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A review by susanj13
This Divided Island: Stories from the Sri Lankan War by Samanth Subramanian
5.0
Having read and watched on screen (generously peppered with stereotypes) many fictional anecdotes related to the three-decades long conflict in Sri Lanka, I was quite keen to read a good journalistic account of the situation in a beautiful country that I've always wanted to visit. That coupled with the fact that I absolutely loved the author's first book "Following Fish", made this one very high on the TBR list. Did not regret it one bit.
.
This is exemplary writing that starts off by building up a non-chronological narrative on the history of the Tamil-Sinhalese conflict, and goes on to give some deeply moving and difficult personal anecdotes of survivors in its aftermath - civilians who lost limbs, loved ones, homes and any semblance of peace. I am not going to take sides here, and neither does the author. He offers a very unbiased perspective, addressing a number of influential factors, both cultural and social, to make the readers realise something we always knew - that war never ends on a happy note.
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The second half of the book can be particularly difficult to read and I had to pace myself out for the sake of my sanity. The stories are harrowing and most of their lives will probably continue to be, with no hope of justice and resolution in sight in a number of cases. But the author has made a very brave effort (especially considering he is himself a Tamilian albeit Indian) to put these broken lives and stories into words with immense sensitivity. This is top notch journalism. I see myself recommending this book a lot in the future.
.
This is exemplary writing that starts off by building up a non-chronological narrative on the history of the Tamil-Sinhalese conflict, and goes on to give some deeply moving and difficult personal anecdotes of survivors in its aftermath - civilians who lost limbs, loved ones, homes and any semblance of peace. I am not going to take sides here, and neither does the author. He offers a very unbiased perspective, addressing a number of influential factors, both cultural and social, to make the readers realise something we always knew - that war never ends on a happy note.
.
The second half of the book can be particularly difficult to read and I had to pace myself out for the sake of my sanity. The stories are harrowing and most of their lives will probably continue to be, with no hope of justice and resolution in sight in a number of cases. But the author has made a very brave effort (especially considering he is himself a Tamilian albeit Indian) to put these broken lives and stories into words with immense sensitivity. This is top notch journalism. I see myself recommending this book a lot in the future.