German Hossain’s dreams never seem to leave him in peace.
As India’s independence approaches, bringing with it a wrenching partition and the bloodbath of communal riots, German, a resident of Birbhum district in Bengal, sets out for Murshidabad in the hope of curing himself of his dream-sickness and, in his newfound sympathy of the Muslim League, to make his home in a place destined to become part of Pakistan. But when, after a three-day tug-of-war of sorts, the Radcliffe line recommendations deem that Murshidabad be returned to India, German decides to return to his place of birth, still plagued by his dreams and led by them, still in search of his destiny. This is the story of his journeys.
Political, personal and surreal landscapes are intricately woven together in this exquisite novel about djinns and fairies, demonology and Sufism, the partition of a country and, above all, the dreams that make men who they are.
