The Island of a Thousand Mirrors

'Nayomi Munaweera writes with ferocity, fire and poetry of the incomprehensible madness of civil war and its effects upon those caught within it, whether in the villages and cities of Sri Lanka, or half a world away. A masterful, incendiary debut.' Janet Fitch, author of White Oleander Before civil war tears the tapestry of Sri Lanka apart, the lives of two young women from two very different families are fatefully linked by one chance encounter. In Colombo, Yasodhara lives a full life with her Sinhala family, rich in love and everything she could ask for, though shaped subtly by social hierarchies, her parents' ambitions, and the differences between the Tamil and Sinhala people. All is well until the family's serene existence is shattered by the outbreak of violence. Saraswathi, a Tamil, is living in the active war zone and dreams of becoming a teacher. But her hopes for the future are trampled when she is arrested by a group of Sinhala soldiers and pulled into the heart of a conflict she has tried desperately to avoid. A powerful saga that strikes mercilessly at the heart of war, Island of a Thousand Mirrors marks the arrival of a spellbinding new literary talent. 'By turns tender, beautiful, and devastating, Island of A Thousand Mirrors is a deeply resonant tale of an unraveling Sri Lanka. Incredibly moving, complex, and with prose you may want to eat, this debut is a triumph.' NoViolet Bulawayo, award-winning author of We Need New Names