Tag: Tamil genocide

Shehan Karunatilaka’s—The seven moons of Maali Almeida *****

Shehan Karunatilaka’s—The seven moons of Maali Almeida *****

Reviews from the Guardian and the Times referred to this novel as “often funny” and crediting the story with “tremendous imagination.” I couldn’t disagree more. It appeared as if these reviewers knew nothing about Sri Lankan history because there was nothing funny about thousands of bodies hacked to pieces so they couldn’t be identified and dumped into a Colombo lake. Nor anything imaginative about these facts because that’s what they were—historical facts. What was clever about Karunatalaka’s writing was that Almeida, his main character is killed, and oversees these crimes as a ghost thereby telling the tale from an omnipotent viewpoint.

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Sharon Bala’s — The boat people *****

Sharon Bala’s — The boat people *****

Mahindan’s life in Sri Lanka where he was a mechanic was at the mercy of both the Lankan government and the Tigers before he escapes by boat to Canada. Grace, a hard line adjudicator has a tough stance on those who don’t arrive through the proper channels. And Priya, a lawyer is dragged into working with the refugees when she wants to specialize in corporate law. What will happen to the refugees who are turned back? How will the Canadian officials’ characters change after working with the Tamil boat people for months?

This 2018 Canada Reads contented book is the best book on the crisis in Lanka (that still continues today for anyone not Buddhist) and what Tamils endure to stay alive.