 She was unable to conduct research for the book by visiting brothels herself, relying instead on weekly reports from a male journalist to gain an understanding of a sex worker's living conditions.It created a huge stir in Bangladesh upon publication because of its frank depiction of prostitution in the country.In a 2016 translation of the book named "Letters of Blood," Rahman said, "I received a lot of praise for the book, but also had to endure an equal amount of abuse."