Book Club Discussion Questions
For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, and our BookBrowse Review of A Golden Age.
Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!
Introduction
Rehana Haque, a
young widow transplanted to the city of
Dhaka in East Pakistan, is fiercely devoted
to her adolescent children, Maya and Sohail.
Both become fervent nationalists in the
violent political turmoil which, in 1971,
transforms a brutal Pakistani civil war into
a fight to the death for Bangladeshi
independence. Fair-minded and intensely
protective of her family, but not at all
political, Rehana is sucked into the
conflict in spite of herself. A story of
passion and revolution, of family,
friendship and unexpected heroism,
A
Golden Age depicts the chaos of an era
and the choices everyonefrom student
protesters to the country's leaders, from
rickshaw wallahs to the army's soldiersmust
make. Rehana herself will face a cruel
dilemma; the choice she makes is at once
heartbreaking and true to the character we
have come to love and respect.
Questions for Discussion
- A Golden Age opens with the
lines: 'Dear Husband, I lost our children
today'. How important is Rehana's
relationship with her dead husband and how
does this relationship change throughout the
novel?
- Maya is shocked when Rehana uses her
treasured saris to sew blankets for the
troops. How significant is Maya's own choice
of clothing and why do you think she dresses
the way she does?
- Tahmima Anam was not alive during the
Bangaldesh War of Independence. Instead, she
relied on the memories of others to help her
to write this fictionalised account of the
period. What role does fiction play in
helping us to understand the historical and
political events that have shaped our world?
📖
Get the full reading guide
Join BookBrowse free to unlock all 9 discussion questions, author background, themes, and more for A Golden Age.
Join free — it takes 30 seconds
Already a member? Log in →
- How does the author develop themes of identity and belonging throughout the narrative?
- What role does the setting play in shaping the characters' decisions and relationships?
- Discuss how the ending reframes the events of the story. Were you surprised?
Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Harper Perennial.
Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.