The Black Coat: Selected Reviews

A study of the inspiration and limitation of words, the corrupting influence of power, the dangers of charisma, and a call to question accepted versions of events, Imam’s [novel] becomes a compelling tale of absurdist humour reminiscent of Bohumil Hrabal … A notable contribution to a chapter of recent history too often forgotten . — Independent

The last time I read a novel which affected my idea of the past to this extent was The Blind Assassin, and that was about three times the length of Imam’s book. I suspect that The Black Coat will be used —again and again — as the gold standard for any book which seeks to engage with South Asian politics or history — Sunday Guardian

[T]his historical fiction, [Imam’s] first novel in English, is one of the best to come out of the subcontinent in the recent past —Financial Express

The Black Coat is a stark and occasionally cryptic novel that revisits a harsh time with unflinching candour —Toronto Star

Very few novels examine a period in history so convincingly even as it turns away from the standard style of historical fiction. Imam does this in this hyper-realistic tale of fools, thugs, dangerous idealism and sanctified pretence, reminding us who have forgotten a secret function of the novel: to unsettle us, instead of just be moving. —Outlook India

Imam crafts a narrative that is alternately absurd, angry, and sardonic —Quill & Quire

Neamat Imam’s first novel, The Black Coat, is pure satire, written with such disarming earnestness that one might neglect to shake it down and dissect its numerous layers … [it] is a profile of the very worst things about human nature —Asian Review of Books

With his staccato prose and careful diction, Imam sets about pulling the rug from under the mythmaking that set up Bangladesh’s golden post-liberation years, while also telling a very real story of death and personal destruction – and ends up producing a fascinating, South Asian product that doesn’t have to resort to spices or mangoes to sell itself —Mail Today

A stark and occasionally cryptic novel that revisits a harsh time with unflinching candour. — Toronto Star

Imam has shown a lot of courage in dealing with one of the most tumultuous and controversial phases of independent Bangladesh’s history (1972-75) when the country, barely recovering from the effects of a brutal war of independence, had faced a crippling famine, poor governance and law and order problems under the notorious Rakkhi Bahini, climaxing in the abolition of multi-party democracy and an ushering in of the infamous Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League (BAKSAL) dictatorship —Daily Star

[The Black Coat] is a tragic tale of power, pretence, idealism and greed —Deccan Herald

[The Black Coat] is a gripping depiction of a phenomenon that finally unravels a thriller that chronicles a historical interregnum —Business Standard

Rich with political statements, [The Black Coat] is a novel that achieves its intent in a remarkably creative and artistic manner — Live Mint

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