This coming-of-age tale is set against the backdrop pf political turmoil in 1960's Sri Lanka, and the socio-historical context is fascinating and well conveyed. Unfortunately, the genre part (young boy comes of age) is a little too formulaic and tame.

What an absolutely stunning cover and title! This book was definitely judged by its cover. I'd never read a book set in Sri Lanka before, so I was excited to learn about the country's environment and people.

The plot revolves around Jay, who comes from a wealthy family, and Kairo, who comes from a socialist family. Jay then proceeds to teach Kairo a variety of skills, such as caring for his pet birds and hunting birds on his family's country property.

I kept waiting for what appears to be a bird allegory to unfold into a political manifestation, or for it to build into some intensity or climax. I was halfway through the book when I realized I needed to put it down. Nothing appears to be happening. There is simply more and more expounding on the setting, the plants, and the nuances of the characters, but not in a way that is deep enough to compensate for the weak plot.

This was an enjoyable read and I would recommend it. thanks for letting me have an advance copy. I'm new to this author.

I'm really split about this story because while it is important in its recollection of Sri Lanka's political past and lays bare the differences in the way people see and treat the classes, it is still super tedious to read. The writing tries to be too lyrical while being an information dump and that's a combination I'm not really a fan of. Plus, as I read the book, I didn't really see the point of it, and that's not a good feeling to have while reading. Although, now that I'm through with it, I see the nuances and the importance of what the author has said, either in rather stiff, rigid speeches that characters are giving as way of social commentary, or in the underlying tones of the book.

Because of this, I'll give this book a 3.5 stars.

Beautifully written coming of age story with the slowest pacing I've read in awhile. It took patience for me to make it through to the end but it was well worth it!

What an incredibly gorgeous cover and lovely title! I definitely judged this book by its cover. I've never read a book based in Sri Lanka, so I was eager to learn about the environment and its people.

The book centers around the relationship of Jay, who is from a wealthy family, and Kairo from a family with strong socialist views. Jay proceeds to teach Kairo a lot about doing all types of things whether they are caring for his pet birds or actually hunting birds on his family's country property.

I kept waiting for what seems to be a bird allegory to unfurl into a political manifestation or that it would built into a little intensity or some climax. I got halfway through the book and had to put it down. Nothing seems to happen. There is just more and more expounding on the setting, the plants and the nuances of the characters, though not in a way with enough depth to counteract the weak plot.

There are so many books I want to read, that I couldn't proceed with this one any another.

This is a "coming of age" story in 1960s Ceylon. It is a character driven novel and I thought it was very well written. I definitely recommend this book and I liked the author's writing style.

Being from India, I was expecting to read some beautiful descriptions of Sri Lanka. This book didn't disappoint me in that aspect. The descriptions were so beautiful it was as if I was in that particular place. But the plot didn't work for me and I can't connect with the characters. Which I think is the major disadvantage of the book. It is a good read but could've been better.

Romesh Gunesekera's coming of age novel captures Ceylon of the 1960's in clear, precise prose. Reading this novel is similar to gazing into a crystal, always more in the depths. The novel is well-researched and a savory for the budding naturalist or birder. The tale of the relationship between two maturing boys from different classes at first seems clear but then intensifies, coming to a dramatic conclusion.

Suncatcher is a beautifully written story about a friendship that develops in Ceylon during an uncertain and changing political climate. Kairo meets a boy called Jay and they become fast friends. Kairo is absolutely enamored by Jay and his world revolves around him. Gunesekera did a great job of portraying class differences and political prejudices through the eyes of a young narrator through observations while mixing in the opinions of the boys’ parents. Enjoyable read, I just couldn’t get the parallels from the Great Gatsby out of my head while reading.

Unfortunately, I dnf-ed this novel after the first third or so. With its setting of Sri Lanka, it was interesting and it was also written quite well, but just not interesting enough for me. On page 80-somthing, I still had not figured out what the plot was, why I should care to read this novel. Was it political? Then I feel the choice of protagonist, a young boy, was the wrong one. Or it did not affect him enough to affect me reading about his struggles. Was it coming of age? There was not nearly enought conflict or internal struggle or maturing there up to the point where I left it. I even thought this might be an LGBT romance story - but again, not enought hints towards that, either. So, in the end, it could not hold the interest it had captured in me with the blurb.

Gunesekara certainly does not waste any time on describing the location of the novel. It is later In the novel that we come across breathtaking descriptions of beauty and the landscapes of Ceylon— not Sri Lanka—as the novel is set in the 1960s when Bandaranaike was the Prime Minister and the country as still Ceylon.

