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Song of the Sun God
Nala and Rajan, a young couple, begin their married life in 1946, on the eve of Sri Lanka's independence from Britain. Arranged in marriage, they learn to love each other and protect their growing family, against the backdrop of increasing ethnic tension. As the country descends into a bloody civil war, Nala and Rajan must decide which path is best for their family; and live with the consequences of their mistakes.
The Song of the Sun God spans three continents and three generations of a family that remains dedicated to its homeland, whilst learning to embrace its new home.
This deeply moving saga is about the wisdom, mistakes and sacrifices of our past that enable us to live more freely in the future. It is about finding home and forgiving family.
The Song of the Sun God spans three continents and three generations of a family that remains dedicated to its homeland, whilst learning to embrace its new home.
This deeply moving saga is about the wisdom, mistakes and sacrifices of our past that enable us to live more freely in the future. It is about finding home and forgiving family.
406 pages, Paperback
First published January 12, 2017
170 people are currently reading
3148 people want to read
About the author
Shankari Chandran
8 books506 followersShankari Chandran uses literary fiction to explore injustice, dispossession and the creation of community.
Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens is her third novel, published by Ultimo Press in 2022 and short-listed for the Miles Franklin Literary Award 2023. Her first novel, Song of the Sun God, was also re-published by Ultimo Press in 2022.
Before turning to fiction, Shankari worked in the social justice field for a decade in London where she was responsible for projects in over 30 countries ranging from ensuring representation for detainees in Guantanamo Bay to advising UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
Her work helped her understand the role and limitations of international humanitarian law in conflicts. It also showed her what happens to society when governments subvert civil liberties. These issues form major themes in her writing.
Shankari wanted to write from childhood but kept her stories and her courage inside her head for a long time. She finally committed to creative writing when faced with the life changing events of returning from London to her home in Australia, and the birth of her fourth child in 2010.
In January 2017, she published her first book, Song of the Sun God with Perera-Hussein, about three generations of Australian Tamil women and the choices they make to survive Sri Lanka's civil war. Her second book, The Barrier, was published by Pan Macmillan Australia in June 2017. It asks, what would happen to the world if an Ebola pandemic and religious wars converged?
Song of the Sun God was long-listed for the International Dublin Literary Award (2019) and short-listed for Sri Lanka's Fairway National Literary Award (2018). The Barrier was short-listed for the Norma K Hemming Award for Speculative Fiction (2018). Song of the Sun God is being adapted for television, starring Bridgerton’s Charithra Chandran (no relation).
Her short stories have been published in the critically acclaimed anthologies, Another Australia and Sweatshop Women (Vol 2) by Affirm Press/Sweatshop and she is the deputy chair of Writing NSW.
She continues her work in social impact for an Australian national retailer. She is based in Sydney, Australia, where she lives with her husband and her four children.
Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens is her third novel, published by Ultimo Press in 2022 and short-listed for the Miles Franklin Literary Award 2023. Her first novel, Song of the Sun God, was also re-published by Ultimo Press in 2022.
Before turning to fiction, Shankari worked in the social justice field for a decade in London where she was responsible for projects in over 30 countries ranging from ensuring representation for detainees in Guantanamo Bay to advising UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
Her work helped her understand the role and limitations of international humanitarian law in conflicts. It also showed her what happens to society when governments subvert civil liberties. These issues form major themes in her writing.
Shankari wanted to write from childhood but kept her stories and her courage inside her head for a long time. She finally committed to creative writing when faced with the life changing events of returning from London to her home in Australia, and the birth of her fourth child in 2010.
In January 2017, she published her first book, Song of the Sun God with Perera-Hussein, about three generations of Australian Tamil women and the choices they make to survive Sri Lanka's civil war. Her second book, The Barrier, was published by Pan Macmillan Australia in June 2017. It asks, what would happen to the world if an Ebola pandemic and religious wars converged?
Song of the Sun God was long-listed for the International Dublin Literary Award (2019) and short-listed for Sri Lanka's Fairway National Literary Award (2018). The Barrier was short-listed for the Norma K Hemming Award for Speculative Fiction (2018). Song of the Sun God is being adapted for television, starring Bridgerton’s Charithra Chandran (no relation).
Her short stories have been published in the critically acclaimed anthologies, Another Australia and Sweatshop Women (Vol 2) by Affirm Press/Sweatshop and she is the deputy chair of Writing NSW.
She continues her work in social impact for an Australian national retailer. She is based in Sydney, Australia, where she lives with her husband and her four children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 228 reviews
August 28, 2023
A five star read of 2017. I was doubtful about how good the book would be because this was the first time I heard about the book and the author. I kept thinking, 'Oh no, is it a cliche immigrant story? Another book where the author lives abroad and writes about the country her parents came from?'
I was very pleased that the book was NOTHING like that. It was honest and had the true essence that can categorize it as a Sri Lankan book. Fans of Homegoing,Salt Houses and Pachinko, take note. This book is brilliant!
Here is what you can expect:
- excellent history of the civil war and the effect on its residents.
-the bond between mothers and daughters; the love between sisters.
-how caste and traditions get modified amidst conflict.
-family structure in Sri Lanka. I loved this part which is very similar to that of Indian families. I don't think I have read books that talk like this novel about how old people are taken care of in families, bond between grandparents and grandchildren etc. Much needed.
-plight of professionals after immigrating when they are forced to undertake responsiblities of a smaller level than what they are actually trained for.
-Food. Just excellent. That's all.
-Family saga done right - All the characters were well fleshed out including the last generation
- At the end Shankari has included all the meanings of the Tamil words used as well as the chronology of events in the history of Sri Lanka (very helpful)
Highly highly recommended. It is always a happy day when you discover a book as good as this. I want to shout out "Pick the book up" to everyone out there.
If you are interested in a longer review here it is - http://www.thebooksatchel.com/song-su...
(But seriously, you needn't even bother. You will love the read. Reserve it at the library. Or buy it. You would not regret it)
Much thanks to Perera Hussein for a copy of the book. All opinions are my own.
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook
I was very pleased that the book was NOTHING like that. It was honest and had the true essence that can categorize it as a Sri Lankan book. Fans of Homegoing,Salt Houses and Pachinko, take note. This book is brilliant!
Here is what you can expect:
- excellent history of the civil war and the effect on its residents.
-the bond between mothers and daughters; the love between sisters.
-how caste and traditions get modified amidst conflict.
-family structure in Sri Lanka. I loved this part which is very similar to that of Indian families. I don't think I have read books that talk like this novel about how old people are taken care of in families, bond between grandparents and grandchildren etc. Much needed.
-plight of professionals after immigrating when they are forced to undertake responsiblities of a smaller level than what they are actually trained for.
-Food. Just excellent. That's all.
-Family saga done right - All the characters were well fleshed out including the last generation
- At the end Shankari has included all the meanings of the Tamil words used as well as the chronology of events in the history of Sri Lanka (very helpful)
Highly highly recommended. It is always a happy day when you discover a book as good as this. I want to shout out "Pick the book up" to everyone out there.
If you are interested in a longer review here it is - http://www.thebooksatchel.com/song-su...
(But seriously, you needn't even bother. You will love the read. Reserve it at the library. Or buy it. You would not regret it)
Much thanks to Perera Hussein for a copy of the book. All opinions are my own.
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook
June 1, 2024
It's hard to fathom that it wasn't so very long ago, that Shankari Chandran was having trouble finding an audience for this unforgettable multigenerational Sri Lankan family saga. Just as funny as it is heartbreaking at times, I thought it was wonderful and actually quite relatable at the family level.
Although 6 generations of this Tamil family appear on the page, it is really the 3rd to 5th generations that carry the story, and it is Nala & Rajan who anchor it. Married quite young, on the eve of Sri Lanka's independence, 'like' and respect soon turn to love for this Tamil couple. Rajan works hard and becomes a highly respected surgeon, which gives them access to the country's elite, and affords them a level of protection as it descends into civil war. Their children - a girl, followed some time later by the longed-for boy - are surprisingly joined by another sibling. Dhara is the daughter of their hearts, if not of their blood, and becomes a close sister to Priya. Both girls follow Rajan's example by studying medicine, but from there on, their lives take very different paths, including the lifechanging decision of whether to stay (in Sri Lanka) or go. But it is a deeply buried family secret that binds the two girls together, for life.
It is only to be expected that some pretty harrowing scenes of civil war appear throughout this story, but Chandran handles them in a very fair, even-handed way. Her own Tamil heritage doesn't seem to cloud her judgement of the wrongs committed by both sides (this is also true of the other two of her books that I've read to date). I for one am glad to have had the opportunity to discover this story.
Although 6 generations of this Tamil family appear on the page, it is really the 3rd to 5th generations that carry the story, and it is Nala & Rajan who anchor it. Married quite young, on the eve of Sri Lanka's independence, 'like' and respect soon turn to love for this Tamil couple. Rajan works hard and becomes a highly respected surgeon, which gives them access to the country's elite, and affords them a level of protection as it descends into civil war. Their children - a girl, followed some time later by the longed-for boy - are surprisingly joined by another sibling. Dhara is the daughter of their hearts, if not of their blood, and becomes a close sister to Priya. Both girls follow Rajan's example by studying medicine, but from there on, their lives take very different paths, including the lifechanging decision of whether to stay (in Sri Lanka) or go. But it is a deeply buried family secret that binds the two girls together, for life.
It is only to be expected that some pretty harrowing scenes of civil war appear throughout this story, but Chandran handles them in a very fair, even-handed way. Her own Tamil heritage doesn't seem to cloud her judgement of the wrongs committed by both sides (this is also true of the other two of her books that I've read to date). I for one am glad to have had the opportunity to discover this story.
April 7, 2024
“What we have learned is the size of a fistful of earth; what we haven’t learned is the size of this world.’
Australian author Shankari Chandran is a lawyer and social justice advocate. She was born in London, and raised in Canberra after her parents left Sri Lanka. This is her debut novel, a family saga reaching from the 1930s in Colombo to the 2010s in Sydney. It centres on the Sri Lankan Civil War which lasted from 1983 to 2009, a conflict between the majority Sinhalese Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tigers who wished to establish a Tamil homeland in the North East. This followed multiple violent pogroms by the Buddhist Singhalese against the Tamils, the suppression of the Tamil language, the theft of their lands, and the burning of the Jaffa Public Library containing their precious cultural Hindu texts.
The story follows the lives of Rajan and Nala, then their children and grandchildren. Nala is a woman of strength, who fiercely loves her children and will do anything to protect them, even if this includes lies and manipulation. Rajan is a doctor and a man of integrity but few words. His advice to his granddaughter typifies his life ethos. ‘You must do the right thing, Smrithi, whether you want to or not—and you must do it to the best of your ability. That’s all that is asked of us, even though sometimes it seems an impossible task.’
As the country descends into war and chaos the two must decide whether to stay or flee. The choices they make to protect and support their children repercuss through the generations. Priya and Dhara are brought up like sisters, a bond that transcends even the brutal treatment of Dhara at the hands of soldiers, and the love of a child that binds them together and tears at both of their hearts.
Chandran’s writing is evocative and powerful and does not gloss over the brutal realities. On the other hand I also enjoyed her subtle and at times wry humour. “She fiddled with the medallion on her necklace as she sat. It was St Christopher, the Catholic patron of travellers, given to her by Archi. Her grandmother was a devout Hindu who unashamedly prayed to all gods and saints, just in case. Her grandfather overlooked this religious indiscretion on the grounds that Jesus lived with his mother, so he seemed like a good Hindu boy anyway.”
This was a moving story that paints a vibrant picture of Sri Lanka, from the atrocities of the war, to the beauty of the culture, traditions and the stories from the Mahabharata which weave through, paralleling the events in the family and country. My only complaint is that it was possibly too long. But at the heart of all the stories, the cultural traditions and events, is a pervasive and deep love for family. This is definitely a 5 star read.
“Every generation should have the chance to be better and freer than the one before it.”
Australian author Shankari Chandran is a lawyer and social justice advocate. She was born in London, and raised in Canberra after her parents left Sri Lanka. This is her debut novel, a family saga reaching from the 1930s in Colombo to the 2010s in Sydney. It centres on the Sri Lankan Civil War which lasted from 1983 to 2009, a conflict between the majority Sinhalese Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tigers who wished to establish a Tamil homeland in the North East. This followed multiple violent pogroms by the Buddhist Singhalese against the Tamils, the suppression of the Tamil language, the theft of their lands, and the burning of the Jaffa Public Library containing their precious cultural Hindu texts.
The story follows the lives of Rajan and Nala, then their children and grandchildren. Nala is a woman of strength, who fiercely loves her children and will do anything to protect them, even if this includes lies and manipulation. Rajan is a doctor and a man of integrity but few words. His advice to his granddaughter typifies his life ethos. ‘You must do the right thing, Smrithi, whether you want to or not—and you must do it to the best of your ability. That’s all that is asked of us, even though sometimes it seems an impossible task.’
As the country descends into war and chaos the two must decide whether to stay or flee. The choices they make to protect and support their children repercuss through the generations. Priya and Dhara are brought up like sisters, a bond that transcends even the brutal treatment of Dhara at the hands of soldiers, and the love of a child that binds them together and tears at both of their hearts.
Chandran’s writing is evocative and powerful and does not gloss over the brutal realities. On the other hand I also enjoyed her subtle and at times wry humour. “She fiddled with the medallion on her necklace as she sat. It was St Christopher, the Catholic patron of travellers, given to her by Archi. Her grandmother was a devout Hindu who unashamedly prayed to all gods and saints, just in case. Her grandfather overlooked this religious indiscretion on the grounds that Jesus lived with his mother, so he seemed like a good Hindu boy anyway.”
This was a moving story that paints a vibrant picture of Sri Lanka, from the atrocities of the war, to the beauty of the culture, traditions and the stories from the Mahabharata which weave through, paralleling the events in the family and country. My only complaint is that it was possibly too long. But at the heart of all the stories, the cultural traditions and events, is a pervasive and deep love for family. This is definitely a 5 star read.
“Every generation should have the chance to be better and freer than the one before it.”
January 6, 2023
First book of 2023 and it’s definitely a 5 star. I could not put this down. It’s the perfect balance of personal and political from Nala’s and her family’s perspective of the civil war and all the tragedies before and after.
September 15, 2019
In Song of the Sun God, a scene details Dhara, an intelligent young doctor, being raped by a soldier. As he violates her, she makes a heroic attempt to distract herself by listing infections in alphabetical order: amoebic dysentery, chickenpox, dengue, diphtheria…
Along with her, the reader tries to block out this horror, taking up her chant—filariasis, helminths, leprosy because the novel at this point is too heavy with the sweat and blood of its characters, too difficult to bear without a distraction, too inhumane to comprehend.
