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The Road to Urbino
A story of obsession, love and art set in Tuscany, Sri Lanka and London. Ras, a Sri Lankan who fled his country as a child following the violent death of his mother and his father's disappearance, has committed a crime. Dogged by his past and unable to come to terms with the killing of his mother, he struggles to make a new life for himself in the UK. Alex has loved Dee since he was 19 but failed to realise that it was a love he wouldn't find again. After Dee's marriage, he too struggles to build a meaningful life for himself. But when Ras' and Alex's lives connect, each man takes a new path culminating for Ras in the theft of a della Franceso painting, while Alex comes ever closer to Dee through tragedy in her life. Beautifully written, with a strong narrative, The Road to Urbino is the story of two very different men and their love for the women in their lives, set against the backdrop of the heartbreaking horrors of the long-running conflict in Sri Lanka.
- GenresFictionLiterary Fiction
350 pages, Paperback
First published July 5, 2012
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About the author
Roma Tearne
13 books94 followersRoma Tearne is a Sri Lankan born artist living and working in Britain. She arrived, with her parents in this country at the age of ten. She trained as a painter, completing her MA at the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art, Oxford. For nearly twenty years her work as a painter, installation artist, and filmmaker has dealt with the traces of history and memory within public and private spaces.
In 1998 the Royal Academy of Arts, London, highlighted one of her paintings, “Watching the Procession,” for its Summer Exhibition. As a result her work became more widely known and was included in the South Asian Arts Festival at the Ikon Gallery, Birmingham in 1992
In 1993, Cadogan Contempories, London, began showing her paintings. In 2000, the Arts Council of England funded a touring exhibition of her work. Entitled ‘The House of Small Things’, this exhibition consisted of paintings and photographs based on childhood memories. They were the start of what was to become a preoccupation on issues of loss and migration.
She became Leverhulme Artist in Residence at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford in 2002 and it was while working at the Ashmolean, as a response to public interest, that she began to write.
In 2003 she had a solo exhibition, Nel Corpo delle città (In the Body of the City), at the MLAC Gallery in Rome.
In 2006 she was awarded a three-year AHRC (Arts and Humanities Research Council) Fellowship, at Brookes University, Oxford where she worked on the relationship between narrative and memory in museums throughout Europe.
Out of this work came Watermuseum a film set in Venice which was shown at the Coastings exhibition in Nottingham in 2008. In 2008 she received funding from the Arts council of England in order to make a film on memory and migration. This film is due to be premiered in 2010.
Her second novel Bone China was published in April 2008 and her third Brixton Beach will be published in June 2009.
She will be having her first solo exhibition since 2001 at the 198 Gallery, Brixton at the same time.
Roma Tearne is currently a Creative Writing Fellow at Brookes University, Oxford.
In 1998 the Royal Academy of Arts, London, highlighted one of her paintings, “Watching the Procession,” for its Summer Exhibition. As a result her work became more widely known and was included in the South Asian Arts Festival at the Ikon Gallery, Birmingham in 1992
In 1993, Cadogan Contempories, London, began showing her paintings. In 2000, the Arts Council of England funded a touring exhibition of her work. Entitled ‘The House of Small Things’, this exhibition consisted of paintings and photographs based on childhood memories. They were the start of what was to become a preoccupation on issues of loss and migration.
She became Leverhulme Artist in Residence at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford in 2002 and it was while working at the Ashmolean, as a response to public interest, that she began to write.
In 2003 she had a solo exhibition, Nel Corpo delle città (In the Body of the City), at the MLAC Gallery in Rome.
In 2006 she was awarded a three-year AHRC (Arts and Humanities Research Council) Fellowship, at Brookes University, Oxford where she worked on the relationship between narrative and memory in museums throughout Europe.
Out of this work came Watermuseum a film set in Venice which was shown at the Coastings exhibition in Nottingham in 2008. In 2008 she received funding from the Arts council of England in order to make a film on memory and migration. This film is due to be premiered in 2010.
Her second novel Bone China was published in April 2008 and her third Brixton Beach will be published in June 2009.
She will be having her first solo exhibition since 2001 at the 198 Gallery, Brixton at the same time.
Roma Tearne is currently a Creative Writing Fellow at Brookes University, Oxford.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
February 4, 2021
Real Rating: 3.5* of five
I RECEIVED AN ARC FROM THE PUBLISHER. THANK YOU.
Similar to Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch in initial conditions...an art crime reverberates through the characters' lives, the painting that's stolen has resonances in the story's structure that only reveal themselves the deeper you get...Roma Tearne did not decide to re-write someone else's idea by any means.
When Ras, one of our main characters, escapes his war-torn country after terrible losses, he looks at the UK with the hungry eyes of a victim in search of a savior. The trouble with that, Ras, is that no external being can save you from yourself. He does experience the blessing of a peaceful country's many opportunities, and he takes advantage of them. Job as a museum curator, marriage, a family, a life...all the good stuff. The issue for Ras is, of course, the unhealed horrors of genocide live in his brain. His wife gives him a daughter, as he sees it, and he dotes on the child. Not so much on the mother. Lavish loving attention but nothing for Mama? The inevitable occurs, and the illusion of normal life is ripped apart again.
Lola, his daughter, is a case study in "when bad children happen to loving fathers." Spoiled by his undivided attention and by nature selfish, she is a Hot Mess. Listening to Daddy's stories of the Old Country is a way to get what she wants, but not in the least a way to feel connected to him or to the weird foreign place he originates. Ras isn't a reflective person, at least not at first, but he pips to his essential trapped loneliness at last. What does he do, go to a shrink? No. He goes to Italy! He will tour the countryside and Look At Art.
He does this, all right. He looks at Piero della Francesca's The Flagellation of Christ a bit wrong.
The rest of the review is at Expendable Mudge Muses Aloud because it's too long for here.
I RECEIVED AN ARC FROM THE PUBLISHER. THANK YOU.
Similar to Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch in initial conditions...an art crime reverberates through the characters' lives, the painting that's stolen has resonances in the story's structure that only reveal themselves the deeper you get...Roma Tearne did not decide to re-write someone else's idea by any means.
When Ras, one of our main characters, escapes his war-torn country after terrible losses, he looks at the UK with the hungry eyes of a victim in search of a savior. The trouble with that, Ras, is that no external being can save you from yourself. He does experience the blessing of a peaceful country's many opportunities, and he takes advantage of them. Job as a museum curator, marriage, a family, a life...all the good stuff. The issue for Ras is, of course, the unhealed horrors of genocide live in his brain. His wife gives him a daughter, as he sees it, and he dotes on the child. Not so much on the mother. Lavish loving attention but nothing for Mama? The inevitable occurs, and the illusion of normal life is ripped apart again.
