About this item
A stunning literary debut of two young women on opposing sides of the devastating Sri Lankan Civil WarIn the tradition of Michael OndatjesxAAnils GhostxAand Arundhati RoysxAThe God of Small ThingsxAIsland of a Thousand Mirrors xAis an emotionally resonant saga of cultural heritage heartbreaking conflict and deep family bonds Narrated in two unforgettably authentic voices and spanning the entirety of the decadeslong civil war it offers an unparalleled portrait of a beautiful land during its most difficult moment by a spellbinding new literary talent who promises tremendous things to comeBefore violence tore apart the tapestry of Sri Lanka and turned its pristine beaches red there were two families Yasodhara tells the story of her own Sinhala family rich in love with everything they could ask for As a child in idyllic Colombo Yasodhara and her siblings lives are shaped by social hierarchies their parents ambitions teenage love and subtly the differences between Tamil and Sinhala people but the peace is shattered by the tragedies of war Yasodharas family escapes to Los Angeles But Yasodharas life has already become intertwined with a young Tamil girlsSaraswathie is living in the active war zone of Sri Lanka and hopes to become a teacher But her dreams for the future are abruptly stamped out when she is arrested by a group of Sinhala soldiers and pulled into the very heart of the conflict that she has tried so hard to avoid a conflict that eventually will connect her and Yasodhara in unexpected ways.
About the Author
Nayomi Munaweera's debut novel, Island of a Thousand was long-listed for the Man Asia Prize and won the Commonwealth Regional Prize for Asia . It was short-listed for the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature and the Northern California Book Prize. The New York Times called the book "luminous" and Publisher's Weekly has compared her voice to that of Michael Ondatjee and Jhumpa Lahiri. Munaweera's second novel, What Lies Between Us is one of the most anticipated releases of 2016, having been featured on both Buzzfeed and Elle Magazines Best of 2016 lists. She lives in Oakland, California and is working on her third novel.