A few months later, as Dhara stands before the mirror examining the topography of torture, a patchwork of torn, brittle and scarred flesh, the pain of an entire community and nation is truncated onto the hapless girl’s body. There is a “constellation of cigarette burns on her left breast,” repugnantly reminiscent of Sethe’s maze of scars, the ‘chokecherry tree’, in Toni Morrison’s Beloved. Dhara’s constellation, too, is the burden of war and its aftermath.
The novel begins long before Dhara comes into existence. Her mother’s cousin Nala (or cousin-sister, as she is affectionately termed in true South Asian style) meets her husband in Jaffna, in the northern tip of Sri Lanka. From there, the family expands into her second cousin, Priya. After racial tensions erupt in their town of Gal Oya, and kill her father, men get an excuse to hurt her mother “in the oldest way by the oldest weapon” and Dhara begins to live with her aunt’s family. This pent-up rage of an individual, built upon a struggle for identity and fanned by the strife within a country is what affects Dhara and all the other characters thereafter.
This song in the novel’s title is searing and melancholic. It spans across the civil war in Sri Lanka that started in the early 1980s and took an estimated 100,000 lives, displaced countless people, and left entire generations in severe trauma and distress. In the ethnic clashes that began between the native Sinhalese and the Tamils, the author, Shankari Chandran, depicts a Tamil family who lived through uncertainty and fear; discrimination and humiliation; with all members choosing the relative safety of foreign countries, while Dhara stays back to support the war.
It is a difficult novel to read, being even more emotional than expected. The author does not shy away from describing the atrocities and horror, the senseless violence and discordance. Her attempt is to recreate the war as a more objective, balanced, nuanced history, with careful observation of all socio-cultural and state-inflicted inequalities that led to the eventual deadly explosion. The narrative tries not to take sides, presenting facts and emotions as they were, attempting to help readers understand the violent past of Sri Lanka. “Every country has its lists,” the novel tells us, “the pain of war, the terror of memory, and the process of healing.”
The author though is very clear of where her sympathy lies—with each and every citizen and innocent civilians harmed by the war. Time and again, she compares the bloody civil war to the epic battle of Mahabharata, which was fought between the Pandavas and the Kauravas, cousins who wreaked havoc on the entire world before realising that there was no victory to be had. Every person lost in the war, each warrior stood equally guilty and alone. While this might be an ultra simplistic way of defining a confrontation with complex and long-reaching roots, Chandran’s allegory does make sense. War among kin, whatever the moral foundations may be, begets nothing but torment.
Chandran’s language invites the reader in: it is warm and friendly. As one progresses through the book, the reader begins to feel like one of the characters. It is also a well-researched, poring carefully over cause and effect, consequences and repercussions. There are symbols and myths woven into the story, meanings in everyday actions. A little girl steals bottles and then some soil to make weapons, after the uncle refuses to buy her a gun. In Sri Lanka’s capital of Colombo, a naked monk sets himself on fire, tall flames wrapping around him “like an orange robe.” All of this escalates, intermingles, and is fanned to a flame that scorches everything that comes its way.
The novel’s delicate navigation through “racial supremacy, hidden in the rhetoric of religion and the fine detail of domestic policy” is commendable. The politics of language and culture, jobs and well-being, of state services and discrimination—none of them escape Chandran’s perceptive pen.
The problem, however, is that the book is (at least) a hundred pages too long. There is trivia and trivial incidents and characters that do not add anything to the novel, and should have been edited out mercilessly. One irksome tale is the melodrama of a son begotten as a blessing from the Gods, and a hooded cobra standing over that precious baby boy. Then there are issues simply mentioned once and forgotten, as if they require no further explanation. For example, Priya’s family is threatened by an opposing group abroad, and then there is no follow-up at all. Also bothersome is the monotonous and tedious back-and-forth among characters on the same topic, year after year—the similar trips abroad, the too-oft repeated agony of staying back, the same surreptitious visit to a warring region. The newness begins to wane after a while, as there is no need to recreate the same circumstance over and over again.
Even more problematic is the placement of commas—the editor seems to be a comma hater. Take this sentence: “Multiculturalism is a wonderful thing children.” Or this: “We did spoil them but we also changed Priya”, as if it is Priya who was changed, instead of the children who are supposed to be. This disastrous sentence: “I’m scared Priya, but mostly I’m happy.” These constant eyesores take away from the otherwise pretty, if not extraordinary, prose.
The novel in its entirety, though, is quite readable. In Dhara’s latticed growth of a tree across her skin and the bond between the cousins is as poignant as the two sister-friends in Chitra Banerjee’s Sister of My Heart. The war-ravaged bodies and souls are reminiscent of so many powerful novels that advocate for peace.
And even though the essence of the novel is arranged, somewhat naively, into a message from the Mahabharata, it will always ring true, and it will remind Nepalis, especially, of our own past: “The heroes were flawed; they were human and therefore they failed. The villains were capable of goodness and greatness… Any human endeavour, whether it be a civil war or a fight for freedom, would be flawed. It was a nature of the species. Each would have their moments, their days and years in which they would either redeem or repudiate themselves.”
Along with her, the reader tries to block out this horror, taking up her chant—filariasis, helminths, leprosy because the novel at this point is too heavy with the sweat and blood of its characters, too difficult to bear without a distraction, too inhumane to comprehend.
A few months later, as Dhara stands before the mirror examining the topography of torture, a patchwork of torn, brittle and scarred flesh, the pain of an entire community and nation is truncated onto the hapless girl’s body. There is a “constellation of cigarette burns on her left breast,” repugnantly reminiscent of Sethe’s maze of scars, the ‘chokecherry tree’, in Toni Morrison’s Beloved. Dhara’s constellation, too, is the burden of war and its aftermath.
The novel begins long before Dhara comes into existence. Her mother’s cousin Nala (or cousin-sister, as she is affectionately termed in true South Asian style) meets her husband in Jaffna, in the northern tip of Sri Lanka. From there, the family expands into her second cousin, Priya. After racial tensions erupt in their town of Gal Oya, and kill her father, men get an excuse to hurt her mother “in the oldest way by the oldest weapon” and Dhara begins to live with her aunt’s family. This pent-up rage of an individual, built upon a struggle for identity and fanned by the strife within a country is what affects Dhara and all the other characters thereafter.
This song in the novel’s title is searing and melancholic. It spans across the civil war in Sri Lanka that started in the early 1980s and took an estimated 100,000 lives, displaced countless people, and left entire generations in severe trauma and distress. In the ethnic clashes that began between the native Sinhalese and the Tamils, the author, Shankari Chandran, depicts a Tamil family who lived through uncertainty and fear; discrimination and humiliation; with all members choosing the relative safety of foreign countries, while Dhara stays back to support the war.
It is a difficult novel to read, being even more emotional than expected. The author does not shy away from describing the atrocities and horror, the senseless violence and discordance. Her attempt is to recreate the war as a more objective, balanced, nuanced history, with careful observation of all socio-cultural and state-inflicted inequalities that led to the eventual deadly explosion. The narrative tries not to take sides, presenting facts and emotions as they were, attempting to help readers understand the violent past of Sri Lanka. “Every country has its lists,” the novel tells us, “the pain of war, the terror of memory, and the process of healing.”
