The Suicide Club: A Virgin Tea Planter's Journey

Lets start with the terrible title - it was lucky I paused to read more than the main title, or I would have moved on and never considered this book. The Suicide Club is an off putting name, although relevant to the book, but A Virgin Tea Planter's Journey is a better description. I can't help but think sales might have been better with a more considered title.

Nevertheless, the Suicide Club is a gambling club, attended by the wealthy landowners of Sri Lanka, where rules (written and unwritten), scrupulous honestly, and honor are all important. Men are made and broken in the Suicide Club. The author's grandfather, who was the president, was one who lost - in this case a large tract of family land, much to the dismay of his family. Gunaratne's father too was a member, and it is membership to this club which the author attributes his inherited willingness to risk things - in his case rather than gambling on cards or games of chance, he gambles with his career, sticking his neck out to succeed.

This book is an autobiography, charting the life and career of Herman Gunaratne - a young supervisor on the tea plantations of Sri Lanka, making his way to the top of the tea plantation food chain.

While this appears to be a self published book, I am pleased to say it doesn't come with multiple typos, a need for significant editing, and print errors that we come to expect with many of these. In fact it is errorless, as far as I could tell, and reasonably trim around the content.

I visited a couple of tea plantations and factories while I was in Sri Lanka, a good many years ago, and couldn't help but be interested in the process. I learned a lot from this book, and enjoyed much of the politicking behind the plantations. When the book veered into actual politics it moved out of my sphere of interest though, however as an overall I couldn't say the book didn't have plenty of good things to offer the reader.

The writing style was easy and conversational, but retained enough chapter structure and story progression to remain fully engaging. Gunarante shares his own thoughts on how a man with very little formal education was able to rise tot he very apex of the tea plantation pyramid during the British Raj, and on to the position of regional manager of 100,000 acres of Ceylon's best tea lands in Nuwara Eliya.

He certainly achieved a lot, and the basis for this was hard work and honesty; calling in no favours from influential family and friends. It definitely didn't go all his way, but the story rolls out at an enjoyable pace.

If you are interested in some local Sri Lankan colour, history and have even a passing interest in the manufacture of tea, then you will take something from this book.

3.5 stars, rounded down.