First things first…the winner of Wench is the first commenter, Aarti! Send your regards to random.org and your address to me, please.
Not Quite Paradise: An American Sojourn in Sri Lanka
Adele Barker
January 2010
320 pages
University professor Adele Barker first arrives in Sri Lanka to teach literature at the University of Peradeniya, a town almost smack dab in the middle of the country.
As Barker gets to know the history and customs of the island, she shares her knowledge with the reader. She also writes about her struggles…with ants and monkeys, her issues with hiring help, with trying to teach in a country that has more holidays than any other country in the world, and with a society that almost seems to take the ongoing war (between the Sinhalese government and the Tamil Tigers) for granted.
Barker spends a year in Sri Lanka, before heading back to Arizona. A few years later, she wakes up to the news of the tsunami that struck on December 26, 2004. Barker is horrified to learn of the death and destruction, and becomes determined to return to Sri Lanka. The second half of the book focuses on the aftermath of the tsunami…both Barker’s reaction and her return visit, where she spends time traveling around the island and recounting her experiences. She visits refugee camps, coastal villages, even the previously inaccessible Tamil-controlled northern part of the island. She talks to relief agency workers, and villagers who are critical of some of their efforts. She talks to those who were lucky enough to escape the tsunami by minutes, and people whose family members simply disappeared.
This is a fascinating book, particularly if you have any interest in the history of Sri Lanka. If you don’t, my advice is to skip it. One of the reasons I really liked this book was because Barker does a great job of providing historical context. Wait, that’s not exactly true…she does a great job of providing historical context in regards to Sri Lanka, but not for herself. Which is fine, I don’t need to know all about the author, but there were a few moments where I was scratching my head. But just a few. Overall, this was an interesting read for this travel memoir junkie.
Oh, and how could I forget my favorite reader, Mr FTC?!? I bought this one. At B&N, if you really need to know.
So, are there any limits on how long a “to be read” list can be?
. I have so many , yet I want to add this one!
Congrats to Aarti! I must say that I absolutely love the cover of “Not Quite Paradise”, and I’d actually like to read something set in Sri Lanka too so on the list it goes; thanks for the great review.
diane´s last blog ..Waiting on Wednesday – Private Life
I will have to keep this one in mind. My knowledge of Sri Lanka is limited, but I do want to learn more about the country, especially after having read a novel set in the country this past fall. I used to have a pen pal from there, although he’d relocated to Saudi Arabia.
Literary Feline´s last blog ..It Takes a Village: A Guest Post by Author Misa Ramirez (BronzeWord Latino Book Tour)
Yay! So excited that I can join the cool club for the book Wench
Actually, your review of that book inspired my Amazon Vine choice for this month, a book called A Page from a Tennessee Journal.
I read a book on Sri Lanka’s recent history while in college and it’s so sad. I like that you warn people about how history-ific it is in your review
Aarti´s last blog ..Review: Blankets
This book sounds like something I’d really like. A friend of mine spent some time in Sri Lanka when we were growing up, and I was always curious to hear about her experiences there. My pocketbook is groaning now. lol Thanks!
Andi´s last blog ..J.D. Salinger
I’m offended that you like Mr. FTC more than me. Sniff.
And I must admit, I’m not all that interested in Sri Lanka. That seems awful but I’m just being honest. Nothing against it or anything though.
Jenners´s last blog ..A Perrotta-thon! Reviews of "Election" and "Little Children
I know hardly anything about Sri Lanka, but I am fond of travel memoirs. This sounds very painful though, the post-tsunami business – I mean good to read about, I think, but just really painful. Did you find that part hard?
Jenny´s last blog ..Don’t Sleep There Are Snakes, Daniel Everett
I sometimes like travel memoirs — and I’ve always been curious about Sri Lanka (I have no idea why — maybe because I remember when it’s name was officially changed from Ceylon and it took me ages to get the new name in my head permanently; don’t even get me started on Africa — few countries still have the name that I learned in elementary school. Drives me nuts).
Beth F´s last blog ..Let the BLOB Game Begin!
Oh, this is going on my wish list right now! I haven’t heard of this book before, and as reading about Sri Lanka is my pet-project, thanks for posting about this.
Sakura´s last blog ..The Road from Elephant Pass by Nihal de Silva