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Atria
August 2009
On Sale: July 21, 2009
384 pages ISBN: 1439101957 EAN: 9781439101957 Hardcover
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Multicultural Contemporary Fiction
Ru Freeman's debut novel chronicles the trials and
travails of two Sri Lankan women and their pursuit of
freedom. Orphaned then absorbed as a servant into a well-
to-do Sri Lankan family at the age of five, Latha Kumari
grows up in tandem with the family's spoiled young
daughter, Thara. However, Latha's mysterious origins and
ambiguous caste ensure her a future of unpaid servitude in
the Vithanages's household. Resentful, she involves
herself with the man meant for Thara. This choice
ultimately causes her loss and suffering. Alongside
Latha's story is that of Biso's, who is fleeing a drunken
abusive husband, a murdered lover and townspeople who
whisper whore as she walks past. Biso escapes blindly to
the salvation and promise of distant relatives in the
north, but her journey with her three children across the
country is tainted by murder and terrorism. The kindness
of strangers runs out, but the end of Biso's tragic
journey will end up being the promise of Latha's future.
Freeman illustrates contemporary Sri Lankan life through
the battles waged between lovers, friends and strangers
alike in this study in dignity, strength of character,
tolerance and perseverance.
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