The Gilmore Guide to Books

Connecting Books and Readers One Review at a Time

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Reviews
    • Reviews by Author
    • Reviews by Title
    • Reviews by Genre
  • Podcast
  • Policies
    • Review Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Policy

Scenes from Early Life

January 18, 2013

Scenes from Early Life by Philip Hensher
Published by Fourth Estate
Publication date: April 12th 2012
three-half-stars

The first year of Saadi’s life was spent being held almost constantly by aunts, his mother, grandmother and his sisters. If he even looked about to cry he was fed tiny amounts of a local, sweet delicacy, making him one of the fattest and most content of babies by his first birthday. All of this caution was necessary because Saadi and his family live in Dacca, the capital of Eastern Pakistan in 1970 and they are Bengali. Every effort must be made to go unnoticed as Bengali nationalism and Pakistani rule are leading the young country into the civil war that ultimately restores Dacca as the capital of what is now Bangladesh. By 1971 the war culminates in the military attack on civilians and ends later the following year with the dissolution of East Pakistan and creation of a new government for Bangladesh.

Scenes From Early Life is a unique blend of fiction and true story, based as it is on the life of author Philip Hensher’s husband, Zaved Mahmood. The book feels almost like a scrapbook with each chapter named and black and white photos scattered throughout. Saadi’s family is led, not by his father, but by his maternal grandfather who decides, as tensions escalate in Dacca, that the entire extended family should live under one roof. This is a difficult command for his father whose journey from a small village to government lawyer means he has his own issues of pride and authority.  Unable to ignore his father-in-law’s imperative he takes solace in later years when returning to the village of his youth.

He was making an effort not to look too overcome with joy; his expression was even a little irritable. But he loved being greeted and surrounded. For once, it corresponded with the valuation he held of himself in the world. 

Through the voices of other family members, Hensher shares the recollections of those days.

What is most engaging about Scenes from Early Life is the sleight of hand Hensher uses to take a time of cruelty, chaos and confusion and turn it into a story of childhood and family. Even after the war there are tensions and ongoing issues. One reads of annoying sisters, the excitement of a family wedding and childhood games based on the television series Roots intermingled with famine, informant neighbors who are now shunned and a new government striving to find its footing.  Saadi remembers and recounts the history but from a child’s perspective which is unusual and intriguing and puts an aspect of light across what an adult might not have seen. Scenes From Early Life beautifully illustrates the stability of family even in unstable times.

three-half-stars

Related Posts

  • Related Posts
  • Same Genre
  • 3.5 Star Books
endless
Our Endless Numbered Days
blazing world
The Blazing World: A Novel
indian horse
Indian Horse: A Novel
shadow
The Shadow of Perseus
wife maid mistress
The Wife, The Maid, and the Mistress
Seating Arrangements
Seating Arrangements
astonish me
Astonish Me
The Abundance
The Abundance
katerina
Katerina: A Novel by James Frey
You Will Know Me
november
November Reading Wrap-Up
bohemians
The Bohemians: A Novel by Jasmin Darznik
body lies
The Body Lies by Jo Baker
anatomy lesson
The Anatomy Lesson
summer
Summer Thrillers 2: Mini-Reviews

Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: Bangladesh, book clubs, cultural, historical fiction, Pakistan

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Save time and subscribe via email

No time to keep checking for new reviews? Enter your email address to subscribe and receive notifications of new posts by email. No spam!

Bookshop

Currently Reading

Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle
Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle
by Emily Nagoski
The Dutch House
The Dutch House
by Ann Patchett
Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover, and Me
Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover, and Me
by Adrienne Brodeur

goodreads.com

Affiliate Disclosure

I’m an affiliate for Indiebound and Amazon. If you click on a link that takes you to any of these sites and make a purchase I’ll earn a small fee, which goes towards the costs of maintaining this site. Your support is appreciated. Thank you!

Archives

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.

Theme Design By Studio Mommy · Copyright © 2023

Copyright © 2023 · Beyond Madison Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in