The author though is very clear of where her sympathy lies—with each and every citizen and innocent civilians harmed by the war. Time and again, she compares the bloody civil war to the epic battle of Mahabharata, which was fought between the Pandavas and the Kauravas, cousins who wreaked havoc on the entire world before realising that there was no victory to be had. Every person lost in the war, each warrior stood equally guilty and alone. While this might be an ultra simplistic way of defining a confrontation with complex and long-reaching roots, Chandran’s allegory does make sense. War among kin, whatever the moral foundations may be, begets nothing but torment.
Chandran’s language invites the reader in: it is warm and friendly. As one progresses through the book, the reader begins to feel like one of the characters. It is also a well-researched, poring carefully over cause and effect, consequences and repercussions. There are symbols and myths woven into the story, meanings in everyday actions. A little girl steals bottles and then some soil to make weapons, after the uncle refuses to buy her a gun. In Sri Lanka’s capital of Colombo, a naked monk sets himself on fire, tall flames wrapping around him “like an orange robe.” All of this escalates, intermingles, and is fanned to a flame that scorches everything that comes its way.
The novel’s delicate navigation through “racial supremacy, hidden in the rhetoric of religion and the fine detail of domestic policy” is commendable. The politics of language and culture, jobs and well-being, of state services and discrimination—none of them escape Chandran’s perceptive pen.
The problem, however, is that the book is (at least) a hundred pages too long. There is trivia and trivial incidents and characters that do not add anything to the novel, and should have been edited out mercilessly. One irksome tale is the melodrama of a son begotten as a blessing from the Gods, and a hooded cobra standing over that precious baby boy. Then there are issues simply mentioned once and forgotten, as if they require no further explanation. For example, Priya’s family is threatened by an opposing group abroad, and then there is no follow-up at all. Also bothersome is the monotonous and tedious back-and-forth among characters on the same topic, year after year—the similar trips abroad, the too-oft repeated agony of staying back, the same surreptitious visit to a warring region. The newness begins to wane after a while, as there is no need to recreate the same circumstance over and over again.
Even more problematic is the placement of commas—the editor seems to be a comma hater. Take this sentence: “Multiculturalism is a wonderful thing children.” Or this: “We did spoil them but we also changed Priya”, as if it is Priya who was changed, instead of the children who are supposed to be. This disastrous sentence: “I’m scared Priya, but mostly I’m happy.” These constant eyesores take away from the otherwise pretty, if not extraordinary, prose.
The novel in its entirety, though, is quite readable. In Dhara’s latticed growth of a tree across her skin and the bond between the cousins is as poignant as the two sister-friends in Chitra Banerjee’s Sister of My Heart. The war-ravaged bodies and souls are reminiscent of so many powerful novels that advocate for peace.
And even though the essence of the novel is arranged, somewhat naively, into a message from the Mahabharata, it will always ring true, and it will remind Nepalis, especially, of our own past: “The heroes were flawed; they were human and therefore they failed. The villains were capable of goodness and greatness… Any human endeavour, whether it be a civil war or a fight for freedom, would be flawed. It was a nature of the species. Each would have their moments, their days and years in which they would either redeem or repudiate themselves.”
January 21, 2023
I listened to this as an audio book and this felt like the most raw, authentic and deeply observed book I have read I a long time.
This follows the joys, trials and tribulations of multiple generations of a Sri Lankan Tamil family ranging from the 1930s to the present day. It works on multiple levels.
A beautiful look at colonial history, the stoking of the divisions between Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims and how events move inexorably toward bloodier and bloodier massacres. And this is shown through the impact on peoples lives but also broader commentary.
As a South Indian Tamil myself, I have to say I learned way more history from this book that in any schooling or media reporting. And no one emerges from this looking good, but it’s also made very clear that there are no winners in war and division.
The book also worked beautifully in describing the multi generational family dynamics, the decision some make to emigrate and how hard that is, and the evolution of perspectives. The emotions and especially the articulation of language was just gorgeous.
I have to say this was a highly intense, emotive book but it contained plenty of joy and humor too. It’s going to be hard to find a better book this year for me
This follows the joys, trials and tribulations of multiple generations of a Sri Lankan Tamil family ranging from the 1930s to the present day. It works on multiple levels.
A beautiful look at colonial history, the stoking of the divisions between Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims and how events move inexorably toward bloodier and bloodier massacres. And this is shown through the impact on peoples lives but also broader commentary.
As a South Indian Tamil myself, I have to say I learned way more history from this book that in any schooling or media reporting. And no one emerges from this looking good, but it’s also made very clear that there are no winners in war and division.
The book also worked beautifully in describing the multi generational family dynamics, the decision some make to emigrate and how hard that is, and the evolution of perspectives. The emotions and especially the articulation of language was just gorgeous.
I have to say this was a highly intense, emotive book but it contained plenty of joy and humor too. It’s going to be hard to find a better book this year for me
July 4, 2023
Jaffna was the place her parents were born. They had breathed its air and walked on its blood-red soil. They had laughed here when they were whole. When she breathed, walked and laughed in Jaffna, she could feel them with her.
i don't think i could review this even if i tried.
i've never read a book that puts literally everything of my cultural history on display, a book that perfectly describes my parents' struggles, a book that puts into words the fears and hopes and dreams of immigrants. from the very beginning, starting with rajan and nala, till the very end, when they are surrounded by their family, i was hooked.
It could only be expressed in Tamil. There was something about their language; its poetry and its pain.
rajan and nala are my favorites. from the very beginning, from their arranged marriage to their banter and struggles and pain and all the way till the very end, we read about all 64 years of their marriage. and i love every bit of it.
"Anyway, I don't want to move. This is our home; we built this house and your practice. We were here first," she finished petulantly.
"That argument didn't work with the Portuguese, Dutch, or the British."
they are so sweet, with nala wanting obvious attention and words from rajan and rajan just admiring and trying to hide his affection for nala. everything about them is so cute, and with every struggle they face, my heart hurts for them.
"You should have been a prosecutor."
"Yes, I should and could have been many things. Instead, I'm your wife, and I'd like to know what you're doing up at midnight, Rajan."
He took the clipboard back and held it tightly against his chest.
"I can't sleep without you," he replied quietly.
"What?" she heard him but she wanted to hear it again.
"I said I can't sleep properly without you."
yes, i did in fact tear up at the end. I CANNOT HELP IT.
"It's not right," she said to herself. "It's not right that I should live to see this."
"Would you have preferred if it was you first?" he asked her impatiently. "You need to pull yourself together, Nala."
She turned to look at him, but he wasn't there, just a lifetime of scoldings, echoing in her ears.
this is a very very personal book to me. i cannot handle anyone saying they didn't like it plot-wise, because a lot of this book is a reality for a lot of Tamil people. granted, i can't relate exactly, because of the generational differences, but everything else: spot on.
i love this book sm.
i don't think i could review this even if i tried.
i've never read a book that puts literally everything of my cultural history on display, a book that perfectly describes my parents' struggles, a book that puts into words the fears and hopes and dreams of immigrants. from the very beginning, starting with rajan and nala, till the very end, when they are surrounded by their family, i was hooked.
It could only be expressed in Tamil. There was something about their language; its poetry and its pain.
rajan and nala are my favorites. from the very beginning, from their arranged marriage to their banter and struggles and pain and all the way till the very end, we read about all 64 years of their marriage. and i love every bit of it.
"Anyway, I don't want to move. This is our home; we built this house and your practice. We were here first," she finished petulantly.
"That argument didn't work with the Portuguese, Dutch, or the British."
they are so sweet, with nala wanting obvious attention and words from rajan and rajan just admiring and trying to hide his affection for nala. everything about them is so cute, and with every struggle they face, my heart hurts for them.