We are immediately plunged into the story. The novel starts with the meeting of the two protagonists: Kairo and Jay. Both seem to be around 15 years old and they strike up an unlikely friendship as their backgrounds are as different as chalk and cheese. Kairo comes from a seemingly modest middle class family where the father is a passive communist, who works for the Civil Service, bets on horses and stubbornly refuses to learn Sinhala which his wife believes will soon be made compulsory. His mother works for Radio Ceylon. Jay is the glamorous one, son of wealthy parents, living in a mansion, a mother highly strung and an uncle who has an extensive farm with possibilities of hunting and fishing, a modest country house and a classic car collection.

It would be unfair to call it merely a “coming to age” tale. It is much more. It also reflects a country which is torn by political turmoil, rise of Sinhala nationalism, and the prospect of land redistribution .

Gunasekara etches all the characters in a memorable manner, especially the two young boys. Jay is obsessed with his fish tank and his birds and thoughtfully builds a large bird cage with the help of Kairo and hopes that all the birds will live happily together. But Jay also has a cruel streak in his nature: he pours boiling water over a termites’ nest and shoots crows. However, this callous cruelty is particularly directed towards the lower classes and the son of a retainer at his uncle’s farm who is blinded in one eye in a foolish game. Gunasekara differentiates the characters of the two boys. Whereas Kairo is sensitive and upset by this event, Jay does not really seem to bother.

The relationship between the two boys is ambivalent. Kairo needs “ a guide, a hero” and Jay, “an acolyte.”But it is also one of love and hate, especially in the case of Kairo. Whereas he admires Jay greatly, he does not really comprehend his violent dislike for his parents and especially his shabby treatment of his mother. But Kairo is certainly not faultless. There is an insanely jealous of Jay’s friendships with Chann and girl, Niromi.

The novel is an easy and engaging read.

This book really impressed me. I went in having not heard of the author before, and therefore not having any concrete expectations, and I'm glad for that as it kept my mind open to the developments in the book. Suncatcher is the story of two young men growing up in Sri Lanka, told by the hindsight perspective of one of them during his adulthood. He references this fact often - what he wish he knew, or what he later recognizes now that he is retelling the events as they occured. The book often makes the use of multiple languages without translating the words, but they are so thoughtfully wrapped in the broader folds of the story that rather than distract, they add to the flavor of the writing. The book starts off slow and winding, and in the beginning it was hard for me to tell where the book's plot was going. The language is so beautiful and engrossing, though, that it hooked me and kept me going. I love how real this story is, portraying the thoughts and mistakes of development and society through the lens of a young man. I'm so glad I stuck with the book and would recommend it to anyone looking to expand their horizons and read about a different world from their own. The book truly feels like an experience, a journey. I'll be reading this author again.

I received a free electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley, Romesh Gunesekera, and The New Press. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this work of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of Suncatcher: A Novel. It is a visit to another world very well pictured, and a book you cannot put down.

Suncatcher is a coming of ago tale covering a generation of youngsters caught in the political mess that was 1964 in the land that would become Sri Lanka. Jay is the teenaged son and nephew of British plantation owner brothers and oldest of our youthful trio, an instinctive naturalist, blossoming rebel, and bird lover. The teller of our tale is Kairo, 9 or 10 years old. Kairo loves his bike and his comic books, and his best friend is the owner of the used book store in town. Both of his parents work, his father with the Labour Department and his independent mother with Radio Ceylon. With no school that autumn, and his parents always at work, Kairo is in need of distraction which Jay is more than ready to furnish. And we also feel the growing pains of Channah and Gerry and lovely Niromi.

Formerly a British crown colony, Ceylon gained its independence in 1950, becoming a member of the Colombo Plan. There were several battles for Ceylon control over the 1950s and it was, in the summer of 1964, a world on the cusp of even more change. A power play by Bandaranaike succeeded formed a coalition Trotskyist government with the LSSP. Land and companies were seized by the government 'Normal', life was not. In 1964 there was essentially no police or political entities, schools did not start that fall, there was no common language. Things would remain in flux until the early 1970s when Ceylon became a Republic within the Commonwealth of Nations and assumed the name, Sri Lanka.
pub date April 7, 2020

A sort of Tom Sawyer/Huck Finn set of characters navigating the family, social, and political landscapes of Sri Lanka as they find their way from boyhood to young manhood. An understated, at times poetic, narrative, this one is excellent for readers of world literature.

Suncatcher is a slow builder, slowly pulling you in, wrapping you around the storyline, and it is impossible to put it down until you reach the end. Romesh Gunesekera’s prose is so easy to read, but it’s depth and beauty stick with you long after you have finished reading. And the luscious descriptions of the Sri Lankan landscape had me captivated, at times I could easily imagine them passing through my mind, as in a movie.

Kairo is at that age when his main interests are comic books and his bike, and he longs for a friend to share his adventures with. A chance meeting with Jay leads to a summer of adventure; both boys from very different families and lifestyles, but finding a common ground in nature and play. As civil unrest brews around them, Kairo begins to see that maybe their differences are too great, and that maybe he was investing too much of himself in this friendship.

