Customer Reviews

A Garden of Demons: A Novel

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Evokes a vivid imagery of the psychology and political dynamics of tropical climes. At once idyllic and lurid, the irrepressible lushness of the tropical forest is reflected in the social fabric of Sri Lanka. Caught in this are the characters in Hower's novel, like insects in a web of innocence, idealism, and despair. It brought to mind the coming-of-age classic, Plum Thicket, by Janice Holt Giles with the same pace of innocence into horror, without either of the two emotions dominating the entire work. I only wish that the latter part of the novel had been expanded just a bit to further chronicle the adjustments of the characters in their changed circumstances.

I had never heard of Edward Hower before I picked up this book in the libarary. I have to admit my interest was sparked by the writers who rave about him on the dustjacket. I figure that when writers like Robert Stone, Diane Johnson, Paul West, and William Kennedy say good things about Hower, he was worth reading. I wasn't disappointed.

Set in Sri Lanka in 1998, A Garden of Demons is a coming of age story of an 11 year old girl named Lila Gunasekera, born to a Sri Lankan father and an American mother. Her Uncle Richard has just arrived from the U.S., frustrated in his effort to find a job there. He arrives to find Lila's family trying to find support from the Sri Lankan government to turn their vast plantation into a nature preserve. Never mind that a civil war is being fought betweenn the government and the vicious terrorist forces of the Tamil Tigers less than a hundred miles away. As the war inches closer, the Gunasekeras will have to decide whether their ideals are worth dying for and Lila will have to leave her childhood behind.

This was a great book. You would think with the age of the main character that this novel would classify as young adult literature. It doesn't. Instead, the fact that it comes from Lila's perspective just adds to the dreamlike fantasy that the family seems to inhabit. Sri Lanka is a land of spirits, good and evil, that move across the land, influencing the lives of humans, much as the Greek gods do in the works of Homer. It doesn't quite reach that state of "magical realism" but seems to be just "realism". Lila is a great character that really grows on you. There is no hint of the cutesy froo froo that could inherently damage such a young character. This was a great novel. I already said that. I am really glad I picked it up. Unfortunately, from the lack of any reviews of this work, not many people seem to be aware of it on this site. Hunt it down.