"You should have been a prosecutor."
"Yes, I should and could have been many things. Instead, I'm your wife, and I'd like to know what you're doing up at midnight, Rajan."
He took the clipboard back and held it tightly against his chest.
"I can't sleep without you," he replied quietly.
"What?" she heard him but she wanted to hear it again.
"I said I can't sleep properly without you."
yes, i did in fact tear up at the end. I CANNOT HELP IT.
"It's not right," she said to herself. "It's not right that I should live to see this."
"Would you have preferred if it was you first?" he asked her impatiently. "You need to pull yourself together, Nala."
She turned to look at him, but he wasn't there, just a lifetime of scoldings, echoing in her ears.
this is a very very personal book to me. i cannot handle anyone saying they didn't like it plot-wise, because a lot of this book is a reality for a lot of Tamil people. granted, i can't relate exactly, because of the generational differences, but everything else: spot on.
i love this book sm.
October 15, 2025
I listened to the audiobook. I actually finished a week. However I delayed writing this review because I could not find the words to hail how excellent it is. Beginning at the time of Colombo gaining independence from the British, it follows the tragedies of three generations of a Tamil family.
They endure life in the racially divided Shrilanka until the violence escalates and most of the family re-settle in Australia. The story is emotional and engaging.
But this is more than a beautifully written family saga. It is an important work that traces a slice of history given only fleeting reference and highlights the racial injustice suffered by the Tamil people. A five star rating is well deserved.
They endure life in the racially divided Shrilanka until the violence escalates and most of the family re-settle in Australia. The story is emotional and engaging.
But this is more than a beautifully written family saga. It is an important work that traces a slice of history given only fleeting reference and highlights the racial injustice suffered by the Tamil people. A five star rating is well deserved.
February 21, 2017
Occasionally I find a book that makes me sob into my sofa pillows uncontrollably. For hours. I couldn't put this book down and I couldn't stop crying. No, that's not completely correct. I stopped crying from time to time to laugh at the humour and tenderness between the characters of this family. I wanted to adopt Nala's family. I wanted her to adopt me. It is everything I love about South Asian literature - beautiful prose, an exotic, troubled landscape, an impending and then roiling civil war, a migration, dislocation, search for identity, the search for home and loved ones.
However, there was also more in this debut novel. Shankari Chandran offers a searing portrait of a paradise toyed with by colonial powers and then left to the manipulations of religious politics. Or politics in religion's clothing. She deftly handles a seven decade timeline (don't be alarmed readers there are dates in the chapter headings), spending long enough in each one, to give you a sense of the rapidly deteriorating communal relations, all the paths that weren't taken, all the moments when a war could have been prevented.
Although history has a voice in this book, it is the characters and their lives that are centre stage. Well drawn, authentic characters you love, understand, sympathise with, rail against and forgive. They make good decisions, hard ones and bad ones. They are bound to each other by love, a religious duty and grief. Mostly by love.
There is anger in this novel. Shankari Chandran has a background in social justice law and her experience in human rights law, her clear sympathy towards the most vulnerable victims of any war - women and children - is visceral. There are scenes of violence in this book that I struggled with. It was never excessively described. It was restrained and perhaps that was what made the unrestrained subtext horrifying and scarring to read, impossible to forget.
Shankari Chandran is also an ethnic Tamil. Her narrative is an unmitigated Tamil one. Despite that, or perhaps because of it, she explores the moral contradictions of the Tigers, as well as those of the Army and the government. But her focus is the moral contradictions of family - of the people who you love and who love you the most.
Song of the Sun God is her first novel. According to her website there is another one out in June 2017, set in a futuristic Sri Lanka. I look forward to watching her further dissect her beautiful, terrifying country of origin, with beautiful language, complex characters, compelling plots and unflinching honesty.
However, there was also more in this debut novel. Shankari Chandran offers a searing portrait of a paradise toyed with by colonial powers and then left to the manipulations of religious politics. Or politics in religion's clothing. She deftly handles a seven decade timeline (don't be alarmed readers there are dates in the chapter headings), spending long enough in each one, to give you a sense of the rapidly deteriorating communal relations, all the paths that weren't taken, all the moments when a war could have been prevented.
Although history has a voice in this book, it is the characters and their lives that are centre stage. Well drawn, authentic characters you love, understand, sympathise with, rail against and forgive. They make good decisions, hard ones and bad ones. They are bound to each other by love, a religious duty and grief. Mostly by love.
There is anger in this novel. Shankari Chandran has a background in social justice law and her experience in human rights law, her clear sympathy towards the most vulnerable victims of any war - women and children - is visceral. There are scenes of violence in this book that I struggled with. It was never excessively described. It was restrained and perhaps that was what made the unrestrained subtext horrifying and scarring to read, impossible to forget.
Shankari Chandran is also an ethnic Tamil. Her narrative is an unmitigated Tamil one. Despite that, or perhaps because of it, she explores the moral contradictions of the Tigers, as well as those of the Army and the government. But her focus is the moral contradictions of family - of the people who you love and who love you the most.
Song of the Sun God is her first novel. According to her website there is another one out in June 2017, set in a futuristic Sri Lanka. I look forward to watching her further dissect her beautiful, terrifying country of origin, with beautiful language, complex characters, compelling plots and unflinching honesty.
April 9, 2017
4.5 Stars
I've never heard of Shankari Chandran before . I just happened to leaf through a book that had a captivating cover.
As I leafed through, my knee jerk reaction was, "Not Another Sri Lankan tale from a person living abroad". Then I started to read a page or two.
The book started in Colombo 1932, with a Monk immolating himself in broad daylight. After reading that fiery first chapter plus bits and pieces from other parts of the book , I just had to buy it.
I'm glad that I did. This is a brave ,cathartic debut novel.
It's an epic saga that spans 3 generations of Sri Lankan Tamils.
It can also be described as the Tamil version of Gunadasa Amarasekera's Sinhala Buddhist Middle Class saga. (Insert Tamil,Hindu in appropriate places)
This story deals with many aspects of the Ethnic problem plus speaks about the universal truth on War and its impact on Humans. And it asks a heart wrenching question about Home!
She manages to write her characters really well. I felt as if I knew Nala as a person.
Nala, Dhara and Smrithi were unforgettable characters. All 3 women had unbending personalities.
For a person born in London and raised in Australia, the author hasn't done many mistakes (At least that's how I felt) in writing about Sri Lanka.
Some , who are familiar with the Ethnic conflict might question her about the omissions on atrocities done to Sinhalese people. But the story is from a Tamil perspective (Refer my mention of Gunadasa Amarasekera's work) , hence I felt it was appropriate with the narrative.
Plus it's the authors prerogative.
I'm not going to re hash the story in my review but I will be waving this book under my friends noses till they agree to read it.
I've never heard of Shankari Chandran before . I just happened to leaf through a book that had a captivating cover.
As I leafed through, my knee jerk reaction was, "Not Another Sri Lankan tale from a person living abroad". Then I started to read a page or two.
The book started in Colombo 1932, with a Monk immolating himself in broad daylight. After reading that fiery first chapter plus bits and pieces from other parts of the book , I just had to buy it.
I'm glad that I did. This is a brave ,cathartic debut novel.
It's an epic saga that spans 3 generations of Sri Lankan Tamils.
