Contents: Preface. 1. Zuleikha’s dream. 2. The holocaust. 3. Roshni’s baby. 4. Asylum. 5. The party. 6. The prostitute. 7. The matchmaker. 8. The goat.

"As a diamond has many facets, so does a woman. She is daughter, wife, mother, nurse, bread-earner, crisis manager, and the centre without which things fall apart. She devotes her life to her family and seldom gets the time or opportunity to find herself or to be herself.

"This anthology of short stories is an exploration of the essence of being a woman.

"The stories are located in Bangladesh but are equally applicable to countries all over the world. They induce in turn, feelings of pathos, sorrow, indignation, anger and helplessness. They take the reader to the depths of hopelessness and despair, but at the end offer a glimmer of hope for all." (jacket)