Wednesday 27 August 2014

Review: Island of a Thousand Mirrors by Nayomi Munaweera


Island of a Thousand Mirrors follows the fate of two families, one Tamil, one Sinhala as they straddle opposite sides of the long and brutal Sri Lankan civil war. Narrated by the eldest daughter of each family, the story explores how each woman negotiates war, migration, love, exile, and belonging. At its root, it s a story of a fragmented nation struggling to find its way to a new beginning.


Hardcover, 256 pages
Expected publication: September 2nd 2014 by St. Martin's Press
Terri's Thoughts
I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review.  The expected publication date is September 2, 2014.

This story caused a myriad of emotions for me and really opened my eyes to the civil war in Sri Lanka.  I will be the first to admit that while I like to consider myself educated about world events this is something I knew very little of.  I am glad that I had the opportunity to learn more through fiction.

I was reading this story at the cottage while surrounded by people and paused numerous times to enter in to debates about what I was reading.  This was the highlight of the story for me as it caused me to stop and think and discuss with others.  It opened my eyes to the reality that there may not be a right or a wrong side to everything and sometimes although a cause may be honorable the actions taken in the name of a cause (on both sides) are wrong.

At times I struggled with some of the characters as they had names that were unfamiliar to me however I was able to get past that.  The story really came to life in part three and I was glued once I got there.  This really showed both sides of the story and made it real.  I don't know if any of this is based on personal experience or knowledge (I hope not) but it really depicted that there are no winners in a civil war.

I really enjoyed this read and feel fortunate that yet again I have been educated through my love of reading.  I highly recommend this book to those who like to read about real events even if the story is fiction.

 
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