Lola, his daughter, is a case study in "when bad children happen to loving fathers." Spoiled by his undivided attention and by nature selfish, she is a Hot Mess. Listening to Daddy's stories of the Old Country is a way to get what she wants, but not in the least a way to feel connected to him or to the weird foreign place he originates. Ras isn't a reflective person, at least not at first, but he pips to his essential trapped loneliness at last. What does he do, go to a shrink? No. He goes to Italy! He will tour the countryside and Look At Art.
He does this, all right. He looks at Piero della Francesca's The Flagellation of Christ a bit wrong.
The rest of the review is at Expendable Mudge Muses Aloud because it's too long for here.
July 17, 2012
Unforgettable.
This book has so many different motifs that illuminate each other in unexpected ways.
Roma Tearne tells overlapping stories of love and grief from many points of view and across different times and cultures, but she is telling one story. There is a sense of patient, focused urgency in Tearne's lyrical prose that is always hypnotic. You can't turn away.
Although The Road to Urbino is told through a series of interviews with a lawyer following a "terrorist" act (a Sri Lankan ex-pat steals an important painting by the Italian Renaissance painter Piero della Francesca to call attention to the suffering of his people), it still reads as a novel. This narrative device might be awkward or distracting in the hands of another writer, but it works here because we are privy to the characters' unspoken thoughts. The interview creates a curious atmosphere of detachment and candor; even the lawyer must eventually exchange the safety of her impartiality for real engagement.
Tearne's writing always bears the personal urgency of conveying the truth of Sri Lanka, the island paradise where she was born and from which she fled, the #1-tourist attraction, where Buddhist monks enthusiastically assist politicians and thugs to finish off the Tamil minority in continuing spasms of genocide. While the world looks away, like the enigmatic figures in the stolen painting, "The Flagellation of Christ," Tearne is determined to have us see. She also, thankfully, allows us to have hope.
This book has so many different motifs that illuminate each other in unexpected ways.
Roma Tearne tells overlapping stories of love and grief from many points of view and across different times and cultures, but she is telling one story. There is a sense of patient, focused urgency in Tearne's lyrical prose that is always hypnotic. You can't turn away.
Although The Road to Urbino is told through a series of interviews with a lawyer following a "terrorist" act (a Sri Lankan ex-pat steals an important painting by the Italian Renaissance painter Piero della Francesca to call attention to the suffering of his people), it still reads as a novel. This narrative device might be awkward or distracting in the hands of another writer, but it works here because we are privy to the characters' unspoken thoughts. The interview creates a curious atmosphere of detachment and candor; even the lawyer must eventually exchange the safety of her impartiality for real engagement.
Tearne's writing always bears the personal urgency of conveying the truth of Sri Lanka, the island paradise where she was born and from which she fled, the #1-tourist attraction, where Buddhist monks enthusiastically assist politicians and thugs to finish off the Tamil minority in continuing spasms of genocide. While the world looks away, like the enigmatic figures in the stolen painting, "The Flagellation of Christ," Tearne is determined to have us see. She also, thankfully, allows us to have hope.
April 22, 2020
This book gripped me from a familiar opening to a turn in an unexpected direction. At first, I thought I was reading about a Sri Lankan man, a London refugee who had been arrested for theft. In the beginning scene Ras, the refugee, starts to tell his story to Elizabeth Saunders, his defense lawyer who is trying to understand what happened. He confounds her by refusing to answer direct questions but instead tells her the tale of his childhood. She realizes he will only answer her questions if he is allowed to tell his whole story his way. Ras measures out his life in bits and pieces for Elizabeth and the only leverage she has with him is his insistence that his adult daughter, Lola, visit him although so far she has refused. Lola won’t even speak to Elizabeth, let alone see her father.
The next chapters are devoted to Elizabeth interviewing Alex Benson, a regular at London’s National Gallery where Ras worked in a menial job. Alex was instrumental in introducing Ras to a man who became his mentor, the noted art historian, Charles Boyar. Elizabeth learns Alex’s contact with Ras was limited to two conversations and was to him inconsequential. Alex also takes Elizabeth on a rambling tale of his own life. He uses Elizabeth as a confessor and tells her about Delia, once Alex’s girlfriend, who became Charles Boyar’s wife. At this point, the reader may be a little confused about what this has to do with Ras, but further reading will link the two stories together in a surprising way.
The story is written to make the reader compare and contrast Alex and Ras who have different backgrounds but at times, similar motivations. Roma Tearne, the author, weaves themes of feminism and machismo, love and betrayal, and jealousy and altruism in an original work yet pays homage to such diverse authors as Daphne Du Maurier and Virginia Woolf. The interviews are written in the second person with Elizabeth referenced as “you” as if the reader is inside the minds of Ras and Alex. I thought it was a difficult style to carry off but Tearne made it work. After I read a few pages, I stopped paying attention to the technique and let the story carry me along. I think other readers will do this too. Tearne’s characters are complex with contradictory impulses and desires. Readers of literary fiction, especially stories about alienated people and outsiders will enjoy this book.
I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The next chapters are devoted to Elizabeth interviewing Alex Benson, a regular at London’s National Gallery where Ras worked in a menial job. Alex was instrumental in introducing Ras to a man who became his mentor, the noted art historian, Charles Boyar. Elizabeth learns Alex’s contact with Ras was limited to two conversations and was to him inconsequential. Alex also takes Elizabeth on a rambling tale of his own life. He uses Elizabeth as a confessor and tells her about Delia, once Alex’s girlfriend, who became Charles Boyar’s wife. At this point, the reader may be a little confused about what this has to do with Ras, but further reading will link the two stories together in a surprising way.
The story is written to make the reader compare and contrast Alex and Ras who have different backgrounds but at times, similar motivations. Roma Tearne, the author, weaves themes of feminism and machismo, love and betrayal, and jealousy and altruism in an original work yet pays homage to such diverse authors as Daphne Du Maurier and Virginia Woolf. The interviews are written in the second person with Elizabeth referenced as “you” as if the reader is inside the minds of Ras and Alex. I thought it was a difficult style to carry off but Tearne made it work. After I read a few pages, I stopped paying attention to the technique and let the story carry me along. I think other readers will do this too. Tearne’s characters are complex with contradictory impulses and desires. Readers of literary fiction, especially stories about alienated people and outsiders will enjoy this book.
I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
August 30, 2020
Roma Tearne has written a gorgeous novel portraying the gamut of human emotions; love, betrayal, hope, and lust included. Ras and his brother Sam are torn from their home in Sri Lanka by the horrific genocide of the Tamil people that takes the lives of their parents. From an internment camp the boys are transported to London to start new lives, but the horrors they’ve witnessed color their future.
