Island of a Thousand Mirrors

Finished October 11
Island of a Thousand Mirrors by Nayomi Munaweera

This mesmerizing novel tells the story of Yasodhara Rajasinghe, a Sinhalese woman from Colombo, from the birth of her parents Nishan and Visaka to her own adulthood. It also tells the story of Saraswathi, a Tamil girl of northern Sri Lanka. Saraswathi is the eldest girl of the family, with three older brothers as well as her younger sister.
Yasodhara grows up with her sister Lanka and their upstairs neighbour, a Tamil boy named Shiva. The three are inseparable, spending all their free time playing together. But their peace is broken when civil war erupts and Shiva's family is forced to flee. Tragedy engulfs Yasodhara's family at this time, and her parents and Lanka and her emigrate to the United States. Lanka is the rebel, while Yasodhara does what is expected of her until her world begins to fall apart and she rejoins her sister in their home country.
Saraswathi's world falls apart much earlier. Her dreams of becoming a teacher fall to ruins as she gets caught up in the war, with events and the reactions of her family and neighbours leading her to a new life as a revolutionary.
This is a story of Sri Lanka, of its people and their struggle for a dream. It is a story of people caught up in this struggle despite themselves, and about the violence that will change their lives forever.
The lush country comes alive through the author's descriptions, and we get a real sense of the beauty of this country. The characters at the heart of this novel are one's you care about. A wonderful read.