“Life in this paradise, he felt, was exactly as the beautiful mosquito that lived here, composed in equal parts of loveliness and deadliness.”
This is a simple love story set in the beautiful country of Sri Lanka against the backdrop of a brutal civil war. There is nothing simple about love, or loss, or war, but Tearne writes with such clarity about complex situations and emotions, that it makes it seem so. She has a fresh eye on detail (as an artist/painter would) but there is nothing cumbersome about her descriptions and there are some surprising twists and turns in the story. In clear and lyrical prose, she tells a tale that is captivating, with characters so well drawn and the setting so atmospheric, I feel like I’ve been there. This is a moving novel about difficult things but it is also full of hope and very sensitively done–an inspiring read.
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