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A review by jaymoran
Funny Boy by Shyam Selvadurai
4.0
I glanced at the sari lying on the rock where I had thrown it and I knew that I would never enter the girls' world again. Never stand in front of Janaki's mirror, watching a transformation take place before my eyes. No more would I step out of that room and make my way down the porch steps to the altar, a creature beautiful and adored, the personification of all that was good and perfect in the world. The future spend-the-days were no longer to be enjoyed, no longer to be looked forward to. And then there would be the loneliness. I would be caught between the boys' and the girls' worlds, not belonging or wanted in either.
4.5
Tensions in Sri Lanka are brewing between the Sinhalese and Tamils, violence spiking, lives destroyed - and at the centre of this novel is a young boy, Arjie, who is beginning to become aware of his sexuality and what that means for his own future.
Funny Boy is described as a novel told in six stories, each chapter focusing on a different period in Arjie's life. We watch him as he grows up and becomes increasingly aware of what's happening outside of his immediate family and how that comes to affect those closest to him as well as himself.
Selvadurai beautifully captures the tenderness and vulnerability of childhood, as well as the horror and tragedy of violence. There were moments in this book where my breath caught in my throat and I felt my heart breaking, yet there were also moments where I was overwhelmed with warmth and love for these characters, particularly Arjie. I became deeply attached to him within the first few pages, and I think part of that must come from Selvadurai's own personal experiences (although he insists that this is not an autobiographical novel). The juxtaposition of a young child learning about his sexuality and working out his place in a world that is literally falling apart around him and where people are being hurt or killed for their identity is extremely powerful, and I think it's impossible not to be affected by it.
I just wish this book was a little longer - I think if there had been a few more chapters, I would've fallen completely in love with it, as it just feels a little too brief...I just wasn't ready to say goodbye to Arjie.
4.5
Tensions in Sri Lanka are brewing between the Sinhalese and Tamils, violence spiking, lives destroyed - and at the centre of this novel is a young boy, Arjie, who is beginning to become aware of his sexuality and what that means for his own future.
Funny Boy is described as a novel told in six stories, each chapter focusing on a different period in Arjie's life. We watch him as he grows up and becomes increasingly aware of what's happening outside of his immediate family and how that comes to affect those closest to him as well as himself.
Selvadurai beautifully captures the tenderness and vulnerability of childhood, as well as the horror and tragedy of violence. There were moments in this book where my breath caught in my throat and I felt my heart breaking, yet there were also moments where I was overwhelmed with warmth and love for these characters, particularly Arjie. I became deeply attached to him within the first few pages, and I think part of that must come from Selvadurai's own personal experiences (although he insists that this is not an autobiographical novel). The juxtaposition of a young child learning about his sexuality and working out his place in a world that is literally falling apart around him and where people are being hurt or killed for their identity is extremely powerful, and I think it's impossible not to be affected by it.
I just wish this book was a little longer - I think if there had been a few more chapters, I would've fallen completely in love with it, as it just feels a little too brief...I just wasn't ready to say goodbye to Arjie.