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A review by witmol
Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens by Shankari Chandran
challenging
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
An outstanding use of multiple narrators and time shifts that elucidates modern Australian discourse about racism and migration through the lens of the Sri Lankan civil war and the effects of genocide and historical revisionism.
With a genuinely diverse cast of characters – old and young, of different ethnicities, religions and cultures and a range of occupations – Chandran shows the effects of both racism and free speech rhetoric and dives deep into the idea of legacy, from the matriarch with a secret identity, to the self-professed good bloke who denies responsibility for his attitude and the orderly whose past determines his actions.
I also need to mention that this is actually quite a funny book, both in its sharply observed descriptions ("According to party rumour, he was former special ops, and there was something about him that made all of them want to salute him and delete their search histories") and eloquently scathing in its skewering of politics and political optics ("The only thing worse than white male privilege was white female privilege. It had the entitlement of male privilege, a heavy dose of fake empathy for the disadvantaged, and complete blindness to the intersectional nature of its own advantage").
The funniest is probably the shade thrown by the author's avatar, though I grant not everyone will find this as amusing as I did: "@sarahbyrnes_author Hosting Bollywood-themed birthday parties does not make you culturally competent. Also, chai means tea. There’s no such thing as tea tea."
There's a lot of heavy stuff in here about war and trauma but also a lot of light, particularly the way the seniors are valued and cared for. Come for the story, stay for the tea.
With a genuinely diverse cast of characters – old and young, of different ethnicities, religions and cultures and a range of occupations – Chandran shows the effects of both racism and free speech rhetoric and dives deep into the idea of legacy, from the matriarch with a secret identity, to the self-professed good bloke who denies responsibility for his attitude and the orderly whose past determines his actions.
I also need to mention that this is actually quite a funny book, both in its sharply observed descriptions ("According to party rumour, he was former special ops, and there was something about him that made all of them want to salute him and delete their search histories") and eloquently scathing in its skewering of politics and political optics ("The only thing worse than white male privilege was white female privilege. It had the entitlement of male privilege, a heavy dose of fake empathy for the disadvantaged, and complete blindness to the intersectional nature of its own advantage").
The funniest is probably the shade thrown by the author's avatar, though I grant not everyone will find this as amusing as I did: "@sarahbyrnes_author Hosting Bollywood-themed birthday parties does not make you culturally competent. Also, chai means tea. There’s no such thing as tea tea."
There's a lot of heavy stuff in here about war and trauma but also a lot of light, particularly the way the seniors are valued and cared for. Come for the story, stay for the tea.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Hate crime, Racism, Torture, Violence, and War
Minor: Child death, Death, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Islamophobia, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail