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Författare:
Roma Tearne
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Förlag:
HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS
- Bandtyp: Häftad
- Språk: Engelska
- Utgiven: 201001
- Antal sidor: 432
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Vikt i gram: 311
ISBN10: 0007301561 ISBN13: 9780007301560
Its had been a great a experience to read this book.
In this book we follow the fate of the family Fonseka and many others displaced by the ethic conflict that have devastated Sri Lanka for many years to come. Mr Bee Fonsekas eldest daughter, Sita, marries a Tamil man. When she gets pregnant with the second child, she loses the baby because a drunk doctor that pretty much ignored her just because she is married to a Tamil man. For their nine years old daughter Alice, life was not so easy specially at school. Sometimes she felt lonely, bullied and ignored, therefore Stanley and Sita decided to move to England for the sake of Alice and to get a better life.
Bee Fonseka was a quiet and humble man, who would not only dedicate his life to his paintings and his granddaughter Alice but also to helping to hide some wounded Tamil members hunted by the Sighalese army. One day he had to pay a price.
To read this book or other similar ones, help us to understand the consequences of war, ethic and religious conflicts etc.
In my opinion the book focus more on what the Tamil went through in the hands of the sighalese army than the other way around.
The doctor is drunk. His breath smells as he squints at the notes the nurse gives him.
´What´ he asks in high - pinched Singhalese. ´You called me in just for this Tamil women?´
´She isn't Tamil, sir,´ the nurse tells him. ´Just the husband.´
´Exactly!´ the doctor says, trying not belch but without success.
´That´s my point. Why should we help breed more Tamils? As if this country hasn't enough already!´ p 44
´We cant afford the lawyer,´ Kamala said in low, sad voice.
She sounded as though she too was crying.
Then Alice heard her grandfather tap his pipe against his chair.
Until now he had been mostly silent
´It isn't a question of money,´ he said hesitantly, and Alice strained her ears to catch his words. ´Even if we found the money for lawyers, and even the nurse could be called on to testifay, who would believe this was done simply because she has a Tamil name? Would anyone believe us? We would be taking on the government doctors.
I can´t think of a single lawyer in this country who would want to do that.´ p 60
When Mrs Maradana the Singhalese teacher collected up the homework at the beginning of the lesson, Alice realized with dismay that she had not brought hers to school. Mrs Maradana stared at her.
´Come here, Alice,´ she had said, here voice very soft. ´Did you think you didn't have to do your work because you where going to England? Hah?´
Alice shook here head. The class quivered in silent anticipation. Everyone guesses what was coming. Mrs Maradana was known as a Tamil hater.
´Well?´
Alice said nothing. There was an agonising pause while the teacher opned her drawer.
´Hold out your hand, child,´ she had said coldly.
The class craned their necks, all together, like atrophying plants.
The air vibrated as once, twice and then, once more the cane stung her hand. Someone sniggered. The humiliation was far worse than the pain. p 92
