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happyknitter2020's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Absolutely brilliant book. Read as shortlisted for The Women's Prize 2024...think this is the clear winner. The writing is beautiful, strong & clear. Learned so much about the civil war & complex trauma experiments. A definitive 5 star book, will be at the top of my 2024 books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, and War
jouljet's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Genocide, Racism, Rape, Suicide, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
katarinabee's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, War, and Injury/Injury detail
abbieh95's review against another edition
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and War
Moderate: Rape
amy_park's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Haunting and eye-opening to the recent history of Sri Lanka. Going into this book I knew nothing about this country but throughout the narration from a young woman aspiring to be a doctor, we follow her over two decades exploring the real life effects of civil war. This book was very dark and full of grief, witt a powerful punch. I enjoyed the writing style and narration of the young woman throughout. Depiction of grief at the start of the book was so heartfelt, but as the book continues I felt the grief was skimmed across but this might be due to relentless loss the narrator experiences.
I read this via audio, I think the colloquial terminology and dialect was hard to follow at the start which made me a little distant, I did slightly struggle throughout but it did get better. I think on audio alone I would rate 3.5 stars but that was my personal experience.
At the moment I would like to see this shortlisted but I think it could be one of the books that might be in the middle for me as I continue reading the longlist.
That being said I would recommend.
I read this via audio, I think the colloquial terminology and dialect was hard to follow at the start which made me a little distant, I did slightly struggle throughout but it did get better. I think on audio alone I would rate 3.5 stars but that was my personal experience.
At the moment I would like to see this shortlisted but I think it could be one of the books that might be in the middle for me as I continue reading the longlist.
That being said I would recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and War
Moderate: Rape and Torture
kirstym25's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and War
Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, and Suicide
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
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
4.75
Brotherless Night is a fantastic piece of historical fiction showcasing the impact of the Sri Lankan civil war on one young woman and her family. The book opens with 16 year old Sashi living at home with her parents and four brothers. Her oldest brother is studying to become a doctor and Sashi hopes to follow in his footsteps. Over the next decade we see the toll the conflict takes. One brother is killed in anti-Tamil violence and two others join the Tamil Tigers. The war pauses Sachi’s studies but she does eventually get to study medicine and ends up volunteering at a hospital controlled by the Tigers, treating both cadres and civilians. The book did a great job highlighting the complexities of the conflict and the atrocities committed by the Sri Lankan armed forces, the Tamil Tigers (including against their own people) and the Indian peacekeeping forces. It also showed the way the conflict divided families. Sashi also becomes involved in efforts to accurately document the events of the war. The importance of this and the efforts made to verify the accuracy of all accounts was something I can’t recall seeing previously in the books I’ve read. I loved Sashi as a character, particularly the way she was constantly wrestling with her conscience, trying to ensure that the actions she took or didn’t take were right for her - not always an easy feat when she was surrounded by some very passionate and persuasive people. Definitely a book I’d recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and War
Moderate: Rape and Suicide
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: Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
ukponge's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, and War
Moderate: Rape and Sexual violence
Minor: Vomit
bookmaddie's review against another edition
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: Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail