The Mother Sun

by Sui Annukka, Nimmi Harasgama (Narrator)

Sent on a marketing conference from Sri Lanka to London by her boss, Surya is supposed to be enjoying a change of scene after a tragedy that has left her grief stricken and lost – and compulsively fixated on a long-buried, shameful episode from her past.

Finding herself in the same city as the boy she birthed for an English couple seventeen years ago – in exchange for the money that paid her college tuition – Surya is prepared to risk everything for a glimpse of him.

Surya promises herself that she will be satisfied with just seeing her boy and knowing that he is safe and well. But when she tracks him down and follows him to work at a local café, she is left with more questions than answers. Why has he dropped out of school? Why is he at odds with the world? As they get chatting and he offers to give her a tour of London, she can’t resist the chance to get to know him better.

Forced to confront her past, Surya starts to navigate a way beyond her feelings of guilt, shame, and grief, towards a hopeful future – but what will happen when the boy finds out who she is? Could finding all she ever wanted mean losing everything for a second time?


Sui Annukka is the Winner of the Women’s Prize for Fiction Discoveries Award 2022. The Mother Sun is an exclusive novella for Audible.

This project is a work of fiction. Names, characters, companies and events are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, companies or events is entirely coincidental.

Genres: Fiction, Audiobook

7 pages, Audible Audio

First published May 25, 2023

Reviews

[Chrissie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another great find for me, which is included in my Audible membership! It is beautiful 💛

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Sri Lankan woman visits London and looks up a teenage boy whose parents she used to know.
A heartfelt quick read, well written and narrated.

[ravisionary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it. I found it somewhat relatable being estranged from certain family members for a while and then meeting them after ages. It was heart warming and touched my heart. Nice Asian themes I liked and enjoyed the narration. I could find it culturally relatable. But would not give it a 5 as it lacked some more pungent details for me .

[Jaclyn Brendle · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

[Karen Mcmahon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great quick read.

[Hazel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starts better than it ends

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really really liked this audiobook. I found it an extremely easy story to listen to. The narrator was fantastic and I loved the way she brought life to each character. I wish I knew Sinhala to understand all dialogue, but I managed to understand the essence of the conversation from the rest of the descriptions.
It gripped me from the first sentences. The chapters about the crimes commited by the university students were infuriating, but needed to encompass the whole narative and to give a better understanding of our main character.
Loved the ending as well, I just wished the book was a little bit longer.

[Karen Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't listen to many audiobooks but was drawn to The Mother Sun, partly because it sounds like the sort of thing I like to read and also because Sui Annukka was the winner of the Women's Prize Trust Discoveries Prize 2022. I had a feeling I'd enjoy this debut but I wasn't ready for just how much it moved me.
Surya is a wonderful main character; the losses and challenges she has endured have evidently left her damaged and desperate to find some meaning in her life again but there's an inner strength which is perhaps more obvious to us than it is to Surya herself. As she slowly recovers from the aftermath of the awful tragedy which resulted in her mental health spiralling to rock bottom, a trip to London from Sri Lanka to attend a marketing conference is more than just the first step to her regaining her confidence. It also allows her to finally confront her past and as the novella progresses and we learn what shaped this fascinating woman, there are some heartrending, painful passages which explore various cultural and societal issues within Sri Lanka.
Surya comes from a small village and is the daughter of a cleaner but went to college hoping for more. However, her distressing experiences as a first-year student – as well as her courage – changes the course of her life. I found these scenes necessarily difficult to listen to and although the descriptions of what takes place aren't particularly graphic, the abject shame felt by those targeted as part of the ragging or ritualistic violence carried out at the university is almost palpable. Many of Surya's subsequent decisions and eventually the reason why she embarks on an emotionally risky mission while in London stem from an excruciating moment here. Of course, her grieving also contributes to her actions and Sui Annukka beautifully depicts somebody adrift and casting about for a sense of belonging.
She easily tracks down the boy she birthed as a surrogate mother over seventeen years ago but having rather naively assumed that just seeing him would be enough, she instead discovers an overwhelming desire to learn more. In a story which examines some upsetting topics, the unlikely friendship which develops between them is portrayed with warmth and wit, in spite of the issues which inevitably arise. Even though this is frequently a deeply poignant read, it sparkles with dry humour throughout, especially when Surya's inner voice allows us to know exactly what she's thinking and what she'd like to do to a fellow Sri Lankan delegate.
The Mother Sun is an unashamedly feminist novella and in perhaps the most affecting scenes, I found myself laughing then horrified before cheering a previously unlikely heroine and eventually reduced to tears. The narration by Nimmi Harasgama is superb throughout, perfectly capturing the rich descriptions as well as the mood of each moment and the distinct voices of all the characters. The smattering of Sinhala adds to the sense of authenticity and while I obviously wasn't able to understand the exact words, hearing them spoken meant I could grasp the meaning.
The Mother Sun is a relatively short book but it still packs a powerful punch, and is a harrowing, inspiring and ultimately hopeful debut. I enjoyed it immensely and highly recommend it.

[Jaffareadstoo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surya has left her life in Sri Lanka to attend a marketing conference in London. The visit to London provides Surya with the ideal opportunity to find the son she gave up at birth, seventeen years ago, when she acted as a surrogate for an English couple. With no plan in mind other than to find her son in London, in order to check that he was well, and happy, Surya discovers that there is more to the boy than she expected and confronting her past is more painful than she could ever have imagined.

Beautifully read by Nimmi Harasgama, the narration is pitch perfect, and each character, particularly Surya comes skillfully alive. The novella moves at a gentle pace as we learn of Surya's life in Sri Lanka and of her fears and anxieties particularly in light of a recent tragedy and of the cultural differences between herself and the boy she gave up at birth but whom she had never forgotten.

Overall the 6 hours and 43 minutes of the story was an easy listen with interesting detail and there's a genuine sense of rapport between Surya and her boy which adds some poignancy to this story of motherhood, lost opportunities and forgiveness.

[Kat Preston · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I was intrigued by the plot, and it offered great insight into the lives of Sri Lankan women, the caste system, and the vanguards pushing for change.



Spoilers:


I did feel that the romance storyline between her and the boss wasn’t seamlessly integrated into the plot. By the final chapters, it felt rushed and a bit forced. The big speech at the end had powerful and inspiring words, but it came across as slightly contrived and was on the verge of feeling cheesy.

That said, I still enjoyed the book and appreciated the fresh, interesting story. I loved the insight it provided and the proud, uplifting feeling of these fictional characters standing up for change.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neat, with a touching end.

I listened to the book on Audible. I have no proper knowledge of Indian culture, so it was interesting to listen to how some people might experience life in India, and how these people may view other cultures.

Wonderful voice acting!

MC did some things she shouldn't have done, driven by despair from a huge loss in her life. The victim blaming, pointing fingers, and world-end retoric was depressing to listen to, but it paid off in a way.

I recommend it because books are meant, not only to entertain, but to enlighten and broaden our horizon's as well. 🌄

[JennyM · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wonderful debut from Sui Annuka: an engrossing storyline, with finely-drawn, three-dimensional characters - I wanted to spend more time with all of the main players. The Mother Sun was beautiful, horrifying, touching, thought-provoking and very funny. Above all, the author’s voice was as strong as it was fabulous. As the winner of The Women’s Prize Trust Discoveries 2022 award, I am eagerly looking forward to Annuka’s next publication.
Further Note: I listened to this via Audible, and Nimmi Harasgama’s narration was fantastic.

[Kirsten Fleetwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an Audible exclusive.
Surya comes to London for a conference and faces her past, and her future.
I'm personally very anti-surrogacy, to me it is a form of human trafficking. This book is a sensitive and thoughtful exploration of the reality behind the happy stories we are told about desperate wannabe parents and their surrogate mothers.
It's also a lovely portrait of a lovely, funny woman whose life has been blighted by unimaginable tragedy and loss.
I really enjoyed this book, I loved Surya and Ralph, and I loved hearing Sri Lankan voices.

[Michaela Salmon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, quite short but an interesting story and characters. The story is that Surya was a Sri Lankan surrogate mother as a young woman and comes to London years later on a business trip after a personal tragedy and decides to find the child she gave birth too, now a young man. It’s well written and you gradually get more bits of the story revealed. Enjoyable and interesting to listen to and I felt I learnt a bit about Sri Lankan customs too.

[Heidi Gorecki · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️s. Really interesting looking at the cultural side of Sri Lanka and some of the sad situations, but also closed/open adoption or surrogacy situations. I thought the ending of discussing the pitfalls of viewing yourself as a victim, and posture towards those who hurt you was told in a very profound way and appreciated that.

[Genevieve Marenghi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful, heartfelt read, which skilfully juxtaposes Surya's attendance at a comically bland marketing conference in London with some traumatic experiences from her life in Sri Lanka. Her unwavering maternal instinct compelled me to cheerlead her real mission every step of the way. Would thoroughly recommend.

[Debbie Hendriksen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This came up as a recommendation on audible and was not my usual type of book. I was captured by the characters and story I finished in just over a day. I found it a powerful book that really makes you think, challenging bias and prejudice.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this audible book. Well written, very well performed, beautiful and raw at the same time. It brings to light so many different difficult issues in the most natural way. It feels lived, not written.

[Ella Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the narrator! Start was v interesting really drew me in but then it got slow and then a bit weird and then it just sort of ended? But it was free so no complaints! Also the lesbian side story was random

[Annette Poro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very engaging short novel. First time I heard about the terrible 'ragging' culture in Sri Lanka. Great exploration of class issues and the experiences of a surrogate mother. The journey of the main character as she copes with pain, loss and injustice is beautifully portrayed.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first time I have listened to an audible original.
It was and easy read somewhat predictable in parts.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well worth a listen.

[Hilary Cockshaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook

[Michelle Onyango · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had higher expectations of the book. It was a quick read. I enjoyed the theme of motherhood. It was valuable to me to learn about Sri Lankan culture.

3.25/5

[Jo Prince · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully narrated by Nimmi Harasgama. I am not a mother, or a Sri Lankan, but I found it a difficult story to put down.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written

[Nana Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Such a gem

[Éabha Wall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed views on this one. In parts it really moved me and I liked the central idea. I do think it got a bit lost in itself and meandered at times. Well narrated, and free on audible. A bit strange.

[Pam Milburn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok. Revealing about Sri Lankan society.

[Poppy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Free on audible - surprised how much I enjoyed it.