Cinnamon Gardens: a novel

Selvadurai complicates the novel by making his hero (who just happens to have a male lover) play the good-goody son of an important government official.

Balendran is the naive, innocent who accepts tradition without question but who comes to terms with the hypocrisy of that tradition. Completely obedient to his father and societal rules, Balendran rejects his lover in favor of a wife and son, his position in society and his place as the apple of his father's eye.

In reality, he opposes his father's political views but dares not express his own. An important family issue goes unresolved because the father refuses to relinquish social rules to gain the family's relationship with an estranged son. Balendran again cannot express his affection for a dying brother because of his father's staunch beliefs.

(clicking the image of the Government Officials will take you to the website where it is located)

In a lighter more comical vein and wholly unlike the passiveness of Balendran, Annalukshmi comes to terms with the business of marriage. The reader is amused and delighted in this very Austen-like part of the book and revels in Anna's effort to be true to her nature--much like Elizabeth Bennet.

Anna declares her independence at the outset of the novel by sailing through the schoolyard on a bicycle%uF02B, something young teachers of high stature in the 1920s simply do not do. But Anna is determined to live life on her terms. She is a woman ahead of her time; someone we in the 90s would consider "liberated."

Anna witnesses one woman after the other relinquish their individuality and become someone else's possessions. When she is spoken of in marriage to an unsuitable partner, she simply leaves town. She aspires to marry for love if she chooses to marry at all.

The business of accumulating a dowry and giving up one's aspirations is not for Annalukshmi. But society conspires to snip off Anna's wings and curtail her flight.

The English school administrator whom she admires and from whom she draws her strength is also less than ideal. Miss Lawton, although from England and therefore more "modern", nevertheless has bigotry and prejudices of her own. But Anna is not disillusioned and stands up for her convictions in a way her uncle Balendran could not.

Both Balendran and Annalukshmi, while respectful of their parents come to realize the inequities of their society. Balendran's rosy picture of his father and his culture comes crashing down around him when he finds out the truth behind his brother's disinheritance. He finds that those who attempt to dictate rules and regulations to others often don't practice what they preach. They hold rules over others for control. And when a society upholds regulations which suppress the happiness of the individual, it is bound to lose.

I feel that Selvadurai's novel lacks a clear explanation of history and the workings of politics in this small country of Ceylon. At times he misses the chance to inject more drama into the novel by skimming over important scenes. As a reader, I iwas sometimes impatient with him for portraying a naive Balendran who has no outlet for his suppressed emotions.

Although the writing is not extraordinary, it is suitable for young readers who are looking for a good multi-cultural book to read . More sophisticated readers of literature may find it somewhat pedestrian.