Customer Reviews

Funny Boy

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This novel was beautifully written, and you can feel that the author has poured his heart out when writing this novel. The scenes in this novel sticks with you for a long time, the injustices that is dealt in our world.

Funny Boy tells a universal story -- of boys who discover their sexual difference -- with clarity and simplicity. The gay aspect of the main character's life is treated as it should be: as a matter of fact. It is no more surprising than any sexual awakening should be, and its normalcy is clarified by contrast to the shocking racism and violence between the Sinhalese and Tamils. That background makes the concluding story of first love especially poignant.

Touching, inspirational, moving, funny, heartwarming, uplifting, sad, heartbreaking. Not many books can convey such a wide range of emotions so effectively. It's the story of an immensely likable young boy growing up in Sri Lanka in turbulent times trying to understand himself and make sense of his crazy world. He struggles to understand the unspoken "rules" and learn how to succeed and find happiness within the restrictions placed upon him. This book is beautifully written with six chapters, each representing a separate passage of time. (I found this to be very effective, although it did leave me with questions!) The setting is beautiful, the characters convincing and the dialogue is believable. You will root for Arjie! I found the following passage from page 267 particularly insightful and relevant given the current political climate, "How was it that some people got to decide what was correct or not, just or unjust? It had to do with who was in charge; everything had to do with who held power and who didn't." I strongly recommend this book. (I would definitely purchase a sequel should there be one, and I plan on reading Selvadurai's next book "Cinnamon Gardens".) You won't want to or be able to put this book down!

Another reviewer has pointed out that although this book usually appears in the Gay category, in fact the gay sections are a relatively minor part of the novel. That's true, and therefore if you're looking for a gay coming-of-age story and that's all, you're likely to be disappointed. Also, the coming-of-age part of the book isn't that original (boy has a crush on older schoolboy who turns out to be gay, various wet encounters follow - someone should have taken out a patent on that story line).

The true worth of this book is in its descriptions of the effects of the racial violence in Sri Lanka on a Tamil family. The author succeeds in conveying the fear and despair which resulted from the senseless hatred spawned by the Tamil-Sinhalese racial disputes. Amid all this, moments of humor are carefully and sensitively woven into the story. I'd recommend the book for these reasons.

I am a librarian (at least i think I am, I have the degree but am working here at a dotcom). Anyhow, classifying and cataloguing is a big part of what we do. Unfortunately, when it comes to this novel, people seemd to content to only classify it as gay fiction, and that is where I found it in my local ..., in the gay fiction section. This is such a tragedy to me as this novel is about so much more. In fact, the homosexuality is only a small (albeit important) part of one of the most entertaining and well written "bildungsromans" that I have read in a long while. Selvadurai deftly describes his childhood within a well to do Sri Lankan family, and the devastation that the political upheavals (between the Sinhalese and the Tamils) made on his life. This book describes the horrors visited upon his family (the fate of the grandparents is too horrible to even try and contemplate)while the narrator comes to consciousness in many ways.

I went from being heartily amused in the first chapter about children playing (so, so funny,..and so relatable to anybody who was ever terrorized by a tyrannical fat cousin)to being deeply saddened by the end of the novel, when Sri Lanka is no longer his idyllic home, but rather a place of danger that he and his family must escape. I do not hesitate in giving this novel five stars (despite the fact that it is very episodic) because it is so well written. Selvadurai is a huge talent, and I have Cinnamon Gardens waiting to be read at home.

I urge everybody to read this book, even if you aren't comfortable enough going to the previously unexplored "gay fiction" section. Books like this are an increasingly rare breed, so we may as well search thenm out while we can.

The boy's awakening to sexuality, the hostility of his family towards his"being funny", the shock of his first sexual experience with a school friend. All these themes seem to be dear to many authors. But Mr.Selvadurai deals with the coming-of-age of a Sri Lanka boy with a great share of poetry. Terrible political events capsize the boy's life; he and his family are eventually compelled to emigrate to Canada, a curtain drops, the boy's life will never be the same, but, in spite of everything, he wiil be happy again. This seems to be the message of the author. An engrossing story which becomes your own story.Beautifully written and touching, a highily recommendable book that you will never forget.

This novel, very much like Roy's "The God of Small Things," looks at life in South Asia and it political climate through a child's eyes. And like "The God of Small Things," this is a wonderful debut for Selvadurai.

As a gay man of Indian origin, I found myself relating completely to the main character, Arjie. Selvadurai's prose is poetic and precisely conveys the awkardness and roller-coaster nature of a gay child growing up in a tradition-based family. Add to the mix the portrayal of Sri Lanka's devastating political turmoil, and you get a history lesson and a coming-of-age story at the same time.

Although some of the plot seems incredible and out of place, "Funny Boy" is a quick, delightful read.

Life as seen through a young boy's eyes, Funny Boy, is narrated with an honesty that brings laughs and alternatively, immense sadness. Arjie, the protagonist in the story, captures the dilemma of growing up, and the struggle at times, to make meaning of the apparent contradictions in life as he comes to terms with understanding the issues of ethnic and sexual identity. Through him we re-discover our own journey through the vicissitudes of life and empathize with the innocence that once surrounded us all before accepting the harsh realities and cruelties of life. Shyam Selvadurai weaves his story through a backdrop of the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka and a colorful range of characters - the gossipy aunts, the pecking order of cousins, the kindly grand-parents, the strict school principal, and the faceless mob - all of who evoke a range of emotions -smiles, annoyance, warmth and fear - as we nostalgically reminisce about these characters and situations from our own childhood. This is a well written and poignant book. I can't wait to get hold of the author's other book (Cinnamon Gardens).

Life as seen through a young boy's eyes, Funny Boy, is narrated with an honesty that brings laughs and alternatively, immense sadness. Arjie, the protagonist in the story, captures the dilemma of growing up, and the struggle at times, to make meaning of the apparent contradictions in life as he comes to terms with understanding the issues of ethnic and sexual identity. Through him we re-discover our own journey through the vicissitudes of life and empathize with the innocence that once surrounded us all before accepting the harsh realities and cruelties of life. Shyam Selvadurai weaves his story through a backdrop of the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka and a colorful range of characters - the gossipy aunts, the pecking order of cousins, the kindly grand-parents, the strict school principal, and the faceless mob - all of who evoke a range of emotions -smiles, annoyance, warmth and fear - as we nostalgically reminisce about these characters and situations from our own childhood. This is a well written and poignant book. I can't wait to get hold of the author's other book (Cinnamon Gardens).

This is one of the best books I've read in the past decade. I cannot recommend it strongly enough. Although it is sometimes described as a growing-up-gay kind of novel, it's really much broader than that. A beautiful, compelling novel.