Exquisitely written...superb * Independent *<br />At first sight an innocently observed portrait of Tamil family life in seventies Sri Lanka, it metamorphosed into a lucid, serious piece of writing... Selvadurai's world is delightful, frightening, important and he describes it with touching clarity... His novel is a graceful and intelligent account of the random nature of growing up * Observer *<br />A quiet masterpiece * Gay Times *<br />The unadorned and simple prose has elegance and great sophistication. Moreover, Selvadurai has a genius for touching a nerve with a feather-light touch... A powerful and beautifully written novel * Literary Review *
'A quiet masterpiece' Gay Times
In the world of his large family - affluent Tamils living in Colombo, Sri Lanka - Arjie is an oddity, a 'funny boy' who prefers dressing as a girl to playing cricket with his brother.
But as Arjie comes to terms with his own homo-sexuality and with the racism of the society in which he lives, Sri Lanka is plunged into civil war as fighting between the army and the Tamil Tigers gradually begins to encroach on the family's comfortable life.
Sporadic acts of violence flare into full-scale riots and lead, ultimately, to tragedy.
'A graceful and intelligent account of the random nature of growing up' Observer