Ras is devoted to his daughter, Lola; unfortunately, he is not so faithful to his wife and their marriage comes to a stormy end. The bitterness of the split turns Lola from her father, leaving him alone and despondent. A chance trip to Italy introduces Ras to the art of Piero della Francesca and he is immediately entranced. These paintings of religious themes are infused with social and political themes that speak to Ras’ grief for his homeland. On a whim, he steals one of the paintings and intends to return it as a means of drawing attention to the ongoing war in Sri Lanka. He only achieves his own arrest and imprisonment for art theft.
The story is told through two characters; Ras himself and Alex Benson, an author of art history and acquaintance of the man who took Ras to Italy. This dueling narrative gives the reader a broader perspective on what loss can do to a person; how a lifetime can be devoted to chasing an impossible objective. Alex also provides a better understanding of Ras’ daughter Lola, whose selfishness and spiteful actions affect the other characters in the story.
The death of a young boy caused by a live land mine on a remote Italian mountain is juxtaposed with the carnage in Sri Lanka. The human cost of war is a predominant theme in the book.
Ultimately, for me, the novel is a love letter to the Italian countryside. The simple beauty of these small villages is entrancing. I can see the hillsides covered with goats, the small, whitewashed cottages and the effusion of flowers and trees. I can picture myself at an outdoor trattoria eating pasta and bread with a glass of local wine. Heaven!
This book is well worth the read.
Ras is devoted to his daughter, Lola; unfortunately, he is not so faithful to his wife and their marriage comes to a stormy end. The bitterness of the split turns Lola from her father, leaving him alone and despondent. A chance trip to Italy introduces Ras to the art of Piero della Francesca and he is immediately entranced. These paintings of religious themes are infused with social and political themes that speak to Ras’ grief for his homeland. On a whim, he steals one of the paintings and intends to return it as a means of drawing attention to the ongoing war in Sri Lanka. He only achieves his own arrest and imprisonment for art theft.
The story is told through two characters; Ras himself and Alex Benson, an author of art history and acquaintance of the man who took Ras to Italy. This dueling narrative gives the reader a broader perspective on what loss can do to a person; how a lifetime can be devoted to chasing an impossible objective. Alex also provides a better understanding of Ras’ daughter Lola, whose selfishness and spiteful actions affect the other characters in the story.
The death of a young boy caused by a live land mine on a remote Italian mountain is juxtaposed with the carnage in Sri Lanka. The human cost of war is a predominant theme in the book.
Ultimately, for me, the novel is a love letter to the Italian countryside. The simple beauty of these small villages is entrancing. I can see the hillsides covered with goats, the small, whitewashed cottages and the effusion of flowers and trees. I can picture myself at an outdoor trattoria eating pasta and bread with a glass of local wine. Heaven!
This book is well worth the read.
February 16, 2021
To be honest, I almost quit this book a dozen times. I stuck it out and was rewarded for my efforts at the 3/4 mark. Here is where the story takes off...FINALLY!! Roma Tearne is a powerful storyteller. She's also a visual artist and her artistic skills and knowledge are evident in the beautiful descriptions of people, lands, and emotions. I found the first half of the story to be terribly long winded. Tearne's protagonist wants to tell his story from beginning to end. Seriously...he doesn't want to leave any stone unturned. It is necessary to begin in Sri Lanka. We must know what drives the characters decisions. It's all the fine details in between that detract from the story as a whole. Half-way thru I remember thinking, why must I know all this? In the bigger scheme of things – when the big picture is revealed – it is necessary to tell all. It is almost like a trickle effect. Everything is relatable, one generation to the next. It is a story that takes its time to unfold, layer by layer. The end result is worth the patience it required. Gut wrenching, yet beautiful.
January 3, 2013
One of the best things about committing yourself to ploughing through a literary prize longlist is the joy of discovery: when it makes an avid read out of something you ordinarily would not have looked at twice.
I can’t say I had too much expectation for Roma Tearne’s MAN Asian Prize nominee The Road To Urbino: its premise seemed to veer dangerously close to the detective/thriller genre, and its qualifications as an ‘Asian’ novel – which was, after all, why I was propelled to read it in the first place – seemed to me to be spurious best.
I’m glad to say I was wrong on both counts. For a start, this is no whodunnit: even the back cover blurb tells you the main character committed the crime. And as for the book’s provenance, despite for the most part being set in the Italian countryside, it is in so many ways as Asian as they come.
Tearne was born in Sri Lanka, whose conflict she fled for England at the age of ten, and she obviously draws on that experience to plot the early life of Lynton Rasanagium – Ras – who also escapes to the UK at an early age after bearing witness to an unspeakable tragedy.
It is a tragedy that has defined his life. He is now in a prison cell, awaiting trial for the theft – to which he readily admits – of a priceless, mysterious fresco. Through the course of the novel, in the form of a series of conversations with his barrister, Elizabeth, as she prepares his defence, he unfurls the circumstances that led to his apparently heinous act.
To read the rest of my review, please visit my blog at Eleutherophobia
I can’t say I had too much expectation for Roma Tearne’s MAN Asian Prize nominee The Road To Urbino: its premise seemed to veer dangerously close to the detective/thriller genre, and its qualifications as an ‘Asian’ novel – which was, after all, why I was propelled to read it in the first place – seemed to me to be spurious best.
I’m glad to say I was wrong on both counts. For a start, this is no whodunnit: even the back cover blurb tells you the main character committed the crime. And as for the book’s provenance, despite for the most part being set in the Italian countryside, it is in so many ways as Asian as they come.
Tearne was born in Sri Lanka, whose conflict she fled for England at the age of ten, and she obviously draws on that experience to plot the early life of Lynton Rasanagium – Ras – who also escapes to the UK at an early age after bearing witness to an unspeakable tragedy.
It is a tragedy that has defined his life. He is now in a prison cell, awaiting trial for the theft – to which he readily admits – of a priceless, mysterious fresco. Through the course of the novel, in the form of a series of conversations with his barrister, Elizabeth, as she prepares his defence, he unfurls the circumstances that led to his apparently heinous act.
To read the rest of my review, please visit my blog at Eleutherophobia
February 16, 2020
I found the protagonist, Ras, to be a man stuck in time, unable to move forward from his past. During his time awaiting a trial for stealing a painting, his tragic, familial story slowly comes out to his solicitor, Elizabeth. Patience is the name of the game, in that respect, as in order for her to gain the reason Ras stole the painting, she has to bear listening to his life story.
It isn't that he is reluctant to detail the reason he stole it, but in order for him to get to the truth, he is compelled to vividly describe his life, up to that point. He often rambles, but within those ramblings, and his recollections, is a story with deeply, intense issues.
