A New York Times Notable Book of the Year by the acclaimed author of Reef is set in Sri Lanka, a fallen paradise where lives can quickly come crashing down. Reprint. NYT.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
Close to Chekhov in tone. . . Gunesekera's writing works by implication, making words and images mean more than they actually say. . . The characters are real, living, breathing people. . . The stories in Monkfish Moon. . . achieve real emotional depth. -- Financial Times
Graceful and grim. . . carefully civilised bulletins on barbarity's reverberations. -- London Sunday Times
Gunesekera's subtly erotic prose animates Sri Lanka's natural luxuriance, veined with menace. -- Voice Literary Supplement
Nine stories, each intricately tuned and carefully turned. Gunesekera's language has a simple surface--he excels in the pithy sentence serving the apparently practical purpose. But the simplicity is deceptive, his observation as close as the stare of a voyeur. -- Independent
These stories display Mr. Gunesekera's knowledge of his homeland. . . in an unexpected, even wonderful way. -- Atlanta Journal
[An] impressive first book. . . The delicate firmness with which Gunesekera portrays the dilemmas of living in a spoiled paradise gives this collection a haunting, eye-opening quality. -- Observer --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Graceful and grim. . . carefully civilised bulletins on barbarity's reverberations. -- London Sunday Times
Gunesekera's subtly erotic prose animates Sri Lanka's natural luxuriance, veined with menace. -- Voice Literary Supplement
Nine stories, each intricately tuned and carefully turned. Gunesekera's language has a simple surface--he excels in the pithy sentence serving the apparently practical purpose. But the simplicity is deceptive, his observation as close as the stare of a voyeur. -- Independent
These stories display Mr. Gunesekera's knowledge of his homeland. . . in an unexpected, even wonderful way. -- Atlanta Journal
[An] impressive first book. . . The delicate firmness with which Gunesekera portrays the dilemmas of living in a spoiled paradise gives this collection a haunting, eye-opening quality. -- Observer --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
About the Author
ROMESH GUNESEKERA grew up in Sri Lanka and now lives in London. His debut novel Reef was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and the Guardian Fiction Prize in 1994 and won the Yorkshire Post First Work Prize. In 1997 he was awarded the prestigious Premio Mondello award in Italy. He is also the author of two novels; Reef and The Sandglass, both of which are published by Granta Books.
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
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More About the Author
Romesh Gunesekera was born in Sri Lanka and lives in Britain. His first novel Reef was shortlisted for the 1994 Booker Prize.
He is also the author of The Sandglass,(winner of the inaugural BBC Asia Award) and Heaven's Edge which like his collection of stories, Monkfish Moon, was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. His fourth novel The Match, published in 2006 was hailed as a "book that not only shows what fiction can do, it shows why fiction is written - and read." (Irish Times).
His fiction has been translated into many languages and he has run highly acclaimed writing workshops around the world. He has also been a judge for a number of prestigious literary prizes including the David Cohen British Literature Prize and the Caine Prize for African Writing.
Granta reissued his first three books in September 2011 and Bloomsbury will be publishing his new novel, The Prisoner of Paradise, in February 2012 in the UK.
For more information see www.facebook.com/Romesh.Gunesekera or www.romeshgunesekera.co.uk
He is also the author of The Sandglass,(winner of the inaugural BBC Asia Award) and Heaven's Edge which like his collection of stories, Monkfish Moon, was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. His fourth novel The Match, published in 2006 was hailed as a "book that not only shows what fiction can do, it shows why fiction is written - and read." (Irish Times).
His fiction has been translated into many languages and he has run highly acclaimed writing workshops around the world. He has also been a judge for a number of prestigious literary prizes including the David Cohen British Literature Prize and the Caine Prize for African Writing.
Granta reissued his first three books in September 2011 and Bloomsbury will be publishing his new novel, The Prisoner of Paradise, in February 2012 in the UK.
For more information see www.facebook.com/Romesh.Gunesekera or www.romeshgunesekera.co.uk
Customer Reviews
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A brilliant book, as good as Reef,
By A Customer
This review is from: Monkfish Moon (Paperback)
The stories in Monkfish Moon are in some ways typical short stories - most of them have no definite ending. But they are really immersive to read and once you start you'll find the book hard to put down. Coming from Sri Lanka, the island the author bases most of the stories in, I think the book paints a pretty realistic and poignant picture of the country and it's people. The stories are sad, thought-provoking, sometimes even downright uplifting, but are always full of color and detail. True, some people may find the book a bit boring, but they just don't have any patience or appreciation for atmosphere. Read this book even if you have no knowledge of Sri Lanka, you'll probably enjoy it.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very simple and engrossing!! Excellent!,
By Nicola (India) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Monkfish Moon (Paperback)
An excellent bit of writing!! Very descriptive of life in Sri Lanka! It takes you to the scene of the stories! It is very thought provoking, and grabbed my attention from the time I started reading it. I couldn't put it down till I was done. The stories are full very detailed, and yet very simple and comprehensible.It is as good as The Reef. I would recommend it for anyone.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Simply fabulous,
This review is from: Monkfish Moon: Short Stories (Hardcover)
This is a haunting set of stories that sticks long after the last page is turned. Exemplifying this is the first of the lot, "A House in the Country," in which Ray's colonial comportment contrasts sharply with the religious violence around him.Ray has grown very close to his housemate and helper, Siri, who sees himself more as a servant than an equal with Ray. But all divisions are swept aside when Ray sees "smoke rise in small puffs out of the heaps of ash" from the nearby store from which he has purchased daily newspapers for several years. "The veins in his arms were swollen. A store burns like so many others up and down the country. Only this one's closer to home." Mr. Ibrahim, the shopkeeper has been burnt alive in his store by the fanatical terrorists of Sri Lanka, the Tamil Tigers. Some time later, we learn that back home in the country, the Tigers have "used a lamp-post for" Siri's brother. Ray knew that "the body would have been mutilated, then strung up as a beacon; the corpse would swing in the wind for days." In the end, the entire set of stories, like the first one, tremble "like the skin of a drum." A fabulous book. --Alyssa A. Lappen
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