Bright Lines

Every detail in this rich novel is evocative of transformation. . . . A sensitive and subtle exploration of the experience of gender nonconformity across cultures. . . . A transcontinental, transgenerational tale of a family and its secrets. Kirkus Reviews Islam depicts lush Bangladesh and a gritty Brooklyn very well, and she s at her strongest when following the free-spirited young women. The characters halfhearted feelings toward their Muslim identities provide an original and intriguing backdrop for their misadventures. Publishers Weekly Bright Lines is the most daring, emotionally dense work I ve ever read by a debut novelist. I can t remember the last time a novel kept me breathless, wandering and reconsidering the decisions of my own life. Tanwi Nandini Islam has created a fictive world where race, place, desire, violence and deception beautifully cling to nearly every page, and really every part of her Brooklyn and Bangladesh. She is completely unafraid of insides and outsides of the characters she s created. Idreamt about Ella and Anwar for weeks long after I finished the book. I m sure the characters here, and the actual range of Islam s talent will wonderfully haunt readers for a lifetime. Bright Lines is brilliant and absolutely soulful. Kiese Laymon, author of Long Division Whether it s entirely fictional or not (and I really don t care) the New York City of Tanwi Nandini Islam s novel is the one I want to live in! What a radiant, abundant, worldly, sharp and spirited novel! And what a good and powerful imagination, heart and soul seems to have produced it. Bright Lines is very special. Francisco Goldman, author of Say Her Name Tanwi Nandini Islam is among an emerging generation of American writers giving voice to people, places, and concerns that have escaped the notice of the mainstream. Such is the range of her talent that in her first novel Bright Lines, Islam shows us two locales, Brooklyn and Bangladesh, that are as varied and vibrant as they are restrictive and horrible, no small achievement. Hats off! Jeffery Renard Allen, author of Song of the Shank