I found the story line to be blunt, yet filled with beautiful prose and masterful word imagery. Assimilation, familial bonds, love, loss, war, identity, loyalty to country, social injustice, and so much more is depicted in great detail, through the pages. Res not only encompasses his life, but the life of his ex-wife, his daughter, and his friends.
War is a great force within the book, whether it be physical or emotional. Ras has an inner war, that he has stifled, and that is brought out through his interactions with Elizabeth. The after-effects of familial loss, and a country suffering from war, often causes one's feelings to be curtailed, causing obsessive battles within one's self. The Road to Urbino paints that picture dramatically, and brilliantly.
This is the first Roma Tearne novel I have read, and it won't be the last one.
Thank you to LibraryThing Early Reviewers for the copy of The Road to Urbino, for my honest review of the novel.
It isn't that he is reluctant to detail the reason he stole it, but in order for him to get to the truth, he is compelled to vividly describe his life, up to that point. He often rambles, but within those ramblings, and his recollections, is a story with deeply, intense issues.
I found the story line to be blunt, yet filled with beautiful prose and masterful word imagery. Assimilation, familial bonds, love, loss, war, identity, loyalty to country, social injustice, and so much more is depicted in great detail, through the pages. Res not only encompasses his life, but the life of his ex-wife, his daughter, and his friends.
War is a great force within the book, whether it be physical or emotional. Ras has an inner war, that he has stifled, and that is brought out through his interactions with Elizabeth. The after-effects of familial loss, and a country suffering from war, often causes one's feelings to be curtailed, causing obsessive battles within one's self. The Road to Urbino paints that picture dramatically, and brilliantly.
This is the first Roma Tearne novel I have read, and it won't be the last one.
Thank you to LibraryThing Early Reviewers for the copy of The Road to Urbino, for my honest review of the novel.
January 24, 2021
Roma Tearne writes best about the experience of exile and about the beauty and human savagery of her home island of Sri Lanka. In this novel she tries to do something more and it doesn't quite come off. Partly this is a matter of structure. In the first part of the novel, she creates what is basically a monologue by a man in prison, talking to his lawyer, Elizabeth. The man (a Sri Lankan) has stolen a painting but has turned the theft into a statement on his home country and has been charged with a terrorist act. The man originally saw the painting - The Flagellation of Christ, by Piero della Francesca - when he was taken on a visit to Urbino in Italy.
The novel then switches its focus to a man called Alex, also being interviewed by Elizabeth, in an attempt to understand what led to the theft. Alex and his love for the woman, Delia, forms a major part of the novel and until late in the novel I didn't see the importance of his story. It made me impatient. There is also the story of the man's love for his daughter Lola, who appears unconcerned about his fate or the fate of her father's native country. For me, Tearne didn't bring these strands together effectively enough.
At the centre of the novel is the significance of the Renaissance painting, The Flagellation of Christ. It features three figures standing off centre, thus giving the impression that Christ's suffering can be ignored. Through this story about a painting and characters' connections to it, Tearne shows how people continue to be indifferent to the suffering of others unless that suffering becomes personal.
It's a very important theme but not fully realised in this novel. Worthily ambitious and with some powerful sections, overall it lacked coherence and impact.
The novel then switches its focus to a man called Alex, also being interviewed by Elizabeth, in an attempt to understand what led to the theft. Alex and his love for the woman, Delia, forms a major part of the novel and until late in the novel I didn't see the importance of his story. It made me impatient. There is also the story of the man's love for his daughter Lola, who appears unconcerned about his fate or the fate of her father's native country. For me, Tearne didn't bring these strands together effectively enough.
At the centre of the novel is the significance of the Renaissance painting, The Flagellation of Christ. It features three figures standing off centre, thus giving the impression that Christ's suffering can be ignored. Through this story about a painting and characters' connections to it, Tearne shows how people continue to be indifferent to the suffering of others unless that suffering becomes personal.
It's a very important theme but not fully realised in this novel. Worthily ambitious and with some powerful sections, overall it lacked coherence and impact.
February 17, 2020
A shame--I enjoyed the first half where Ras, a Tamil who has settled in England, is telling his story to his lawyer, motivation for his art theft and his emotional life. A quote I'll always remember: "this group of people [in the Piero painting of The Flagellation of Christ
Ras has had a sad and dreary life with his having to leave his country to escape war, a dispiriting life in England, marriage then divorce and a daughter who hates him. BUT, when the story changes to Alex talking to the same lawyer and laying out his life, the novel became confusing and lost me. I quit partway in Part 2. The only connection with Ras was his meeting him a couple of times. I did like the author's style and her apparent love for art, with such vivid descriptions.
I gave it the two stars for Ras' story and for the lyrical style. Otherwise it would have been a one-star.
I thank LibraryThing for the ARC.
https://media.gettyimages.com/illustr...
Ras has had a sad and dreary life with his having to leave his country to escape war, a dispiriting life in England, marriage then divorce and a daughter who hates him. BUT, when the story changes to Alex talking to the same lawyer and laying out his life, the novel became confusing and lost me. I quit partway in Part 2. The only connection with Ras was his meeting him a couple of times. I did like the author's style and her apparent love for art, with such vivid descriptions.
I gave it the two stars for Ras' story and for the lyrical style. Otherwise it would have been a one-star.
I thank LibraryThing for the ARC.
https://media.gettyimages.com/illustr...
June 30, 2016
I would rate this 3.5 stars.
There is some similarity with The Swimmer, her earlier novel. And the art theme is ever present in all her novels.
She draws a picture of the 5 main characters thru interviews with a lawyer, and the dots begin to join up. I did think the v end was a bit drawn out.
There is some similarity with The Swimmer, her earlier novel. And the art theme is ever present in all her novels.
She draws a picture of the 5 main characters thru interviews with a lawyer, and the dots begin to join up. I did think the v end was a bit drawn out.
June 20, 2023
As always Roma Tearne’s descriptions can be exquisite. She captures the beauty and savagery of Sri Lanka wonderfully, helping to bring the terrible civil war and the plight of those exiled to the attention of the general reader.
This is the third book of hers that I have read, but like the others it was a struggle. I winced, and cringed through much of it because the plot was implausible, the love scenes awkward, the narrative perspective confusing, the premise flawed, and the structure uncomfortable. In parts it was drawn out, descriptions (eyes or hair) repetitive and it felt lacking in coherence.
The two major protagonists’ testimonies all too often showed similarities which undermined the identity of each character. It was obvious that the words and mannerisms came from the same person (obviously, the author). As vehicles to tell the story they were unconvincing, although I can see the rationale.
