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hannahbailey's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was an intense and evocative look into the Sri Lankan civil war from the perspective of one woman, whose life and family were torn apart by it.
The narrative takes a journalistic approach to storytelling, to the point that I felt I was reading a factual eye-witness account of the horrors of the past. Despite the first-person POV, the narrative is pointedly lacking in human emotion and reaction. The recounting of events is direct, so no facts or details are hidden or sugarcoated to protect the reader. This makes for a heavy read as things go from bad to worse, with little reprieve. These aren’t criticisms — in fact, I felt it was a deliberate and powerful choice to convey the story in this way. The narrator experiences unspeakable losses within her own family and witnesses many more atrocities of war. The only way she can tell the truth — which is her aim from the beginning — is to remove much of the heightened emotion she must be feeling.
There is less dialogue than I would expect to find in a novel, but the nature of the plot allows for it. I’m not sure this narrative style is necessarily for me, but it’s refreshing to read something different. I learned a lot about Sri Lanka’s recent history and politics which I found really interesting. The novel spans about 30 years, but follows the narrator and the decisions made by those around her, rather than taking a wider lens to the world at the time. It was particularly poignant then when the author brings in the United Nations towards the end of the novel — after so much ‘avoidable’ conflict and death, the UN’s ambivalence towards civilians’ lives was the final nail in the coffin of what was a horrific and drawn-out war. I was shocked to discover the conflict was still going on in 2009. An informative read if your history education was as white-washed and colonised as mine.
If you enjoyed this, you may enjoy Moth by Melody Razak for similar tone of voice and the depiction of war through one family's experience.
Thank you to NetGalley for the free e-arc in exchange for an honest review
TW: war, death, murder, child death, rape, violence, sexual violence, fire, blood/gore, injury detail, kidnapping, torture, genocide, grief, suicide, animal
The narrative takes a journalistic approach to storytelling, to the point that I felt I was reading a factual eye-witness account of the horrors of the past. Despite the first-person POV, the narrative is pointedly lacking in human emotion and reaction. The recounting of events is direct, so no facts or details are hidden or sugarcoated to protect the reader. This makes for a heavy read as things go from bad to worse, with little reprieve. These aren’t criticisms — in fact, I felt it was a deliberate and powerful choice to convey the story in this way. The narrator experiences unspeakable losses within her own family and witnesses many more atrocities of war. The only way she can tell the truth — which is her aim from the beginning — is to remove much of the heightened emotion she must be feeling.
There is less dialogue than I would expect to find in a novel, but the nature of the plot allows for it. I’m not sure this narrative style is necessarily for me, but it’s refreshing to read something different. I learned a lot about Sri Lanka’s recent history and politics which I found really interesting. The novel spans about 30 years, but follows the narrator and the decisions made by those around her, rather than taking a wider lens to the world at the time. It was particularly poignant then when the author brings in the United Nations towards the end of the novel — after so much ‘avoidable’ conflict and death, the UN’s ambivalence towards civilians’ lives was the final nail in the coffin of what was a horrific and drawn-out war. I was shocked to discover the conflict was still going on in 2009. An informative read if your history education was as white-washed and colonised as mine.
If you enjoyed this, you may enjoy Moth by Melody Razak for similar tone of voice and the depiction of war through one family's experience.
Thank you to NetGalley for the free e-arc in exchange for an honest review
TW: war, death, murder, child death, rape, violence, sexual violence, fire, blood/gore, injury detail, kidnapping, torture, genocide, grief, suicide, animal
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Child death, Murder, Torture, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Kidnapping, Confinement, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, War, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Genocide, Suicide, Animal death, Blood, and Gore
bookmaddie's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I had heard this book would be amazing, and the people were not wrong! Even though I wouldn't say the pacing is fast, it's a book that slowly, but consistently, draws you into the story so that you just want to keep reading to see what'll happen next. Ganeshananthan's writing is thoughtful, reflective, and offers sophisticated examinations of emotions, motivations, and memory during a fraught period of Sri Lanka's history.
This story follows Sashikala as she studies for medical school before and during the Sri Lankan Civil War. I didn't know much about this conflict before reading this book, which is at once believable and unbelievable. The West didn't seem to be involved much, and it was horrible to see how most of the world ignored such a drawn-out, violent, and disastrous conflict. Through Sashi's eyes, Ganeshananthan underscores how unpredictable and complex the Civil War was. After reading such an evocative novel, I definitely want to pick up a longer nonfiction to read about the war—I feel as if I've just scratched the surface.
