Publisher's Synopsis
This lyrical and poetic novel is a masterpiece of Oxomiya (Assamese) literature and this English translation of Xumanta Chaliha's original work attempts to replicate the author's incredible grasp of the historical and cultural interplay between two complementary and at the same time, opposing cultures.The novel sweeps through a greater part of the twentieth century by using the lives of three generations of the Barua family as brushes to paint a complex portrait of mutual respect, conflict, joy and suffering between and among the Oxomiya and Bengali-speaking populations.The Partition of India and the independence of the young nation of Bangladesh are beautifully examined through the dual lenses of historical context and the lives of ordinary people. The complex issues of unchecked migration into Oxom (Assam), religious and ethnic tensions and societal conflict have been sensitively and compassionately balanced by a thorough examination of the cultural and linguistic ties that bind (and separate) the two peoples together.
