July

by Karen Roberts

Priyanthi Silva is born in Sri Lanka into a peaceful, loving Sinhalese family, but into a turbulent country dogged by religious and political tensions. She and her rebellious brother, Hemantha, grow up in Araliya Gardens, a tropical paradise full of orchids, araliyas and mango trees. Their neighbours Bala and Violet are Christian Tamils whose gentle, handsome son Niranjan is Hemantha’s best friend. When Priyanthi is older, the two families spend a holiday together by the sea. Priyanthi and Niranjan’s eyes are opened up to a strange world outside their protected existence. While Hemantha smokes cigarettes and chases girls, they meet Sena, a toddy tapper who swings through the coconut trees to collect sap, and surprises them with his quiet wisdom. Their friendship with him marks their lives indelibly. When Priyanthi and Niranjan return home they have fallen in love. But it is an unthinkable match to both their families, and to a society riven with ethnic divisions. On a hot July day that year the streets of Colombo explode into frenzied violence as mobs begin to hunt and murder Tamils and burn and loot their property. The dark secret Priyanthi and Niranjan have been hiding leads to betrayal and tragedy, as an inferno of hatred from which none of them will escape unscathed, overcomes their peaceful neighbourhood. This is a deeply moving, disturbing novel about families and lovers wrenched apart by deep racial and political divides.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction

357 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Born in Sri Lanka, Karen Roberts worked in advertising in her home country and the United Arab Emirates before her first novel, The Flower Boy, was published in 1999 by Phoenix. She moved to California in the early twenty-first century, where she lived with her husband and son, both named Michael, until her death in February 2018.

Reviews

[Carmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

SUCH a lovely book!It's one of those that stays on your mind, its realistic and touching and deep and.. lovely!

[Kristin Furby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is beautifully written. The writing style is refreshing, the story is relatable, the characters are written in a very heart-felt way. There is so much hope and despair within these chapters. Karen Roberts truly takes you through the life experiences of the families in the novel. I was excited to learn more about Sri Lanka, and I really appreciated how well this book seems to represent the social tensions and racism that led up to the tragedies of July. A truly amazing read, I couldn’t recommend it enough.

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dedication: This book is dedicated to my mother Maureen, who I'm sure guides me from up there, my father Tony from whom I have undoubtedly inherited whatever talent I have, my beloved brother Jeremy and my sisters Nikki, Jacquie and Francine whom I adore, my other Michael who has brought so much love and gentleness into my life, and all our children - Fabianne, Tashelle, Destiny, Jay, Michael, Miriam, Puki Bear and Eman, who will one day know and love our land as much as we do.

Opening: On the twenty-third of July 1983, the world went mad. In the throes of insanity, it killed a few thousand people, destroyed the lives of a few thousand more, and changed Priyanthi's life forever.



From wiki: Due to its large harbour and its strategic position along the East-West sea trade routes, Colombo was known to ancient traders 2,000 years ago. It was made the capital of the island when Sri Lanka was ceded to the British Empire in 1815, and its status as capital was retained when the nation became independent in 1948. In 1978, when administrative functions were moved to Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, Colombo was designated as the commercial capital of Sri Lanka.

Araliya Tree

[image error]

Sinhaleses women circa 1880

Tamil traditional dress

[image error] Tamil and Sinhala New Year

2.5* where the toddy-tapper raises this to a v. low 3*. Not enough history going on here for my liking.

[Neetha Philip · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that had me in tears at the end. Karen Roberts has the unique ability to transform the stories of thousands of sri lankans into one story. The ugliness of war, of communal violence, of hatred, of betrayal and of revenge. Hemantha's desire for revenge drove him to kill his brother in law- his sister's love. Both Niranjan and Priyantha represent millions of families that were ripped apart in the decades of sinhala-tamil violence. The violence still exists. This books portrays the stark reality of this world and the hatred that threatens to uproot society.

[Madi2585 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just amazing....Read it when I was in my mid-teens and just learning about the political situation in Sri Lanka. The description of the July riots was so vivid and realistic and brought to mind everything I had heard from the survivors of those terrible days. A gripping novel.

[Tyler Mackey · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much of it felt like watching a Wes Anderson movie in novel form in the best possible way. The slow-burn of resentment and despair was made more impactful by the contrast, and while I've encountered these feelings before, honestly it's the fact that such a powerful effect was rendered in a fourth of the space other writers needed to achieve the effect is aweing. My only regret is putting off reading for as long as I did.

[Isabel Barnhoorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice story - didn’t love the writing style in Dutch. 4 stars as the ending felt abrupt and I don’t feel like it “closed” the story well enough

[Carmen Gee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! it's clear that the author had a lot of fun with the writing style and wrote from the heart, which made for an enjoyable read. I spent 6 months in Sri Lanka a few years, and felt as though I was transported back to the streets of Colombo.

[յεռռﻨբεг · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although it doesn't encompass the whole truth of the start of the racial conflict in Sri Lanka, the book gives meaning to "love in the times of war". The book had me in tears in many of the chapters, and it angered me to think there were a few people out of the millions in Sri Lanka who made a meaningless massacre, a politically correct situation. There is a lot more to the conflict, but Karen Roberts reveals the emotional and sensitive side of it perfectly. One of my all-time favorite books.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

i see the Sri lanka that I know so well in this book, even though it is set 30 years plus before now. Geographically it hasnt changed. Very interesting novel which explores the events leading up to Black July, 1983. It also deals with the issues of mixed marriages and marrying against your parents wishes. It was a very interesting book with wonderful characters. very similar to On Sal Mal Lane by Ru Freeman.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vlot geschreven verhaal over de liefde tussen een Tamil jongen en een Singalees meisje, tegen de achtergrond van de geschiedenis van Sri Lanka, tot aan de dag van het uitbreken van de burgeroorlog in 1983. Wat ik persoonlijk leuk vond, waren de details uit het Sri Lankese leven van alledag, die zeer herkenbaar waren na een recente reis in Sri Lanka.

[Kelly]

Heartbreaking, tender, tear inducing. Minimalist writing style which cuts the facts to the bone but still manages to evoke the atmosphere and the horrors. Stunning book, plays on my mind two years after finishing it.

[avE Eva · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing. I picked this book because we are about to visit Sri Lanka and I wanted to learn more about the country and also because of the good reviews that I cannot understand. The story was very predictable and simple, the writing even more so.

[Samantha Hastie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely insight through some great characters of the racial issues faced in Sri Lanka.

[Yello-babe · Rating 5 out of 5]

fab x

[Stella Knights · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me in a crying mess by the end. It was a heartfelt story set amongst a chaotic time in Sri Lanka. The descriptions are perfect and the characters capture your heart. Brilliant!