Funny Boy: A Novel

I must admit, when I first bought this book, I didn't know when I would read it. Thankfully, it only took me a few days to finally begin reading it. A few pages in, and I was surrounded by children playing "bride-bride". Of course, this was all in my head because of the incredible imagery that was included in every page of this book. At first I thought the chapters were long, but in reality, I read through them so quickly because I was intrigued with every sentence. I could see so much of myself in little Arjie. I would cheer him on, tell him not to do this or that. My heart felt for him and every emotion he felt. Very few books have done this for me. I'm grateful that I came across this book. Well written and a quick read that left me asking for more! Well done!

This is a great little book that was recommended to me by Amazon based on similar purchases. It's a fairly quick read that I was able to finish during a layover at the airport. The book starts off with the main character, Arjie, playing "bride-bride" with his cousins at his grandparents' house. The author does a really good job of expressing the innocent thoughts of a child trying to discover his identity in the midst of a civil war. Didnt know much about Sri Lanka before picking up this book, but I was surprised to find so many aspects of Arjie's family life relatable to my own childhood as an Indian immigrant. My only complaint about this book is that many chapters feature a love story with a satisfying (albeit tragic) ending, up until the ending. Wished there was at least the same amount of sentimentality put into that final chapter as there was in the first and second.

A beautifully crafted, highly original novel which tells an moving story of waking to love and secuality in a world of conservative values. What is so dazzling is the authors ability to combiine in this novel a highly sensitive understanding of psychology with an impressive overview of Sri Lanka's society and its recent, violent history. He never loses the personal touch but never is judgmental. He writes with warmth, understanding, precision and sensitivity. A brilliant work blending high quality literary ability with an understanding of people and of history. I loved it!

Wonderfully told story about the turmoil in Sri Lanka, incredibly moving account of a young boy who is realizing his place in the world, his family’s place in the world, as well as his sexuality and innocence lost during the most traumatic, unimaginable experiences! Love this book!

This novel is so well grounded in its moment and the characters come so fully and distinctively to life that is hard to keep in mind that it is fiction. The central character, the narrator, got right inside my head - his hopes, fears, concerns, pleasures and grief are fully felt. The frightening political context makes a violent backdrop for this boy's growing awareness of what being "funny" means both for himself and to the people he loves. A pleasure to read!

Always interesting to read how youth cope with an issue outside the square and this book was no exception. Sri Lanka is a very traditional country but thanks to this book and my travel experiences there, there is room for those that don't fit the traditional mould. This is an extremely personal account of what it is like to be gay in Sri Lanka without this being the central focus. Well worth reading. It does get a bit impersonal at the end when the writer becomes enmeshed in the war. However, very insightful.

I was led to Shyam Selvadurai's book via the collection of South Asian fiction he edited, called: Story Wallah. The first chapter of Funny Boy appeared in that anthology as "Pigs Can Fly." It was towards the end of Story Wallah, and I fell in love with the voice and the story so much that I did not want it to end, so I looked in the back of the book to see what else he had written. When I saw the title of his novel, Funny Boy, I knew it had to be the same narrator, and hence the story would go on.I was not disappointed. The first-person narrator of Funny Boy, Arjie, continues with his tale of growing up in Sri Lanka. While he begins his life in a kind of magical world as the young boy who prefers to play with girls, playing "bride-bride" instead of joining the boys playing ball in the field, he quickly loses his bearings because the world cannot actually tolerate such difference. Two threads of the story twine together tightly in this novel: Arjie's search for happiness as his awareness grows, and the growing racial unrest that returns to his country. Just as Arjie is being torn apart inside, his country is being torn apart on the outside, and the young man looking back on growing up in Sri Lanka makes a vivid connection between the two experiences.Because I read a lot of memoir, and this seemed so real (and is likely at least partly autobiographical fiction), I felt at times that the narrative character was obviously manipulated in order to hear things he otherwise wouldn't have--he was always spying, listening through doors, etc., privy to things that a child normally might not hear, see, think or remember later for the telling. Still, the story is so beautifully told, and the themes so important that I can set aside my critic's observation and recommend the book to anyone who is interested in reading about a boy's self-discovery strained by the dangerous clash of the Tamils and the Sinhalese.

Great writing. I was totally engrossed. This is so much more than a coming of age story. Revolutionary in so many ways.

This book in six stories follows the life of Arjie, a Sri Lankan Tamal living in Columbo, from the age of seven to about fourteen. I didn’t know much about the 1980s riots, and I feel I know more now, and will do my own research.It is not only about inter-country racism, it is a sort of coming of age story told in these six vignettes. The time difference between them is variable, sometimes a week, sometimes years. Arjie has always been “funny”, although he doesn’t understand it for a long time. The gradual realisation of his sexuality was raw and very real.The epilogue, written in journal form is particularly hard to read. It feels like an autobiography, and I believe it is an ‘extended’ autobiography. It is only here that Arjie really understands what it means to be Tamal when 75% of the population are Senhalese, even though he doesn’t speak Tamal, goes to a Senahlese school and does not support the extreme wing, the Tamal Tigers. None of this matters, he and his family look like a Tamal, and that’s what matters.I expected this to focus more on the LGBTQ elements, but it seems to me more like Sri Lankan history. A statement of truth among the confusion of lies they were fed. Beautifully, tragically written.TW: racism, homophobia, violence to children, violence

I decided to read this book after watching the excellent movie on Netflix, which is based closely on this book. Having lived in Colombo during the 60's and 70's, it was of particularly interesting to me on a personal level. The story is beautifully written and quite apart from the coming of age and Arjun's journey of discovering his sexual identity, it captured the mood of Sinhalese and Tamil communities' sad and violent descent to a civil war, the echoes of which still evoke painful memories. Perhaps this is why so many Tamils have heavily criticised the film, forgetting that it wasn't meant to be a documentary.Read the book, watch the movie, they're both wonderful.

Very enjoyable Sri Lankan gay coming of age novel It also has an interesting setting - his Tamil family are forced to flee their homeland

I really enjoyed this book. It was a joy to read, it flowed so well and I couldn't wait to pick it up again. A really interesting angle to learn a perspective on the civil war in Sri Lanka, and the struggles of a boy in the midst of this who is gay. I would highly recommend.

An excellent book not only capturing some very difficult times with great sensitivity but showing the difficulties of a young man understanding his sexuality in a society where it is seen as "funny". Highly recommended.