However, I did finally finish the book, and there must be a reason for returning to her work so many times. As before with her other books, just as I was about to put it down and walk away I was captivated by a moment of utter beauty.
I guess what I took from the book is that it is wrong to apportion blame in the case of long-running and lethal civil wars. At some point injustice (or perceived injustice) leads to an act of violence. The ‘index case’ often being lost in the mists of time, but which leads to revenge, counter revenge, retribution and incendiary viciousness. This is the case in Sri Lanka, as it has been in countless other countries. Roma Tearne gives this a human face from the perspectives of individuals who often had no involvement or wish for violence, but suffered terribly.
Sometimes the legacy, the convenient, politically expedient, grubby compromise or ‘solution’ is barely better. During the civil war from 1983 -2009 the Tamils were invariably painted as the terrorists, rather than a suppressed, beleaguered and terrorised minority. Prejudice and discrimination continue in Sri Lanka, together with assassination, summary execution, torture and murder.
In a gentle way, through a wonderfully convoluted story, this beautiful book helps expose this.
This is the third book of hers that I have read, but like the others it was a struggle. I winced, and cringed through much of it because the plot was implausible, the love scenes awkward, the narrative perspective confusing, the premise flawed, and the structure uncomfortable. In parts it was drawn out, descriptions (eyes or hair) repetitive and it felt lacking in coherence.
The two major protagonists’ testimonies all too often showed similarities which undermined the identity of each character. It was obvious that the words and mannerisms came from the same person (obviously, the author). As vehicles to tell the story they were unconvincing, although I can see the rationale.
However, I did finally finish the book, and there must be a reason for returning to her work so many times. As before with her other books, just as I was about to put it down and walk away I was captivated by a moment of utter beauty.
I guess what I took from the book is that it is wrong to apportion blame in the case of long-running and lethal civil wars. At some point injustice (or perceived injustice) leads to an act of violence. The ‘index case’ often being lost in the mists of time, but which leads to revenge, counter revenge, retribution and incendiary viciousness. This is the case in Sri Lanka, as it has been in countless other countries. Roma Tearne gives this a human face from the perspectives of individuals who often had no involvement or wish for violence, but suffered terribly.
Sometimes the legacy, the convenient, politically expedient, grubby compromise or ‘solution’ is barely better. During the civil war from 1983 -2009 the Tamils were invariably painted as the terrorists, rather than a suppressed, beleaguered and terrorised minority. Prejudice and discrimination continue in Sri Lanka, together with assassination, summary execution, torture and murder.
In a gentle way, through a wonderfully convoluted story, this beautiful book helps expose this.
May 10, 2021
I love the opening line and knew I was in for a pensive, sensitive read . It's a complicated book, dealing with complicated events. Very moving and disturbing, reminding me of the balance of nurture over nature. We are shaped by our events, by our memories. Wars have long-reaching effects. "Memory can destroy. Those who cannot forget live in a twilight place, for remembered pain is the worst of all."
I live in Italy, near to where the Piero della Francesca frescoes are exhibited. Monterchi is very close and I have a copy of the painting of the pregnant Madonna on my wall, so perhaps I was more interested in the Italian aspect than I should have been. It was as if the author had been to Italy herself and thought "what if?" and given birth to the concept of her book and used it for an interesting background to her story. A young exile from Sri Lanka, influenced by colour which then helped him navigate his way through life in a different culture. Of course he would be transfixed by these special paintings. There are "interesting" ex-patriates dotted around Tuscany, and so the personalities and baggage of Alex Benson, Charles Boyer and his beautiful wife, Delia are on a perfect stage before we begin to know more about them. Some of the geography was wrong in the book - Urbino, for example, was placed in Tuscany : "The storm which had been threatening burst over Tuscany in the afternoon,...etc" - this when Ras is gazing on The Flagellation. And the trip from Pontremoli to Urbino was rather round about the houses. These errors jarred on me and I lost my way for a little in the next pages. But Roma Tearne writes beautifully and her imagery scooped me up again. I've awarded four stars instead of five but I am probably an anorak when it comes to Italy. I shall certainly keep reading Roma's work.
I live in Italy, near to where the Piero della Francesca frescoes are exhibited. Monterchi is very close and I have a copy of the painting of the pregnant Madonna on my wall, so perhaps I was more interested in the Italian aspect than I should have been. It was as if the author had been to Italy herself and thought "what if?" and given birth to the concept of her book and used it for an interesting background to her story. A young exile from Sri Lanka, influenced by colour which then helped him navigate his way through life in a different culture. Of course he would be transfixed by these special paintings. There are "interesting" ex-patriates dotted around Tuscany, and so the personalities and baggage of Alex Benson, Charles Boyer and his beautiful wife, Delia are on a perfect stage before we begin to know more about them. Some of the geography was wrong in the book - Urbino, for example, was placed in Tuscany : "The storm which had been threatening burst over Tuscany in the afternoon,...etc" - this when Ras is gazing on The Flagellation. And the trip from Pontremoli to Urbino was rather round about the houses. These errors jarred on me and I lost my way for a little in the next pages. But Roma Tearne writes beautifully and her imagery scooped me up again. I've awarded four stars instead of five but I am probably an anorak when it comes to Italy. I shall certainly keep reading Roma's work.
January 3, 2020
This was a book that I read thinking that it would get more compelling and it never really did. There was an interesting story line with some new and refreshing topics but it didn't have an intensity to keep the plot moving. I found the characters rather bland and, although I liked the way the narrative was revealed with the defendant lawyer interviews, I frequently had a problem with identifying who was participating in those interviews. I liked the story and the message it held but I would wish that it touched me more.
I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway for this honest review.
I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway for this honest review.
January 31, 2020
Linton Rasanagium (Ras) is accused of stealing an exquisite painting and is in jail awaiting trial. His barrister Elizabeth questions Ras and others in his past to better understand the motives being this bizarre theft. Through her investigations we learn of Alex Benson and Charles Boyar and his wife Delia. Ras’s own daughter Lola cannot accept her Sri Lankan heritage and wants nothing to do with her father or his country of birth.
March 15, 2020
This book peaked my interest because I thought it would be about Italy and art. Unfortunately, it was a struggle to finish. I wish the author had a third voice in the book that of Elizabeth. Why did she take on this case? What was her interest? I finished the book but thought several times about quitting.
July 26, 2020
I liked the writing and the settings. One of the characters (Ras) was likable and I found his story intriguing. I wish she had just stuck with his story. I did not like Alex at all and didn’t think his arc added to the plot at all. So. Points for. Points against.
August 3, 2019
Beautifully written book about a Sri Lankan artist
July 2, 2020
330 pages of self-involved older dudes talking at a woman who doesn't speak for a full paragraph until the end.
