Written by one of Sri Lanka's finest living authors, this exquisitely penned semi-autobiographical novel is funny, tender, and painfully poignant.
Every family has its hidden secrets. For more than fifty years, my own family managed to hide the fact that my maternal grandfather committed suicide just before I was born.
In this deliciously written yarn by Ashok Ferrey, we are given a memorable tour of the narrator Sanjay de Silva's Sri Lankan childhood; a world inhabited by a domineering father and a colourful collection of attentive women who, following the untimely death of de Silva's English mother, circle around the father like "planets around the sun."
When his father is eventually diagnosed with cancer and succumbes to his illness, de Silva decides to use his dual citizenship thanks to his English mother and comes to London during the Thatcher years. Here, he sets about making a small fortune in the thriving building industry, while also falling for Janine, a Sri Lankan woman old enough to be his mother.
Amid the frenetic comings and goings, de Silva becomes immersed in the convoluted regulations of the building trade, and his relationship with Janine becomes increasingly complex.
At the heart of this book is the death of a father and the absence of a mother. While de Silva communes with the apparition of his dead father, there is something intangibly deep within his subconscious that troubles him. And towards the end of the book de Silver finally confronts his demons and discovers for himself a family secret that both shocks and saddens him.
This beautifully written novel is primarily concerned with the themes of loss and grief, and the simple fact that one can never really find closure following the death of a loved one - no matter how hard we try. But it is so richly woven with memorable characters, evocative settings and dialogue, and good humour that it is by no means a gloomy read. Far from it. The Unmarriageable Man is a life-affirming and deeply touching book, and one particular scene towards the end of the book is so painfully poignant and heartrending that it will stay with you long after turning the last page.
Every family has its hidden secrets. For more than fifty years, my own family managed to hide the fact that my maternal grandfather committed suicide just before I was born.
In this deliciously written yarn by Ashok Ferrey, we are given a memorable tour of the narrator Sanjay de Silva's Sri Lankan childhood; a world inhabited by a domineering father and a colourful collection of attentive women who, following the untimely death of de Silva's English mother, circle around the father like "planets around the sun."
When his father is eventually diagnosed with cancer and succumbes to his illness, de Silva decides to use his dual citizenship thanks to his English mother and comes to London during the Thatcher years. Here, he sets about making a small fortune in the thriving building industry, while also falling for Janine, a Sri Lankan woman old enough to be his mother.
Amid the frenetic comings and goings, de Silva becomes immersed in the convoluted regulations of the building trade, and his relationship with Janine becomes increasingly complex.
At the heart of this book is the death of a father and the absence of a mother. While de Silva communes with the apparition of his dead father, there is something intangibly deep within his subconscious that troubles him. And towards the end of the book de Silver finally confronts his demons and discovers for himself a family secret that both shocks and saddens him.
This beautifully written novel is primarily concerned with the themes of loss and grief, and the simple fact that one can never really find closure following the death of a loved one - no matter how hard we try. But it is so richly woven with memorable characters, evocative settings and dialogue, and good humour that it is by no means a gloomy read. Far from it. The Unmarriageable Man is a life-affirming and deeply touching book, and one particular scene towards the end of the book is so painfully poignant and heartrending that it will stay with you long after turning the last page.
