Silent Noise

Four Muslims taking shelter in a Hindu temple during a storm, a man fantasizing about a moon girl, a Hindu man and a Muslim woman having a one-night affair at a conference, a middle-aged woman reminiscing about her ex-husband, a toothbrush witnessing a woman being murdered by her husband, a lesbian roommate persuading a young woman to see things from her perspective, a woman narrating the story of Khona to her daughter-in-law–these and other stories fill this debut collection. Jackie Kabir is a refreshingly new voice in English language writing from Bangladesh. Though a number of her stories have been anthologized in journals, newspapers supplements, online magazines, Silent Noise published by Pathak Shamabesh for the first time puts together fifteen of her short stories in one collection. Mainly woman-centred and about contemporary urban society, the stories depict some of the problems women face in a patriarchal society but also touch on fantasy and legend. These thought-provoking stories provide a vivid glimpse into a rapidly changing society, where old values clash with modern mores.