Ganeshananthan handles such a serious and dark subject matter so well, and also manages to deeply explore family, betrayal, and love. How a family can morph before your eyes, how a person grows up, how morals and visions of the future are tested—all during a period of intense trauma. This story is vast, but still feels deeply rooted in daily life. It felt immediate, yet reflective; tender, yet eviscerating.
I just loved this novel, and now I really want to go back and read Ganeshananthan's previous work, Love Marriage. Her writing is superb, and I want to immerse myself in it as much as possible!
Some quotes:
"I didn't know how old one needed to be to read the whole of a violent story. I didn't know if the whole of any violent story could be told." p13
"What can I tell you about being in the presence of such a warm person? No one looking at the sun thinks about how swiftly it can be eclipsed." p290
This story follows Sashikala as she studies for medical school before and during the Sri Lankan Civil War. I didn't know much about this conflict before reading this book, which is at once believable and unbelievable. The West didn't seem to be involved much, and it was horrible to see how most of the world ignored such a drawn-out, violent, and disastrous conflict. Through Sashi's eyes, Ganeshananthan underscores how unpredictable and complex the Civil War was. After reading such an evocative novel, I definitely want to pick up a longer nonfiction to read about the war—I feel as if I've just scratched the surface.
Ganeshananthan handles such a serious and dark subject matter so well, and also manages to deeply explore family, betrayal, and love. How a family can morph before your eyes, how a person grows up, how morals and visions of the future are tested—all during a period of intense trauma. This story is vast, but still feels deeply rooted in daily life. It felt immediate, yet reflective; tender, yet eviscerating.
I just loved this novel, and now I really want to go back and read Ganeshananthan's previous work, Love Marriage. Her writing is superb, and I want to immerse myself in it as much as possible!
Some quotes:
"I didn't know how old one needed to be to read the whole of a violent story. I didn't know if the whole of any violent story could be told." p13
"What can I tell you about being in the presence of such a warm person? No one looking at the sun thinks about how swiftly it can be eclipsed." p290
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, War, Death, Murder, Rape, and Sexual assault
deedireads's review
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.
TL;DR REVIEW:
Brotherless Night is a beautiful and heartbreaking and powerful novel about one girl’s coming-of-age during the Sri Lankan civil war. I absolutely loved it.
For you if: You like books with especially strong first-person narrators.
FULL REVIEW:
Random House sent me an early review copy of Brotherless Night (although it’s out now!), and its incredible blurbs (Celest Ng, Brit Bennett) convinced me to bump it to the top of my list. And holy moly, am I glad I did. This one could easily make my list of favorites for 2023.
The prologue starts with an arresting opening line: “I recently sent a letter to a terrorist I used to know.” And that paragraph ends just as powerfully: “I met a lot of these sorts of people when I was younger because I used to be what you would call a terrorist myself.” So begins our time with Sashi, who is older and living in the US now, but telling us her story as it started in 1981 in Jaffna, when she was a teenager and the Sri Lankan civil war was just beginning. She dreams of becoming a doctor, to help people as her grandfather did. And she does — but along the way, anti-Tamil violence costs her family dearly, in more ways than just lives: two of her brothers join the Tamil Tigers, as does a close family friend. Eventually, Sashi herself finds herself drawn into the conflict herself, in ways that I don’t want to spoil but found deeply resonant.
This book was impossible to put down; the prose — or maybe it’s more accurate to say Sashi’s voice — had a momentum that just reached out and gripped me and never let go. But it wasn’t just excellent on a sentence level. This book is tough to read at times, but gorgeous and heartbreaking and powerful throughout. There are no good guys in war, and it’s easy to condemn actions from the outside, but who knows what each of us would do to keep our families safe? Humans are flawed and beautiful and never black and white, and neither are our choices. No matter what, there is strength in those who fight and those who survive.
Get yourself a copy of this one and read it, please.
TL;DR REVIEW:
Brotherless Night is a beautiful and heartbreaking and powerful novel about one girl’s coming-of-age during the Sri Lankan civil war. I absolutely loved it.
