Godzilla and the Songbird is a compelling and layered coming-of-age novel that gently traces the trajectory of Bulbul—a young boy entangled in the chaos of geopolitical ruptures and national dreams. Yet, to reduce it to the story of one boy’s life would be to miss its deeper resonance. The novel also chronicles the tumultuous birth of Bangladesh. It delves into the residual wounds of Partition that continued to fester in East Pakistan. In doing so, it offers a poignant reflection on the fragmented self of the postcolonial subject. A separate nation still led to the betrayal of the marginalized. The novel pulsates with the violence inherent in nation making.
August 2025, volume 49, No 8