I always admire writers who are able to not only put themselves in child protagonists’ bodies and minds, but also accurately submerge the reader into them too: I found myself thinking like Kairo, seeing the world around him through his eyes. I especially love how the author allows Kairo’s comprehension of the world around him to slowly emerge, how he begins to understand relationships, actions, events, and people, and how things aren’t always as they immediately seem. While this novel is set in Sri Lanka (then still Ceylon) in the 1960’s, the political and social happenings of the time don’t distract from the main plot, but enhance it. I think most people will relate to Kairo and how he searches for friendship in Jay, despite their differences and the difficulties in maintaining the friendship.

I really enjoyed how both Kairo and Jay’s mothers have prominent roles in the novel, both as mothers, and human beings. As a side note, the first female prime minister democratically elected in a country was Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka, elected in 1960. While I knew this prior to reading this novel, I didn’t know much about her or immediate post-colonial life in Sri Lanka, and reading Suncatcher pushed me to learn a lot more about the country, and how she shaped certain areas for the better, but where she also helped create deathly strife between people that went on for decades afterwards.

This is a beautiful coming of age novel, I can’t recommend it enough!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

After ‘Reef’, this came as a bit of a disappointment. Gunesekera is a fine, fluid writer but both form and content here seemed less imaginative, more heavy-handed than expected. Besotted adolescent male; unreliable privileged pal; post-colonial dawn of tragedy; emphatic symbolism and hints about future strife. None of this carried the freshness expected. The descriptions of the natural world were some compensation, but overall, this didn’t seem the strongest work by this talented author.

I thank The New Press and NetGalley for this ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

I've read three of this author's other books. And with this one, I'm feeling mixed. There's a certain sense of suffocation and/or intimacy (the latter feels like the helplessness of adolescence when all/much feels possible yet removed or delayed).

Two boys become friends during a time of turmoil in Sri Lanka. Both sets of parents have different political stances, reflecting the various fractions. And each parent in each family has differing or opposing philosophies from the spouse. The tensions within families add to the push and pull that Kairo, in particular feels as he navigates his friendship with Jay. Kairo longs for something...within himself, with others--it's unclear. Jay, in contrast, is lunging to and fro, propelling himself almost without thought or much of it.

That overall closed-in feeling adds to the context of tension. For instance, there are various scenes where minute actions almost burst with a particular charge but significantly constrained or constricted. They mirror the various birds and wild life that Jay maintains in his various homemade cages. During several scenes when the adults are talking about various political or social issues, I recalled "My Dinner with Andre" -- there's something deep, perhaps elusive and then perhaps fleeting.

As the story progresses, there is a sense of inevitability. And yet the conclusion feels incomplete. It lacks some type of resolution or even a kind of internal satisfaction. Instead, I'm left with a fatalist feeling that I moved only inches.

The Suncatcher takes place in the 60’s however, the time period doesn’t dictate the overall theme. One could read this story and frame it in another decade and it’s still just as good and just as remarkable.
Kairo is a young and lonely boy. He is an only child. His mother works at the local radio station and when she’s not there she is taking dance lessons. His father works for the government, but when he isn’t working (which is often it seems) he is preaching to Kairo about politics or gambling or both. There is a very unique dynamic in Kairo’s home as his mother seems to be the one that “wears the pants” so to speak. I am not familiar with India during the 60’s but I do know that in most parts of the world, patriarchy was alive and well .
The author’s decision to create Kairo’s mom not as a subservient housewife, but a free thinking and “rebellious” woman was very refreshing.
While Kairo’s parents work and socialize, he keeps himself entertained by reading second hand westerns and adventure books from America, and riding his bike around town.
One day he meets an older boy, Jay, and Kairo’s life changes completely. Kairo had immediately taken to Jay, and soon he wants nothing more than to spend his every waking moment with him. After a little while Kairo realizes that he and Jay’s lives aren’t that similar but they also aren’t that different. They both like nature, adventure, and they both know how to use their imaginations because like Kairo, Jay is also an only child. His relationship with Jay sets Kairo on a path of not only trying to figure out who he is, but who the people in his life are too. He soon realizes that love and family are not as black and white as we assume. And for him, that changes his world.
This story, for me, tackles issues like love, identity, friendship, family, and humanity. The author does an excellent job of giving each character a voice and depth. Everyone from the main character to supporting characters fit into the narrative to help paint the picture.
I could not put the book down because it had me so enraptured. It touched my heart and opened my mind.
If you enjoy coming of age stories set outside of the US that depict complex but very relatable humans, The Suncatcher is definitely the book for you!

A novel of a young boy in Sri Lanka during the time of unrest (when it was still Ceylon). We follow him and his family as well as his friendship with a wealthier local boy, Jay. Through them, their families and assorted other friends, Kairo tries to understand himself and his changing world. The people and places are vividly alive through the author's prose.