For you if: You like books with especially strong first-person narrators.
FULL REVIEW:
Random House sent me an early review copy of Brotherless Night (although it’s out now!), and its incredible blurbs (Celest Ng, Brit Bennett) convinced me to bump it to the top of my list. And holy moly, am I glad I did. This one could easily make my list of favorites for 2023.
The prologue starts with an arresting opening line: “I recently sent a letter to a terrorist I used to know.” And that paragraph ends just as powerfully: “I met a lot of these sorts of people when I was younger because I used to be what you would call a terrorist myself.” So begins our time with Sashi, who is older and living in the US now, but telling us her story as it started in 1981 in Jaffna, when she was a teenager and the Sri Lankan civil war was just beginning. She dreams of becoming a doctor, to help people as her grandfather did. And she does — but along the way, anti-Tamil violence costs her family dearly, in more ways than just lives: two of her brothers join the Tamil Tigers, as does a close family friend. Eventually, Sashi herself finds herself drawn into the conflict herself, in ways that I don’t want to spoil but found deeply resonant.
This book was impossible to put down; the prose — or maybe it’s more accurate to say Sashi’s voice — had a momentum that just reached out and gripped me and never let go. But it wasn’t just excellent on a sentence level. This book is tough to read at times, but gorgeous and heartbreaking and powerful throughout. There are no good guys in war, and it’s easy to condemn actions from the outside, but who knows what each of us would do to keep our families safe? Humans are flawed and beautiful and never black and white, and neither are our choices. No matter what, there is strength in those who fight and those who survive.
Get yourself a copy of this one and read it, please.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, Gun violence, Medical content, War, and Blood
Moderate: Suicide and Rape
atsundarsingh's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I couldn't put this down. It was incandescent. It was searing. It made my heart physically ache, and made me do a thousand searches for nonfiction follow-ups. I am 100% going to read Ganeshananthan's previous book. the writing for this just completely gripped me, and once I got going in earnest, it just snowballed.
The family of the novel's protagonist Sashi is complex, and the book spends the entire time slowly unwinding the moral complexity of strongly held beliefs, and unravelling the word 'terrorist'. I was struck by the way Ganeshananthan made the entire cast of characters possible to understand, and you could see consistency of character even as motivation and ideologies changed. Truly can't wait to insist that everyone read this in 2023 and beyond.
*Thanks to Random House, NetGalley for the ARC. Book release: 3 Jan 2023*
The family of the novel's protagonist Sashi is complex, and the book spends the entire time slowly unwinding the moral complexity of strongly held beliefs, and unravelling the word 'terrorist'. I was struck by the way Ganeshananthan made the entire cast of characters possible to understand, and you could see consistency of character even as motivation and ideologies changed. Truly can't wait to insist that everyone read this in 2023 and beyond.
*Thanks to Random House, NetGalley for the ARC. Book release: 3 Jan 2023*
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Rape, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Genocide, Violence, Torture, Death, Sexual violence, Blood, Hate crime, War, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, and Police brutality
internationalreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexism, Sexual harassment, War, Vomit, Gun violence, Medical content, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Death, Grief, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
sharrivel's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
This book follows a young woman who’s goal is to become a doctor, however her country of Sri Lanka goes through a civil war. Life changes for her, her family, and her friends as they all take different roles during the war.
I was unfamiliar with the Sri Lankan Civil War, so much that I didn’t even know that it happened. Brotherless Night was informative and it also told the stories of various people and the atrocities committed by all sides. It started slow at first, and then it picked up to really showcase how normal her and her brother’s lives were. I thought some of the romance came out of nowhere and I really wish that relationship was more fleshed out.
I still recommend this book, especially since I feel it’s about something that isn’t mentioned in American textbooks.
I was unfamiliar with the Sri Lankan Civil War, so much that I didn’t even know that it happened. Brotherless Night was informative and it also told the stories of various people and the atrocities committed by all sides. It started slow at first, and then it picked up to really showcase how normal her and her brother’s lives were. I thought some of the romance came out of nowhere and I really wish that relationship was more fleshed out.
I still recommend this book, especially since I feel it’s about something that isn’t mentioned in American textbooks.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, War, Genocide, and Blood
Moderate: Medical content and Rape
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