It can also be described as the Tamil version of Gunadasa Amarasekera's Sinhala Buddhist Middle Class saga. (Insert Tamil,Hindu in appropriate places)
This story deals with many aspects of the Ethnic problem plus speaks about the universal truth on War and its impact on Humans. And it asks a heart wrenching question about Home!
She manages to write her characters really well. I felt as if I knew Nala as a person.
Nala, Dhara and Smrithi were unforgettable characters. All 3 women had unbending personalities.
For a person born in London and raised in Australia, the author hasn't done many mistakes (At least that's how I felt) in writing about Sri Lanka.
Some , who are familiar with the Ethnic conflict might question her about the omissions on atrocities done to Sinhalese people. But the story is from a Tamil perspective (Refer my mention of Gunadasa Amarasekera's work) , hence I felt it was appropriate with the narrative.
Plus it's the authors prerogative.
I'm not going to re hash the story in my review but I will be waving this book under my friends noses till they agree to read it.
April 25, 2024
Song of the Sun God grew on me slowly and steadily, but now that I've finished it, I can confidently say that it's one of the impactful books I've read in awhile. This generational saga follows three generations of a family and how Sri Lanka's decades-long civil war shaped the trajectories of their lives.
This book is so many things: it's a story about love and family, about generational differences, about parenthood, about trauma, about the decisions we make and the irrevocable impact they have, about war, and what and who we fight and survive for.
I was sobbing by the end, and I couldn't stop thinking about it after. Unexpectedly, it made me want to delve and learn more about Sri Lanka's history, and also makes me want to pick up more historical fiction.
This book is so many things: it's a story about love and family, about generational differences, about parenthood, about trauma, about the decisions we make and the irrevocable impact they have, about war, and what and who we fight and survive for.
I was sobbing by the end, and I couldn't stop thinking about it after. Unexpectedly, it made me want to delve and learn more about Sri Lanka's history, and also makes me want to pick up more historical fiction.
February 19, 2018
You could argue that the Song of the Sun God is about a lot of things. Perhaps it is about 'the oldest crime'.
The Song of the Sun God follows Ceylon's shift to Sri Lanka, through the eyes of a young Tamil girl, and her family.
This was a fitting book to read, as we celebrated 70 years of Independence. This year, like every other year, the roof of our house shook as the jets swooped overhead, on their way to the celebrations.
In the Song of the Sun God, the protagonist visits the house of one of her husband's patients -against his express orders. The young patient has induced an abortion; the father has 'many other children, away from the manor where his wife can't see.'
The year is 1947.
Over the next few years, there is (for us) the predictable downward spiral of violence. Shankari is remorseless in uncovering and showing that violence, and yet, restrained. A few shard-like phrases, placed just so. The characters too, are vivid and real. They draw you in. You invest in them. It's easy to see why this book was nominated for a Graetian award. The author found a way to tell a story, told many thousands of times over, in a way that was poignant, resonant and yes, even beautiful.
I began by saying that the Song of the Sun God could be about the oldest crime - that was the opinion of the moderator at the Galle Literary Festival. But perhaps it is about more than that.
You could say this book is about violence. How senseless it is. As senseless as an orange tongue of flame, wrapped around a silent, praying figure. But perhaps it's about more than that, too. Perhaps it's about what's left behind when the flame sputters out.
Perhaps the Song of the Sun God is really about what cannot be destroyed. What persists, despite.
The Song of the Sun God follows Ceylon's shift to Sri Lanka, through the eyes of a young Tamil girl, and her family.
This was a fitting book to read, as we celebrated 70 years of Independence. This year, like every other year, the roof of our house shook as the jets swooped overhead, on their way to the celebrations.
In the Song of the Sun God, the protagonist visits the house of one of her husband's patients -against his express orders. The young patient has induced an abortion; the father has 'many other children, away from the manor where his wife can't see.'
The year is 1947.
Over the next few years, there is (for us) the predictable downward spiral of violence. Shankari is remorseless in uncovering and showing that violence, and yet, restrained. A few shard-like phrases, placed just so. The characters too, are vivid and real. They draw you in. You invest in them. It's easy to see why this book was nominated for a Graetian award. The author found a way to tell a story, told many thousands of times over, in a way that was poignant, resonant and yes, even beautiful.
I began by saying that the Song of the Sun God could be about the oldest crime - that was the opinion of the moderator at the Galle Literary Festival. But perhaps it is about more than that.
You could say this book is about violence. How senseless it is. As senseless as an orange tongue of flame, wrapped around a silent, praying figure. But perhaps it's about more than that, too. Perhaps it's about what's left behind when the flame sputters out.
Perhaps the Song of the Sun God is really about what cannot be destroyed. What persists, despite.
February 28, 2017
Sitting on my beach chair reading your book over the weekend, my wife wasn’t quite sure what to make of the tears running down my face as she walked out of the surf. I was truly moved by your story and your beautiful writing. It was impactful in so many ways.
I really didn’t know a thing about the history of Sri Lanka and the Tamils. From an historical perspective, it is a treasured learning and one I wish I knew a long time ago.
Any time a minority group is systematically brutalised highlights the impotence of the United Nations and the unwillingness of individual nations to do the right thing. Yet there are not-for-profit groups and individuals who regularly put their lives at risk to help those who are unable to protect themselves against such brutalities.
While I don’t know for certain, I assume this book is somewhat of a community history which brings these atrocities closer to home. It must have been a very trying journey for you as an author writing your first book. More so, the topic covered through the lens of your family tree would have made it a particularly emotional journey.
Thank you so much for telling this story. It is an important story, and one written by an accomplished writer. I would love to share your book with some friends who I know would be interested.
I really didn’t know a thing about the history of Sri Lanka and the Tamils. From an historical perspective, it is a treasured learning and one I wish I knew a long time ago.
Any time a minority group is systematically brutalised highlights the impotence of the United Nations and the unwillingness of individual nations to do the right thing. Yet there are not-for-profit groups and individuals who regularly put their lives at risk to help those who are unable to protect themselves against such brutalities.
While I don’t know for certain, I assume this book is somewhat of a community history which brings these atrocities closer to home. It must have been a very trying journey for you as an author writing your first book. More so, the topic covered through the lens of your family tree would have made it a particularly emotional journey.
Thank you so much for telling this story. It is an important story, and one written by an accomplished writer. I would love to share your book with some friends who I know would be interested.
November 23, 2024
So glad I read this. I learned about a country, culture, and history I knew nothing about. The story through the generations of a family allowed for a lot of history around religion, politics, war in present day Sri Lanka.
The family drama could have been far-fetched in another setting, but it felt realistic and reasonable given the circumstances.
The writing was moving but uncomplicated, which I appreciated as I was taking in a lot of new info.
The family drama could have been far-fetched in another setting, but it felt realistic and reasonable given the circumstances.
The writing was moving but uncomplicated, which I appreciated as I was taking in a lot of new info.
October 5, 2023
This was an ambitious novel weaving a family saga into the political history of Sri Lanka. The writing was often beautiful with a moving poetic sensitivity which didn't shy away from incredibly difficult truth.
I found the history and political situation was explained in a compelling, moving way and whilst hard to read I was interested to learn more about a country I only knew a little about.
The family relationships were very realistic and the characterisation was vivid and charming.
