The Ballad of Ayesha | Anisul Hoque (Translated by Inam Ahmed)

Title: The Ballad of Ayesha

Author: Anisul Hoque (Translated by Inam Ahmed)

Category: Fiction

Publisher: Harper Perennial

Price: 299

Pages: 192

About the Book:

          ‘The Ballad of Ayesha’ is the story of Ayesha Begum and her quest to find her husband Joynal Abedin who works in the Air Force and suddenly one day when he had gone to work he doesn’t come back. Ayesha tries to know from her neighbors if they know about the whereabouts of her husband but the neighbors try to assure her that he might be on some emergency duty or he might be transferred to some other base and she might receive a letter for the same from him. Later on, one day an Air Force personnel comes at her door and informs that Joynal has been arrested for an inquiry about some trouble caused in the army two nights ago. But luck was not on Ayesha’s side after her husband went missing she was also asked to vacate the accommodation with a child of 1 year and a newborn girl she leaves her house and leaves for her in-laws. And then one day she receives a letter mentioning that her husband has been sentenced to death. But if the verdict has been carried out when and where was he executed? And if he was indeed hanged, what has happened to his body? To know more read The Ballad of Ayesha.

Characters:

          I loved the character of Ayesha, she is an intelligent girl who is very good at studies and the apple of her father’s eye but due to some reason her father married her off at the age of sixteen and throughout her journey, we get to see how she grows as a person and stays strong even when she faces so many problems in her life.

         

          Joynal Abedin is a very happy person who fell in love as soon as he see’s Ayesha and how he is there for his wife at all times and supports her even when his parents were skeptical about Ayesha.

I loved the characters they were all very real, the struggle and the pain that the characters go through and how they try to overcome the day to day struggle and grow is very emotional.

Plot:

          Set in Dhaka during 1977, we get to see the struggles that a newly created nation goes through and the things that go in the defence and how war, political stress not only affects the people who are in directly involved but also the relatives and the nation as a whole also get affected. We also get to see how innocent people are dragged and convicted for crimes/things that they haven’t done. The folklore of Behula and Lakhinder: The Story of Manashamangal is also very interesting and I loved how a detailed story has been included in the book and also how the main character links the story of Behula and Lakhinder with her owns and doesn’t lose her hope in the quest of searching her husband.

          Overall, I loved the story and loved the writing style of the author. I would surely recommend ‘The Ballad of Ayesha’ to everyone.

About the Author:

          Anisul Hoque is one of the most prominent contemporary writers and journalists from Bangladesh. He is the author of over sixty books and has won many awards, including Bangla Academy Award for Literature. Inam Ahmed is a journalist, working for the Daily Star. He translates from Bengali to English and also from English to Bengali.

My Rating: 5/5

I received the copy from the publisher for my honest review.