Customer Reviews

Monkfish Moon: Short Stories

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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

Well, I like the stories. Also having met the author in person, I know the work comes from deep within. My reason for 3 stars is that... if you're into a lot of Srilankan literature as I have been through... you would realise that the theme, content and the undercurrents are common to a lot of writers who were either exposed to the events, grew through this period abroad but were aware of it (as an NRSL - Non-resident Sri Lankan) or was witness to some of the events or aftermath first-hand perhaps as a tourist to the Island nation. Most of the fictional literature (irrespective of the narrative form and genre) of the 80s 90s of 20th century deal with the strife and war on the isles. Like Jean Arasanayagam's work for example. Somewhere I am forced to find some parallel in her work with another diasporic, albeit Indian, such as Bharati Mukherjee, because of the concerns. There is perhaps where Romesh Gunasekera differs. While the former two have more woman-based concerns, Mr. Gunasekera's work is pan-Sri Lankan. Of course, what is special here is his simplicity of language. Similar to Reef, his other work. Poetry in prose would be a cliche. If we go by sheer narrative simplicity and disarming beauty of language my rating would be 4 or more stars. I would recommend this work definitely.

This collection of nine short stories is my introduction to literature by a Sri Lankan author and about the island country south of India. In this collection, Gunesekera paints vivid pictures of life for Sri Lankans at home and abroad, namely those in London.

In "Batik", husband and wife, Tiru who's Tamil and Nalini who's Sinhalese, are living in London during the civil war between their respective ethnic groups in Sri Lanka. The strain of the horrific events happening thousands of miles away still have strong emotional affects on them individually and as a couple. This is probably my favorite story because there's a quiet intensity to the characters as Tiru becomes consumed by the news coverage of the civil unrest.

"Ullswater" has one of the best examples of Gunesekera's poetic descriptions: "In the evenings, in the afterglow of sunset, when parrots darted across the sky, her face would absorb light and slowly become luminous like the moon. She was a lovely girl in those days." Yet, it's a sad story of a man filled with regret over his brother's death.

"Carapace" features an unnamed woman who is in like with a beach cook, a man opposite the well to do one, now living in Australia, her mother has chosen for her. It, too, comes off as a story of regret.

Regret or loss seems to be what binds these stories together. I recommend it for whetting the appetite for more reads about Sri Lanka. My interest is definitely piqued.