I think any novel trying to span decades in time is a challenge and for me this was where the reading experience was let down a little. The pacing fluctuated between large chunks that felt slow and a little repetitive and then, what I felt were important details which were skimmed over. The strong plotlines felt like they signalled times for the narrative to speed up, almost like the author was afraid to dwell too long on her very well handled moments of trauma. Unfortunately this led to some detachment for me between the events and my emotions which was a shame. Family sagas which span vast time periods run the risk of creating distance between their readers and the writing and I felt this happened in this novel, even though the content should have been very moving. It was absolutely at moments, but then I felt jarred out of it by the change of pace.
But I enjoyed this book overall, the family were heartwarming and the historical context informative and illuminating.
This honest review is given with thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.
I found the history and political situation was explained in a compelling, moving way and whilst hard to read I was interested to learn more about a country I only knew a little about.
The family relationships were very realistic and the characterisation was vivid and charming.
I think any novel trying to span decades in time is a challenge and for me this was where the reading experience was let down a little. The pacing fluctuated between large chunks that felt slow and a little repetitive and then, what I felt were important details which were skimmed over. The strong plotlines felt like they signalled times for the narrative to speed up, almost like the author was afraid to dwell too long on her very well handled moments of trauma. Unfortunately this led to some detachment for me between the events and my emotions which was a shame. Family sagas which span vast time periods run the risk of creating distance between their readers and the writing and I felt this happened in this novel, even though the content should have been very moving. It was absolutely at moments, but then I felt jarred out of it by the change of pace.
But I enjoyed this book overall, the family were heartwarming and the historical context informative and illuminating.
This honest review is given with thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.
January 11, 2023
How can a book feel more like *home* than anything I've ever read, and simultaneously like the chronicle of a foreign war where death is ever-present? This might be the first time I've read a story from a Desi perspective, about Desis who migrate to Australia. Maybe that's why it hit me so hard. I'm not even Sri Lankan and have only the haziest knowledge of the Tamil-Sinhalese conflict (hardly an excuse). To be clear, this isn't my story... isn't anything like my story. But I just read so little about Australians and even less about Australians of an SEA background. It was nice to read something I related to so much on one level despite not relating to it at all on others.
But, I mean, that wasn't the only reason I gave five stars. This book is glorious. The writing. God, the writing, like liquid gold, like silk. Song of the Sun God is a multigenerational family saga that takes us from Nala's youth in a small village, to the darkness of the Sri Lankan Civil War, and finally to a Sydney seen from the outside, through a rainbow-lorikeet prism -- all underscored by parallels to the life of Karna from the Mahabharata. It is by turns harrowing and hopeful.
My one nitpick was that it probably ran on a bit too long towards the end.
I'm aware this is not a terribly informative or coherent review, but my experience of this book was all emotion. I'd give it ten stars if I could, that's how much I loved it.
But, I mean, that wasn't the only reason I gave five stars. This book is glorious. The writing. God, the writing, like liquid gold, like silk. Song of the Sun God is a multigenerational family saga that takes us from Nala's youth in a small village, to the darkness of the Sri Lankan Civil War, and finally to a Sydney seen from the outside, through a rainbow-lorikeet prism -- all underscored by parallels to the life of Karna from the Mahabharata. It is by turns harrowing and hopeful.
My one nitpick was that it probably ran on a bit too long towards the end.
I'm aware this is not a terribly informative or coherent review, but my experience of this book was all emotion. I'd give it ten stars if I could, that's how much I loved it.
April 29, 2024
Stayed up till 5 to finish this book and it’s well worth it.
We follow an inter-generational journey of a young couple through the devastating civil war against Eelam Tamils in Sri Lanka, to their move to Australia. I found this book sad, endearing, relatable and just beautiful.
It’s ode to Tamil culture, literature and language with wisdoms from Tamil texts sprinkled throughout. I didn’t know much about the genocide against Eelam Tamils and this was a good way to learn in a way not overly didactic but still informative.
The book captures the sadness when talking about the violence and genocide in any context, but this is offset by beautiful memories and stories of this family in Sri Lanka.
I loved the unique bond between Priya and Dhara but found it a bit simplistic that one faced all the tragedies and the other experienced all the guilt from a lack of. The guilt of being a survivor of any war (see: Hazaras in Afghanistan) is real when you live abroad and only witness it secondhand - this was a personal element for me.
All in all, there’s a lot this book covers, women’s experiences of sexual violence in war, guilt, family, and not belonging anywhere, even if that is your own homeland.
We follow an inter-generational journey of a young couple through the devastating civil war against Eelam Tamils in Sri Lanka, to their move to Australia. I found this book sad, endearing, relatable and just beautiful.
It’s ode to Tamil culture, literature and language with wisdoms from Tamil texts sprinkled throughout. I didn’t know much about the genocide against Eelam Tamils and this was a good way to learn in a way not overly didactic but still informative.
The book captures the sadness when talking about the violence and genocide in any context, but this is offset by beautiful memories and stories of this family in Sri Lanka.
I loved the unique bond between Priya and Dhara but found it a bit simplistic that one faced all the tragedies and the other experienced all the guilt from a lack of. The guilt of being a survivor of any war (see: Hazaras in Afghanistan) is real when you live abroad and only witness it secondhand - this was a personal element for me.
All in all, there’s a lot this book covers, women’s experiences of sexual violence in war, guilt, family, and not belonging anywhere, even if that is your own homeland.
May 23, 2023
I stumbled upon this captivating book while browsing through a book display at my local library. The book takes readers on a remarkable journey through three generations of Tamils in Sri Lanka and Australia, skillfully weaving historical fiction into its narrative.
The story deeply resonated with me, shedding light on a part of history I knew little about—the Sri Lankan conflict. As someone hailing from Sydney, I particularly cherished the references that connected me to the story.
What truly impressed me about this book was its exploration of themes surrounding immigration and racism. The author adeptly delved into these complex issues, enriching the narrative and providing readers with a thought-provoking experience. It is an intricately layered tale, drawing readers into its depths with its rich and immersive storytelling.
Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking an engrossing read that seamlessly blends history, personal journeys, and societal challenges.
Loved it!
The story deeply resonated with me, shedding light on a part of history I knew little about—the Sri Lankan conflict. As someone hailing from Sydney, I particularly cherished the references that connected me to the story.
What truly impressed me about this book was its exploration of themes surrounding immigration and racism. The author adeptly delved into these complex issues, enriching the narrative and providing readers with a thought-provoking experience. It is an intricately layered tale, drawing readers into its depths with its rich and immersive storytelling.
Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking an engrossing read that seamlessly blends history, personal journeys, and societal challenges.
Loved it!
November 15, 2022
4.5*
This is the most tear-inducing, emotional, deeply harrowing and touching book which explores such important and ultimately heartbreaking themes including identity, genocide, migration, familial relationships, political unrest, religion and loyalty.
It spans across three generations of Sri Lankan families and definitely gave me ‘Pachinko’ vibes.
Shankari writes so beautifully and with such poignancy that you can’t help but become completely emotionally invested in all of the characters within this book. It provides such an insight into Sri Lankan history and culture, something I loved learning more about, even if it was devastating at times.
Although the events throughout this book are quite tragic and heartbreaking, it is also a story full of hope, love and unbreakable bonds. I absolutely adored this book, like I did ‘Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens’, with Chandran definitely becoming an auto-buy author for me.
This is the most tear-inducing, emotional, deeply harrowing and touching book which explores such important and ultimately heartbreaking themes including identity, genocide, migration, familial relationships, political unrest, religion and loyalty.
It spans across three generations of Sri Lankan families and definitely gave me ‘Pachinko’ vibes.
