lwarburton's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.5
summernajjar's review
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
sangeethat's review against another edition
1.0
I stopped reading after the dehumanizing comments about Tamil people. In the writer's defense, the main character was saying these things. But the writer does not problematize or draw attention to how making statements about not knowing that Tamils have children (meaning they are human like everyone else), which was my issue with it.
nkfanning's review
challenging
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
kjvelz's review against another edition
3.0
This was required reading for Georgetown - apparently, it was due August 1. I finished the book today. Ah, such is life.
I have never felt so lukewarm about a book. Whenever I read, I tend to know how I feel about the text - I'm a love-it-or-hate-it kind of gal. I'm either reading to bathe myself in every word, every metaphor, or I'm finishing the book like it's the coldest shower I've ever taken. I love. I hate. I'm hot. I'm cold. This book was - for the first time - lukewarm.
It's important. It taught me so much about Sri Lanka. But did it add to my own human experience? Hardly. It made me want to read more accounts of the Sri Lankan Civil War, but overall, the writing did not tickle me.
I have never felt so lukewarm about a book. Whenever I read, I tend to know how I feel about the text - I'm a love-it-or-hate-it kind of gal. I'm either reading to bathe myself in every word, every metaphor, or I'm finishing the book like it's the coldest shower I've ever taken. I love. I hate. I'm hot. I'm cold. This book was - for the first time - lukewarm.
It's important. It taught me so much about Sri Lanka. But did it add to my own human experience? Hardly. It made me want to read more accounts of the Sri Lankan Civil War, but overall, the writing did not tickle me.
lisagreghi's review against another edition
3.0
The book was very interesting. Especially the imagery of the van as a way to potentially escape but that ultimately imprisons. Very much liked also the memories of war and post-traumatic trauma, because it was told very well. Highly recommend.
harryedmundson's review against another edition
4.0
[Culture, Crisis, Ecology] This was likely a 7/10 - nice collection of tales that cover a lot of interesting issues beyond the clear war/tsunami thematic branch - like: time / memory / colonialism / environmentalism / consumerism / home
audreylee's review
3.0
Vasantha is a taxi driver in post-Civil war, post-Tsunami Sri Lanka. As he tries to make sense of the "new" Sri Lanka, his interactions with his western clients cause confusion and disillusionment. This novel provides a glimpse into the physical scars on the landscape and people as well as the feeling of upheaval or imbalance in the country at large.