The Story of a Brief Marriage
2016 • 208 pages
Ratings3
Average rating3.7
15
Ratings3
Average rating3.7
"Very seldom in a reading life does a novel alter your sense not only of literature but of the world. This extraordinary debut is of that class."--Garth Greenwell, author of What Belongs to You. In the last months of the Sri Lankan Civil War, Dinesh's world has contracted to an evacuee camp, where he measures his days by shells that fall like clockwork. Alienated from language, home, and family, he is brought back to life by an unexpected proposal from an old man in the camp: that he marry his daughter, Ganga. In the hours they spend together, Dinesh and Ganga attempt to awaken to one another, to reclaim their humanity. Anuk Arudpragasam's The Story of a Brief Marriage is a feat of stunning imaginative empathy, a meditation on the bare elements of human existence that give life its pulse and purpose, even in the face of atrocity"--
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This book was well written, and as a member of my book group pointed out, the imagery was AMAZING. It was uncomfortable to read, though. It takes place over the course of 24 hours, and gives a gritty look into what it must be like to be a refugee in the middle of a war zone. The author's skill at putting us inside the main character's head is evident. This wasn't my favorite book, but I'm glad I read it. It is literature, well written, and about a topic - refugees - that more of us in the United States need to understand better.