September 23, 2023
Dream-like style of writing. I enjoyed the way the story unfolded and the characters.
June 17, 2025
A bit confusing on the narrative, but the story is beautiful.
November 1, 2019
There are moments in life that are to be treasured. This is another one for me. Beautifully written. I’m so pleased to have come across this author.
March 4, 2020
I received this from LibraryThing Early Reviewers. I was attracted to the idea of a mystery involving the Art World. Having been involved in the Art World in some way or level, it just seems normal —to me.
Ras, a Tamil from Sri Lanka, having escaped to London in his youth and is now an adult. He’s been married and now divorced from an English woman and has a daughter by her. Both women prefer to have nothing to do with him, yet he still adores his daughter, Lola.
Ras is facing trial for the theft of a painting by Piero della Francisca, an Italian artist from the Renaissance. The story is told by two characters; Ras and Alex Benson. A central character in both of their narrations is Charles Boyar, an expert on Piero’s work. Alex knows Boyar from college days and after. Ras knows Boyar from a later time when he was working at the National Gallery. Ras was introduced to Boyar by Alex.
Ras tells of his childhood in Sri Lanka and the civil war between the Tamils and Sri Lanka. The environment affected Ras and really hit home (literally) when his mother was killed by a bomb that landed on their home. He and his brother then escaped to England.
Alex tells of his youth and his passion for Delia. When they meet, Alex’s focus is sex, but as years pass and they go their separate ways, he find she becomes an obsession for him. He can’t have her, as she has married Charles Boyar, Alex’s friend.
The two characters tell their story to Elizabeth, the barrister who is assigned to defend Ras. Both slowly reveal their inner selves, yet lean little, if no nothing, about Elizabeth.
This isn’t much of a mystery, but more of a story of the human condition and how it can be influenced and shaped by events when a person is young and the consequences that happen in response to situations that arise.
This is not my typical choice of a read, but none the less, it is a very good read. Roma Tearne handles words and phrases as if she were painting a piece of art. Her descriptives of people, places and actions are such that you feel you are seeing it before you or are even a part of the scene.
It is a read you take slow so you can absorb all and not miss anything.
Ras, a Tamil from Sri Lanka, having escaped to London in his youth and is now an adult. He’s been married and now divorced from an English woman and has a daughter by her. Both women prefer to have nothing to do with him, yet he still adores his daughter, Lola.
Ras is facing trial for the theft of a painting by Piero della Francisca, an Italian artist from the Renaissance. The story is told by two characters; Ras and Alex Benson. A central character in both of their narrations is Charles Boyar, an expert on Piero’s work. Alex knows Boyar from college days and after. Ras knows Boyar from a later time when he was working at the National Gallery. Ras was introduced to Boyar by Alex.
Ras tells of his childhood in Sri Lanka and the civil war between the Tamils and Sri Lanka. The environment affected Ras and really hit home (literally) when his mother was killed by a bomb that landed on their home. He and his brother then escaped to England.
Alex tells of his youth and his passion for Delia. When they meet, Alex’s focus is sex, but as years pass and they go their separate ways, he find she becomes an obsession for him. He can’t have her, as she has married Charles Boyar, Alex’s friend.
The two characters tell their story to Elizabeth, the barrister who is assigned to defend Ras. Both slowly reveal their inner selves, yet lean little, if no nothing, about Elizabeth.
This isn’t much of a mystery, but more of a story of the human condition and how it can be influenced and shaped by events when a person is young and the consequences that happen in response to situations that arise.
This is not my typical choice of a read, but none the less, it is a very good read. Roma Tearne handles words and phrases as if she were painting a piece of art. Her descriptives of people, places and actions are such that you feel you are seeing it before you or are even a part of the scene.
It is a read you take slow so you can absorb all and not miss anything.
December 10, 2012
This novel is very different in story and style than Roma Tearne's earlier four novels, and it's exciting to see growth and change in a writer. What she did keep is her wonderful flair for painting word images, her concern for the victims of war, the use of art in healing pain, her explorations of memory, and the settings of Sri Lanka, England, and Italy.
The story follows two protagonists. The first is Ras, a middle aged immigrant from Sri Lanka, as he awaits trial in London for stealing The Flagellation, by Italian Renaissance artist Piero della Francesca.
Through his first person narration, we hear about his early childhood in Sri Lanka, where his father disappeared one night and his mother died in a bomb blast. He and his brother spent most of the next years in a Tamil detention centre, until they had a chance to escape to England at the age of 19 and start a new life. Ras marries and has a child, Lola, and then divorces. He ends up working as gallery attendant at the National Gallery, where he is befriended by the charming and kind art curator, Charles.
The second protagonist is Alex, a friend of Charles. Through Alex, we get a fuller picture of the life of Charles and his wife Delia. They, and their circle of friends, spend a lot of fabulous summers in Italy, enjoying la dolce vita--art, food, company, etc. Being a Roma Tearne novel, some sad tragic events occur that change everything.
Everyone in this novel is consumed by an obsession, wherein we find the source of most of the conflict. But all the characters are also scared by war--even though the wars were thousands of miles away, or decades in the past.
It took me about 30 or 40 pages to warm up to it, but then I loved this novel. I actually wasn't ready for it to end, or to leave these characters lives (I especially liked Charles and Delia), which is really unusual for me with any book.
Now, there are two things I didn't like about the book, and that stop me from giving it a 5 star rating. The first is the choice of narrative point of view. When the characters tell their stories, it is in straight forward first person, which is fine. But the transitions are where I found most of the problems. Here the two characters speak to Elizabeth, Ras's legal council. It's done in a way that is similar to the first person imperative that made me so despise Please Look After Mom last year. I've run across it a few times since, and it irks me to no end. Good to see Tearne experimenting with her writing, but don't do this one again, please. And on a similar topic, there is one section told by Alex that describes a lengthy episode in Charles's life. Yes, Alex said this is what Charles told him, but really, Charles didn't tell you his story in that detail. This technique never works. Either make Charles a narrator, or use third-person.
The second thing is sort of minor. Lola. Really? Is it any shock to you that Lola is a strumpet? Of course not--her future was assured when daddy named her. Come on, isn't that a little obvious?
Recommended for:I find that most readers aren't as annoyed by the first person imperative narrator as I am, so it probably won't bug you. And it is only in bits here and there. Otherwise, fabulous book and it deserves an audience. I'm one of two people on LT who own it, so get out there and buy it, everyone! Especially people who like to read about hanging out in Italy.
I'm not sure if it's available in North America, but I ordered my copy from the Book Depository, so you can find it there.