Shankari writes so beautifully and with such poignancy that you can’t help but become completely emotionally invested in all of the characters within this book. It provides such an insight into Sri Lankan history and culture, something I loved learning more about, even if it was devastating at times.
Although the events throughout this book are quite tragic and heartbreaking, it is also a story full of hope, love and unbreakable bonds. I absolutely adored this book, like I did ‘Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens’, with Chandran definitely becoming an auto-buy author for me.
June 18, 2024
This is an absolutely gripping read. It is the story of Sri Lanka over several generations, the story of Tamil Sri Lankans. It is horrifying in its cruelty and corruption and Government cover up. Nala and Rajan marry in 1946 as Sri Lanka gains its independence from Britain and ends with most of the family and future generations living in Australia in the twenty first century. It is told with compassion and humour and the characters, especially the cousin-sisters Priya and Dhara were so believable. I loved the author’s more recent novel, Cinnamon Gardens but feel the very real raw power of this novel. Chandran outlines horrific facts but also maintains some balance when referring to the Tamil Tigers. Sri Lanka’s race relations are a dreadful indictment on human nature and the corruption continues today. And most of us know nothing about it.
December 15, 2023
After reading the author’s other book Chai time at Cinnamon Gardens I was keen to read her other book. The storyline sounded interesting and I certainly feel more educated about the atrocities that took place in Sri Lanka, however I felt that this book failed to evolve the storyline and characters. It felt like the main characters Nala and Rajan were young one moment and then old. The storyline felt discombobulated, more like snippets of their live were presented and suddenly we are a few years down the track.
June 16, 2023
I found this book quite interesting. There were parts of the civil war in Sri Lanka I didnt know about. It appears both the Tamil Tigers and the Army behaved appallingly. It was interesting reading about how the family members settled into their new life in Australia. Nala annoyed me with her behaviour towards her husband when he wanted to emigrate before things got really bad in Sri Lanka as well as some of the other secrets she kept.
October 1, 2023
I read this book thinking that it would teach me about a topic of which I had no knowledge and it did. However, I ended up not finishing it because I found it hard to keep up with all the different political groups and just felt permanently confused. I want to know how things turn out for Nala and her family, so I will turn to it one day.
April 26, 2023
First book I've read on the Civil War in Sri Lanka despite spending a month there in my 20s. Beautifully written family saga intertwined with the horrors of a decades-long war. Slow moving at times but well worth it.
November 23, 2023
I haven't been so moved and touched by a book in a long time - I sobbed and laughed and watched Nala and Dhara's lives unfold alongside the lives that paved the way for me and many others.
September 19, 2023
Beautifully written and compelling, this novel is set in Sri Lanka during the horrors of the conflict between the Tamil Tigers and the ruling government. It illustrates the ghastly effect on the population, but is told from the perspective of a wonderful range of characters. Reading this gave me a much deeper understanding of the conflict.
June 22, 2025
A beautifully written family Saga, with harrowing depictions of civil war, incredible food references and wonderful explanations of family care and relationships.
June 7, 2023
The book feels much longer than it is, and it was a bit too slow-paced to keep my attention at some points. That said, I find that this book captures many South Asian attitudes and traditions perfectly. My family immigrated from India to the US, and this book felt like looking in a mirror.
I did find the importance placed on marriage, childbearing, and marrying within the race and religion to be rather grating, but it's exactly what my mother and all her Indian friends in America were all like, and I wouldn't expect Sri Lankan Tamil culture to be that different from Indian culture, so I can't say it's not accurate. I do think it made it harder to sympathize with the characters, though, which is critical for this book to be worth reading. If you don't sympathize with the characters, this book is not worth the time. There's no clever psychological trickery here, no political intrigue - it's about family, fear, duty, and love.
Where this story shines through is in its handling of generational trauma, guilt, and war. Towards the last third or so, when we get to see more of the war and Priya and Dhara's internal conflict around Smrithy, that's when the story becomes truly engaging. The book is raw and unpretentious. It's not whimsical, but not unnecessarily gory. It's almost artistic in its descriptions of wounds, but not at all purple-prose.
I also found it very educational on the Sri Lankan conflict, which I didn't know much about prior to reading. Overall, an emotional and worthwhile read if you can deal with the story being a bit slow and meandering at points. I'd recommend to think of the story more as a diary than as something with a well-defined singular plot conflict.
I did find the importance placed on marriage, childbearing, and marrying within the race and religion to be rather grating, but it's exactly what my mother and all her Indian friends in America were all like, and I wouldn't expect Sri Lankan Tamil culture to be that different from Indian culture, so I can't say it's not accurate. I do think it made it harder to sympathize with the characters, though, which is critical for this book to be worth reading. If you don't sympathize with the characters, this book is not worth the time. There's no clever psychological trickery here, no political intrigue - it's about family, fear, duty, and love.
Where this story shines through is in its handling of generational trauma, guilt, and war. Towards the last third or so, when we get to see more of the war and Priya and Dhara's internal conflict around Smrithy, that's when the story becomes truly engaging. The book is raw and unpretentious. It's not whimsical, but not unnecessarily gory. It's almost artistic in its descriptions of wounds, but not at all purple-prose.
I also found it very educational on the Sri Lankan conflict, which I didn't know much about prior to reading. Overall, an emotional and worthwhile read if you can deal with the story being a bit slow and meandering at points. I'd recommend to think of the story more as a diary than as something with a well-defined singular plot conflict.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 27, 2017
Song of the Sun God is not just about a Sri Lankan family. It is about the suffering faced by communities all over the world. It deals with big picture issues - war, genocide, violence against women, torture and ethnic persecution. It deals with small picture issues - family love, loyalty, how to make the perfect deep fried aubergine curry, duty, fitting into a new country. All of these issues are woven into an epic novel, rich in detail, observations about human nature, humour and even Hindu mythology. There are scenes of violence that will traumatise me forever. There are scenes of love between a parent and a child, between siblings, that will move me forever. This is a book I will keep with me, and give to others, forever.
May 15, 2024
This book has both hurt my heart and filled it with love 💗
Song of the Sun God spans three generations of a Sri Lankan Tamil family. We mainly follow Nala and Rajan, Priya and Dhara, and Smrithi as they all learn, grow, and share together. From Ceylon, to London, to Australia, this story details how wisdom, care, and sacrifice are all crucial elements of a loving family.
No character in this story is perfect. But that is exactly the point; they are human. As a species, we are flawed and we make mistakes, but most importantly, we love. And that is what this novel expertly demonstrates.
Shankari, once again, you have created an incredible story for your readers. This book balances Sri Lanka’s dark history with the beautiful nature of community, family, and culture (especially through food, faith, and storytelling!) perfectly and in a deeply moving way.
I will be thinking about this book for a long time. I urge you all to read it, it will not disappoint!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Song of the Sun God spans three generations of a Sri Lankan Tamil family. We mainly follow Nala and Rajan, Priya and Dhara, and Smrithi as they all learn, grow, and share together. From Ceylon, to London, to Australia, this story details how wisdom, care, and sacrifice are all crucial elements of a loving family.
No character in this story is perfect. But that is exactly the point; they are human. As a species, we are flawed and we make mistakes, but most importantly, we love. And that is what this novel expertly demonstrates.
Shankari, once again, you have created an incredible story for your readers. This book balances Sri Lanka’s dark history with the beautiful nature of community, family, and culture (especially through food, faith, and storytelling!) perfectly and in a deeply moving way.
I will be thinking about this book for a long time. I urge you all to read it, it will not disappoint!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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