of India with limited 10 handpicked bottles for whisky aficionados
Give it up for the science bros
They've got brains, brawn and billions in the bank. A new breed of wellness guru is doing for men what Gwyneth Paltrow did for women.
LIVING BY THE RULES
Chetan Bhagat returns to non-fiction with his new book-11 Rules for Life
The Mysterious City
Anuradha Kumar's The Kidnapping of Mark Twain paints an intriguing portrait of Bombay around the time of the American writer's visit
GOWDA KNOWS
Hot Stage, the third book in Anita Nair's Inspector Gowda mystery series, is here
WITH OUR OWN DESI SLEUTHS
Indian detective fiction gets its due in this massive, two-volume compilation from Hachette
PRIVATE PARADISE
Your home may well be your haven, but here are easy ways to make it your very own spa-dom.
Subversive IN SUBURBIA
A MONTH-LONG SHOW AT ART AND CHARLIE, MUMBAI, SHOWCASING THE WORKS OF POONAM JAIN AND YOGESH BARVE POSES SEVERAL QUESTIONS TO THE VIEWER
THE HOME THAT WAS
A soon-to-launch gallery at the Partition Museum in Delhi will showcase artefacts capturing 'The Lost Homeland of Sindh'
The Enchanted Forest
A perfect refuge for city-weary folk, Six Senses Vana, the global brand's first dedicated wellness retreat in India, is where you go to retrieve yourself: Rest, reset and rejuvenate, the blockbuster RRR of the wellness universe.