Moving,  adept novel of a friendship between boys across class that doubles back when challenging events involving a girl and class insecurities  inspired by different criteria work on them.  The ending is a shock but the novel skillfully builds up to it .. very impressive.  Insightful observations of character make it all too plausible.

This tale of friendship and coming-of-age is set in Ceylon in 1964 just before the looming political upheaval which will change the country for ever. Signs of the coming disruption are everywhere, but young Kairo is more concerned with his burgeoning friendship with the slightly older and more privileged Jay, a relationship which will change his own life for ever just as profoundly as the political situation. It’s a tender and insightful tale, which captures the fragility of the boys’ relationship, although I sometimes found their exploits – racing cars, building aviaries - didn’t really engage me. I was more interested in the political aspects of the novel but these are not really the focus but simply the background. I enjoyed the book but didn’t find it particularly compelling.

Ceylon, 1964. Suncatcher is a beautifully told coming of age story that uses the political turbulence of a country on the brink of change as its backdrop. I loved Romesh Gunesekera’s atmospheric and rich writing and I would highly recommend this book.

I was blown away by Romesh Gunesekera's gorgeous prose throughout Suncatcher. It's such a beautifully written novel which vividly captures the sweltering and stifling atmosphere of 1960s Ceylon (as Sri Lanka was called back then). We see the nation at a social and political turning point, but through the eyes of young Kairo who isn't yet even old enough to really understand the dynamics of his own parents' relationship let alone the manoeuvrings of a whole nation. Gunesekera has created a completely convincing character in Kairo and, surprisingly, one with whom I could easily empathise, despite never having been a young boy myself! His desperate need for the older boy, Jay's, approval carries Suncatcher's compelling narrative. We know something must go wrong because this glorious coming-of-age summer cannot last indefinitely, however we have no way to tell where the threat to Kairo's innocence lies. There are several fate-tempting contenders.



I loved how Gunesekara portrays the unintentional callousness of teenagers. Jay has no real idea of how his actions affect others or the impact his ill-chosen insults have. He stands up for a bullied child, but then crushes his mother with a few words. The aviary is an interesting metaphor too. I saw in it reflections of most of the adult characters surrounding the boys, each trapped by circumstances beyond what they believe they can control. Suncatcher, I think, can be understood on various levels. It is an excellent historical novel which also has a lot to say about human relationships ostensibly in Ceylon, but similar interactions occur the world over. Indeed the multifaith Ceylon community could be a useful template for more fragmented societies. At the time of Suncatcher, we can see that religion will become divisive, but it hasn't happened yet. Instead two boys have one last burst of freedom before the adult world closes in.

This is the first book written by Romesh Gunesekera which I have read and I am pretty certain I will be reading more, if not all.

I enjoy books set in a different culture from my own so the blurb for this appealed to me, although coming of age novels are usually “not my thing”…but this book is very much my thing.

“One day you’re just playing in the sand, and then suddenly everything looks so different”

In 1964 Ceylon, a time of great change for the country and its people, Kairo meets Jay, an older boy who he sees a worldly, bold, all he hopes to become. He sees a way of living very different from his own, some aspects of which he is in awe, some which he finds disturbing. 

Written in the first person from Kairo’s perspective, it is not full of tedious teenage angst and bewilderment but without sentimentality, Gunesekera gently and relentlessly tells the story (and what a wonderful story teller he is!) of Kairo’s transformation over six months from boy to young man; his near infatuation with Jay, the small jealousies, perceived betrayals, excitements, growing awareness all develop through utterly believable events. 

The characters are very clear, very individual and while Gunesekera describes them a little, their actions and words, they way they are treated by others, tell us all and more we need to know about them. The author’s/Kairo’s style is easy to read but not simple; there is beautiful prose in places and quick fire dialogue in others. There is not one superfluous word, and every word is precisely the right word. Can you tell I rather like this chap? If literary contemporary fiction, intelligent yet relaxed writing is what you seek, then seek no further. 
 
A recurring observation is how the past reaches far into the future. “The future feeds on the past”…something perhaps we all should bear in mind.  

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for the Advanced Reader Copy of the book, which I have voluntarily reviewed.

The Suncatcher is set in Ceylon in 1964. Two teenage boys from different ends of town form a friendship- both yearn for a life different from that of their parents. Written through the eyes of Kairo, we see him lose his idealism and naivety as he realises that his actions once done cannot be undone.
This is one of those books that has you reaching for pen and paper to capture a sentence or paragraph that resonates with something you have always known but have never been able to put into words.  
An evocative and thoughtful read.