From the exiled Bangladeshi poet and internationally acclaimed author of Shame comes a delicious tale about getting even. In modern Bangladesh, Jhumur marries for love and imagines life with her husband, Haroon, will continue just as it did when they were dating. But once she crosses the threshold of Haroon's lavish family home, Jhumur is expected to play the role of a traditional Muslim wife: head covered, eyes averted, and unable to leave the house without an escort. When she becomes pregnant, Jhumur is shocked to discover that Haroon does not believe the baby is his, demanding an immediate termination of the pregnancy. Overwhelmed by his distrust, Jhumur plots her payback in the arms of a handsome and artistic neighbor. Readers the world over will eat up this cautionary tale of love, lust, and blood ties, delivered by the award-winning ';voice of humanism everywhere' (Wole Soyinka).