Synopses & Reviews
Set among the upper classes in the gracious, repressive and complex world of 1920s Ceylon (Sri Lanka), this evocative novel tells the story of two people who must determine if it is possible to pursue personal happiness without compromising the happiness of others. A young teacher, Annalukshmi, whose splintered family attempts to arrange an appropriate marriage for her, must decide whether the independence she craves will doom her to a life without love and companionship. It is also the story of Balendran who, respectably married, must suppress-or confront-the secret desires for men that threaten to throw his life into chaos. With sensuous atmosphere and vivid prose, this masterfully plotted novel re-creates a world where a beautiful veneer of fragrant gardens and manners hides social, personal, and political issues still relevant today.
Review
An old-fashioned page-turner with a literary heart-the perfect book for beachgoers who want melodrama that doesn't ignore the mind.—The Advocate
"An elegant novel . . . What stays with you is the struggle of two finely drawn characters: a spirited young woman and a melancholy gay man who try to escape the tyranny of parents and British mentors and achieve a lonely inner freedom. A."—Entertainment Weekly
Synopsis
Set among the upper classes in the gracious, repressive and complex world of 1920s Ceylon (Sri Lanka), this evocative novel tells the story of two people who must determine if it is possible to pursue personal happiness without compromising the happiness of others. A young teacher, Annalukshmi, whose splintered family attempts to arrange an appropriate marriage for her, must decide whether the independence she craves will doom her to a life without love and companionship. It is also the story of Balendran who, respectably married, must suppress-or confront-the secret desires for men that threaten to throw his life into chaos. With sensuous atmosphere and vivid prose, this masterfully plotted novel re-creates a world where a beautiful veneer of fragrant gardens and manners hides social, personal, and political issues still relevant today.
About the Author
Shyam Selvadurai was born in 1965 in Sri Lanka. Funny Boy, his first novel, was published in 1994. It won the prestigious Lambda Literary Award and was named a Notable Book by the American Library Association. Cinnamon Gardens, his second novel, was published in 1998 and was shortlisted for the Trillium Award.