xoopa's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
What a tense read. I was so anxious all the while I was reading this book
quicksilvermoon's review against another edition
4.0
Another one picked up in the mad rush of The Bookworm's closing sales. For some reason, though they are completely different beasts, it had me thinking of the one I just finished (Rumaysa). I mean, turbulent Muslim girls imprisoned at home by overprotective maternal figures, it’s hard not to see the similarities.
In Hellfire, we see two women, Lovely and Beauty, practically living under house arrest, under the watchful eyes of their mother, the formidable Farida Begum. On Lovely’s 40th birthday, she gets the unprecedented permission to make an excursion to Gawsia Market. This is a stone flung so hard at the placid waters of a life they had been used to, that the entire system comes crashing down. Although the main action takes place in the course of a single day, the narrative weaves back and forth between past and present, switching perspectives from Lovely to Beauty to Farida Begum, peeling back the sordid layers and the dirty secrets of this strange little family, until the shocking end seems only inevitable.
Leesa Gazi manages to spin a fascinating yarn about tradition and repression, madness and desire. And not that a writer of Shabnam Nadiya's calibre requires my endorsement, but her translation somehow made me hear the cadence of the original Bangla without detracting from the enjoyment of reading it in English. A fantastic piece of work!
In Hellfire, we see two women, Lovely and Beauty, practically living under house arrest, under the watchful eyes of their mother, the formidable Farida Begum. On Lovely’s 40th birthday, she gets the unprecedented permission to make an excursion to Gawsia Market. This is a stone flung so hard at the placid waters of a life they had been used to, that the entire system comes crashing down. Although the main action takes place in the course of a single day, the narrative weaves back and forth between past and present, switching perspectives from Lovely to Beauty to Farida Begum, peeling back the sordid layers and the dirty secrets of this strange little family, until the shocking end seems only inevitable.
Leesa Gazi manages to spin a fascinating yarn about tradition and repression, madness and desire. And not that a writer of Shabnam Nadiya's calibre requires my endorsement, but her translation somehow made me hear the cadence of the original Bangla without detracting from the enjoyment of reading it in English. A fantastic piece of work!
mehrangezmr's review against another edition
5.0
This is excellent, a slim Gothic thriller about a pair of repressed Bangladeshi sisters growing up under the thumb of their tyrannical mother. Dhaka is brought to life vividly as is the claustrophobic environs of the house which Lovely and Beauty rarely leave (and when they do it is with shattering repercussions). Read this in a matter of hours... Could not recommend it more highly.
allthatissim's review against another edition
4.0
Hellfire is my first translated read of the year and what a thought-provoking and phenomenal read it is! This book was originally written in Bengali and the author is Bangladeshi.
Hellfire is a story of a controlling mother and her two adult daughters in their late 30s. Their mother has always controlled them. They never went out of the house on their own. So when the elder sister, Lovely, goes out of the house alone for the first time, on her 40th birthday, the house is in chaos. Farida Khanam, the mother, couldn’t understand why she gave her permission to Lovely to go out. And the younger sister, Beauty, couldn’t understand how her sister was allowed to go out of the house though she herself never got that chance. What we see afterwards, in a span of 24 hours, is a family full of chaos and secrets.
The story is character oriented and in Farida, we see a woman who wanted to be the matriarch of the family. The decisions she took to protect her family and her daughters, the choices she made, and the sacrifices she gave to be what she was today. But at the same time, the story also shows how it resulted in failure and collateral damage because of her need to be in power.
The setting is of Bangladesh so it does feels similar to Indian household. Most of the Indian mothers are controlling too but I can’t imagine a mother being this much control-freak
Hellfire is a story of a controlling mother and her two adult daughters in their late 30s. Their mother has always controlled them. They never went out of the house on their own. So when the elder sister, Lovely, goes out of the house alone for the first time, on her 40th birthday, the house is in chaos. Farida Khanam, the mother, couldn’t understand why she gave her permission to Lovely to go out. And the younger sister, Beauty, couldn’t understand how her sister was allowed to go out of the house though she herself never got that chance. What we see afterwards, in a span of 24 hours, is a family full of chaos and secrets.
The story is character oriented and in Farida, we see a woman who wanted to be the matriarch of the family. The decisions she took to protect her family and her daughters, the choices she made, and the sacrifices she gave to be what she was today. But at the same time, the story also shows how it resulted in failure and collateral damage because of her need to be in power.
The setting is of Bangladesh so it does feels similar to Indian household. Most of the Indian mothers are controlling too but I can’t imagine a mother being this much control-freak
sneharatakonda's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Umm. Creepy as all hell and very good at maintaining the tension and the toxicity. Great, short read.
amateurlybooked's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
shai_fyi's review
4.0
Dark. Real. Riveting. This story about an obsessive mother, lost and stunted daughters and a deadened father is a heart-rending account of what happens when family pride is taken too far. It's also the first time I'm reading anything set in Bangladesh; the culture, food, markets etc. have all been eye-opening. Recommended reading.
ayatichoudhary's review
5.0
Hellfire at it's core is a family saga, with the pace of a thriller and well-written characters. The story takes place over 24 hours and several down the memory lane moments. The narrator here, isn't a single person; the family members take their turns to narrate some part of the story. The story is set in Dhaka, Bangladesh and it opens when Lovely, the elder daughter of Farida Khanam, goes out on the streets of Dhaka, alone, for the first time ever. Why is it so? Farida Khanam, the matriarch of the family, never married her daughters, Lovely and Beauty. She didn't even let Lovely and Beauty go out of their house alone, either they'll go with her, or they'll go together, but never alone. Then how did she let Lovely go out on her own? She had ordered Lovely to come back home before lunch time, but what if Lovely don't adheres to her curfew? What's even strange in the story is that Lovely has a man in her head who talks to her from time to time.
What an exhilarating experience reading this book was! I finished this book in the couse of 24 hours, that gripping the story was. I was highly anticipating the end and it totally blew my mind. The use of vernacular words was really good. The story had minimal characters but they were all amazingly sketched. The writing and the overall story is so addictive that you can't put it down once you've picked it. The translation was effortless. I enjoyed this book a lot, it was unputdownable! Even after finishing it, I have many unanswered questions. Who was Abdul Bashir? Who was that red-muffler guy? Why did Farida Khanam told her mother that Mukhles Shaheb can't be her husband? What was the secret that Farida Khanam has not told Lovely and Beauty? Why was the end the way it is?
This book was first written in 2010, by the name Rourob in Bengali by Leesa Gazi and later, translated by Shabnam Nadiya.
I'd recommend it but only to those who can read such a dark story!
What an exhilarating experience reading this book was! I finished this book in the couse of 24 hours, that gripping the story was. I was highly anticipating the end and it totally blew my mind. The use of vernacular words was really good. The story had minimal characters but they were all amazingly sketched. The writing and the overall story is so addictive that you can't put it down once you've picked it. The translation was effortless. I enjoyed this book a lot, it was unputdownable! Even after finishing it, I have many unanswered questions. Who was Abdul Bashir? Who was that red-muffler guy? Why did Farida Khanam told her mother that Mukhles Shaheb can't be her husband? What was the secret that Farida Khanam has not told Lovely and Beauty? Why was the end the way it is?
This book was first written in 2010, by the name Rourob in Bengali by Leesa Gazi and later, translated by Shabnam Nadiya.
I'd recommend it but only to those who can read such a dark story!