The story follows two protagonists. The first is Ras, a middle aged immigrant from Sri Lanka, as he awaits trial in London for stealing The Flagellation, by Italian Renaissance artist Piero della Francesca.
Through his first person narration, we hear about his early childhood in Sri Lanka, where his father disappeared one night and his mother died in a bomb blast. He and his brother spent most of the next years in a Tamil detention centre, until they had a chance to escape to England at the age of 19 and start a new life. Ras marries and has a child, Lola, and then divorces. He ends up working as gallery attendant at the National Gallery, where he is befriended by the charming and kind art curator, Charles.
The second protagonist is Alex, a friend of Charles. Through Alex, we get a fuller picture of the life of Charles and his wife Delia. They, and their circle of friends, spend a lot of fabulous summers in Italy, enjoying la dolce vita--art, food, company, etc. Being a Roma Tearne novel, some sad tragic events occur that change everything.
Everyone in this novel is consumed by an obsession, wherein we find the source of most of the conflict. But all the characters are also scared by war--even though the wars were thousands of miles away, or decades in the past.
It took me about 30 or 40 pages to warm up to it, but then I loved this novel. I actually wasn't ready for it to end, or to leave these characters lives (I especially liked Charles and Delia), which is really unusual for me with any book.
Now, there are two things I didn't like about the book, and that stop me from giving it a 5 star rating. The first is the choice of narrative point of view. When the characters tell their stories, it is in straight forward first person, which is fine. But the transitions are where I found most of the problems. Here the two characters speak to Elizabeth, Ras's legal council. It's done in a way that is similar to the first person imperative that made me so despise Please Look After Mom last year. I've run across it a few times since, and it irks me to no end. Good to see Tearne experimenting with her writing, but don't do this one again, please. And on a similar topic, there is one section told by Alex that describes a lengthy episode in Charles's life. Yes, Alex said this is what Charles told him, but really, Charles didn't tell you his story in that detail. This technique never works. Either make Charles a narrator, or use third-person.
The second thing is sort of minor. Lola. Really? Is it any shock to you that Lola is a strumpet? Of course not--her future was assured when daddy named her. Come on, isn't that a little obvious?
Recommended for:I find that most readers aren't as annoyed by the first person imperative narrator as I am, so it probably won't bug you. And it is only in bits here and there. Otherwise, fabulous book and it deserves an audience. I'm one of two people on LT who own it, so get out there and buy it, everyone! Especially people who like to read about hanging out in Italy.
I'm not sure if it's available in North America, but I ordered my copy from the Book Depository, so you can find it there.
February 23, 2020
Ras, a Sri Lankan native and refugee, fled his home to England when his mother was killed in one of the bomb raids during civil war, and has lived in England for decades when, seemingly randomly, he steals an Italian Renaissance painting, "The Flagellation of Christ" because it speaks to him of his own history and experiences, of the awful indifference of human beings to horrors perpetrated on others. Ras tells his story to his attorney, who asks him to go back to the beginning of his life in order to get the full picture of Ras's motivations and background so she can better defend him.
Ras tells his story, in an attempt to explain why he stole the painting, and his attorney as well as the reader tries to unravel the truth about the theft. In this way the book is set up as a mystery, propelling the reader to read further to get at the ostensible secret that is the key to understanding Ras and his actions. The story has enough to hold the reader's interest, especially because Ras's story is compelling; however, the human interest story is the real focus of the novel, and thus I felt the big "reveal" was anticlimactic. Ras's story is about love, loss, and yearning, for his dead mother, for his estranged daughter, and for meaning in his own life. In that sense his story is also compelling.
However, the book goes sideways midway through it, when the author decides to switch perspectives to a second character who is in no way important to Ras's story, and in fact only meets Ras once (and peripherally at that). Why the author chose Alex Benson to have as prominent a voice in this narrative is a mystery. There is nothing of interest in Alex's story, and as I said, his narrative has nothing to do with Ras's. The only thematic connections I can detect have to do with the characters' yearnings for a girl/woman that is beyond their grasp, daughter and lover respectively. Alex is like Ras in his lifelong pining after a woman who does not return his feelings.
Aside from that their tales are disconnected.
In addition, the reading is made difficult by the narrative perspective. Both Ras and Alex tell their stories from the first person POV, and they are speaking and thinking their thoughts towards Elizabeth, the lawyer. However, because they dip in and out of the past, and other conversations, the reader gets confused as to times, voices and audiences. Ras, for example, might be talking to Elizabeth and in the next sentence be talking to his daughter, then to his ex-wife, then back to Elizabeth in the present. It gets unnecessarily confusing.
Ras tells his story, in an attempt to explain why he stole the painting, and his attorney as well as the reader tries to unravel the truth about the theft. In this way the book is set up as a mystery, propelling the reader to read further to get at the ostensible secret that is the key to understanding Ras and his actions. The story has enough to hold the reader's interest, especially because Ras's story is compelling; however, the human interest story is the real focus of the novel, and thus I felt the big "reveal" was anticlimactic. Ras's story is about love, loss, and yearning, for his dead mother, for his estranged daughter, and for meaning in his own life. In that sense his story is also compelling.
However, the book goes sideways midway through it, when the author decides to switch perspectives to a second character who is in no way important to Ras's story, and in fact only meets Ras once (and peripherally at that). Why the author chose Alex Benson to have as prominent a voice in this narrative is a mystery. There is nothing of interest in Alex's story, and as I said, his narrative has nothing to do with Ras's. The only thematic connections I can detect have to do with the characters' yearnings for a girl/woman that is beyond their grasp, daughter and lover respectively. Alex is like Ras in his lifelong pining after a woman who does not return his feelings.
Aside from that their tales are disconnected.
In addition, the reading is made difficult by the narrative perspective. Both Ras and Alex tell their stories from the first person POV, and they are speaking and thinking their thoughts towards Elizabeth, the lawyer. However, because they dip in and out of the past, and other conversations, the reader gets confused as to times, voices and audiences. Ras, for example, might be talking to Elizabeth and in the next sentence be talking to his daughter, then to his ex-wife, then back to Elizabeth in the present. It gets unnecessarily confusing.
October 21, 2015
Roma Tearne is just about my favourite author and although at first I didn't think this would match up to other titles I have read by her, it certainly didn't disappoint. I love her style of of writing which is so colourful, stemming from her background as an artist. It leaves me with such a vivid picture of the characters and the story. I feel like I know exactly what Lola looks like, I understood Ras' actions and I have a picture of Delia and what she wears.
