A review by atharvg
Beautiful Place by Amanthi Harris
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed getting lost in this story and these characters. The sense of place was so strong in this novel, and I really felt like I was there with the characters in the village. I love how Harris examines the darker sides to these picturesque villages, and how the remnants of civil war, inequality, and tourism affects these communities. The contrast between the sunny outer appearance of the village and the shady activities that took place under the surface was a running theme that I thought was handled perfectly. This novel was infused with social commentary throughout, which I always enjoy reading about, and it was interesting to learn about ethno-nationalist movements in a new context and the ways they are engaged in rewriting history. Moral and financial corruption are closely interlinked in this novel, and the gulfs between various sections of society (such as poor village-dwellers and the cosmopolitan Colombo elite) are examined with poignant detail.
I think the diversity of backgrounds among this large cast of characters is what makes a lot of this social commentary more effective. Reading about the interactions between these characters really amplified their differences and shed a light on the ways they may not understand each others' backgrounds. I got really invested in these characters over the 500 pages of this novel, and I'm so glad to have been given a glimpse at life in this part of Sri Lanka through their eyes.
The one small criticism that sticks with me almost a month after having finished the novel is that the narrative was sometimes diverted by distracting and overly detailed descriptions of plants or rooms or furniture that took me out of the story. But other than that, the experience of reading this novel was very positive for me.
I think the diversity of backgrounds among this large cast of characters is what makes a lot of this social commentary more effective. Reading about the interactions between these characters really amplified their differences and shed a light on the ways they may not understand each others' backgrounds. I got really invested in these characters over the 500 pages of this novel, and I'm so glad to have been given a glimpse at life in this part of Sri Lanka through their eyes.
The one small criticism that sticks with me almost a month after having finished the novel is that the narrative was sometimes diverted by distracting and overly detailed descriptions of plants or rooms or furniture that took me out of the story. But other than that, the experience of reading this novel was very positive for me.