This novel is set in Sri Lanka, England and Italy. The Sri Lankan section of the story give you an understanding of Ras and why his later actions take place. It is a vivid description of the country, the people, the culture and how war torn it is. It helps you to understand that this small island has been neglected by the outside world. Later on when Ras meets somebody who has been to Sri Lanka, I squirm with shame as Ras describes with accuracy the way ex pats live. I am so glad I never went to any British embassy dos, but I have to admit to enjoying the luxury of the ex pat lifestyle and dabbling in the culture while there.
The story involves just a few central characters, their involvement with each other and exposes their flaws as well as their attributes as events unfold. Roma Tearne writes a good love story and this has several strands of love story running through it.
I wonder where her obsession with older men and very young women stems from. In Mosquito the same theme ran through. Not a storyline I really look for, but well told.
This is written in an interesting style. Two men tell their stories through Elizabeth, a lawyer representing Ras for a crime committed. It is told in the first person as they relate their stories to her. Very clever and well told. I love a well written story. Thanks again to Roma Tearne..can't wait to read my next book by her.
This novel is set in Sri Lanka, England and Italy. The Sri Lankan section of the story give you an understanding of Ras and why his later actions take place. It is a vivid description of the country, the people, the culture and how war torn it is. It helps you to understand that this small island has been neglected by the outside world. Later on when Ras meets somebody who has been to Sri Lanka, I squirm with shame as Ras describes with accuracy the way ex pats live. I am so glad I never went to any British embassy dos, but I have to admit to enjoying the luxury of the ex pat lifestyle and dabbling in the culture while there.
The story involves just a few central characters, their involvement with each other and exposes their flaws as well as their attributes as events unfold. Roma Tearne writes a good love story and this has several strands of love story running through it.
I wonder where her obsession with older men and very young women stems from. In Mosquito the same theme ran through. Not a storyline I really look for, but well told.
This is written in an interesting style. Two men tell their stories through Elizabeth, a lawyer representing Ras for a crime committed. It is told in the first person as they relate their stories to her. Very clever and well told. I love a well written story. Thanks again to Roma Tearne..can't wait to read my next book by her.
February 13, 2020
I received this book for free as a Goodreads Giveaway
There are some book that you just know when you start reading it that it's not for you. This book was one of those for me, and I knew it within the first couple pages. I toughed it out for almost 70 more pages before I told myself enough was enough. I was never going to enjoy this book, so I put it down for good. (Books I DNF automatically get 1 star ratings)
Let's start off with the obvious reason why I put it down. It was the PoV choice. It's some weird mix of 1st and 2nd person PoV. It's clunky and not done very well. It is so vague about whose head the reader is supposed to be in. In fact, it made the entire reading experience I had with this book as unpleasant as it was.
Second, I had issues, major issues, with the plot as we were given it (for what part of the book I read). And it comes down to this... we have a man in jail for theft. There is less than a month until his trial. We have a lawyer interviewing him to figure out the best way to defend him. And what does the lawyer do? Instead of asking him about the actual theft, what he did or didn't do, try to figure out how to get him off, you know, the things lawyers are SUPPOSED to be doing, she instead asks him to recount his childhood. Say what? And then we get his entire fucking life story from as far back as he can remember until present day, and the theft that got him thrown in jail is all but forgotten. And it's not as if the lawyer is supposed to be some third-rate hack either. She's said to be 'one of the best in Britain'. Clearly not if this is what she does with what little time she has to make a case.
So yeah, I DNFed this book. And I don't feel one bit sorry about doing it either.
There are some book that you just know when you start reading it that it's not for you. This book was one of those for me, and I knew it within the first couple pages. I toughed it out for almost 70 more pages before I told myself enough was enough. I was never going to enjoy this book, so I put it down for good. (Books I DNF automatically get 1 star ratings)
Let's start off with the obvious reason why I put it down. It was the PoV choice. It's some weird mix of 1st and 2nd person PoV. It's clunky and not done very well. It is so vague about whose head the reader is supposed to be in. In fact, it made the entire reading experience I had with this book as unpleasant as it was.
Second, I had issues, major issues, with the plot as we were given it (for what part of the book I read). And it comes down to this... we have a man in jail for theft. There is less than a month until his trial. We have a lawyer interviewing him to figure out the best way to defend him. And what does the lawyer do? Instead of asking him about the actual theft, what he did or didn't do, try to figure out how to get him off, you know, the things lawyers are SUPPOSED to be doing, she instead asks him to recount his childhood. Say what? And then we get his entire fucking life story from as far back as he can remember until present day, and the theft that got him thrown in jail is all but forgotten. And it's not as if the lawyer is supposed to be some third-rate hack either. She's said to be 'one of the best in Britain'. Clearly not if this is what she does with what little time she has to make a case.
So yeah, I DNFed this book. And I don't feel one bit sorry about doing it either.
June 2, 2015
I started off really enjoying this book but then my interest dwindled. I think that's because although told from 2 different viewpoints the 2 stories both are narrated as a dialogue between themselves and Ras' lawyer. The 'voices' of the 2 people could have been more distinct. Ras - who fled from Sri Lanka after the murder of his mother and father ends up working as a museum curator and in doing so finds himself drawn into the lives of Charles his wife and her past lover Alex. The story revolves around his interview with a lawyer who it turns out is trying to understand why he stole a painting and is now on the verge of being sent to prison. The story unravels as we discover about Ras' past history in Sri Lanka and his link to the Tamil Tigers (via his brother), his failed marriage and his estrangement from his daughter. I didn't really feel much empathy with any of the characters really as they all had their faults - even Ras who you initially feel sorry for.
February 19, 2020
Received as ARC. It's hard to say why I got so caught up in this book and the characters' lives. A somewhat strange style of writing but it worked. I would, however, have preferred a more dramatic ending.
July 27, 2015
I enjoyed it immensely. Read it in about three days whilst on holiday.
As always the author's descriptions and passages about memory, colour and art interspersed by dialogue made this book a very leisurely read.
I get why Ras is a narrator and Alex too. One offers the Sri Lankan view and the other the Middle class English man.
could it have been longer ? I mean could Lola have met Charles again towards the end? It seems to end on a rather positive note which was ok, and came full circle but I'm waiting for part 2!
As always the author's descriptions and passages about memory, colour and art interspersed by dialogue made this book a very leisurely read.
I get why Ras is a narrator and Alex too. One offers the Sri Lankan view and the other the Middle class English man.
could it have been longer ? I mean could Lola have met Charles again towards the end? It seems to end on a rather positive note which was ok, and came full circle but I'm waiting for part 2!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 5, 2013
It took about 30 pages to start to enjoy the book but after that I wanted to read on. The two storytellers tell the stories of themselves and others. The book paints an absorbing picture of a variety of people and their obsessions. The descriptions are rich and vivid. It falls short of 5 stars as I didn't like the ending either.
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