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Banner: Aboriginal Stories
 

Annotated Award-Winning Titles

Cover of Swimming in the Monsoon Sea   Young Adult Canadian Book Award
(Canadian Library Association)
For best book
Swimming in the Monsoon Sea
Shyam Selvadurai
Toronto: Tundra Books,
2005. 274 p.
ISBN 0887767354
Ages 16 and up

An uneventful summer is ahead for 14-year-old Amrith. He will join the theatre group at his all-boys school and learn to type at his uncle's company. His cousins, Mala and Selvi, have other things on their minds, like fussing over boys and which dress to wear to Mala's party. The unexpected visit of Niresh, his Canadian cousin, has a profound effect on Amrith's life, and brings about a sexual awakening of his own true nature. Everyone in the household is affected by the web of complex family relationships.

This coming-of-age story takes place in Sri Lanka in the 1980s; lush vegetation, intense perfumes and strong colours permeate each scene. The borders separating the inside from the outside are fascinating; the many doors and indoor gardens keep nature inside the house, away from the outside peril of the monsoon winds that blow rooftops away. Niresh's visit reveals his own need to belong, but his Canadian lifestyle causes a clash of values.

This is the first novel for young adults by Shyam Selvadurai, the acclaimed author of Funny Boy. It won the W.H. Smith/Books in Canada First Novel Award, the Lambda Literary Award and was named Notable Book by the American Library Association. His work Cinnamon Gardens was shortlisted for the Trillium Award.

–JP


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Date Created: 2006-11-09
Date Modified: 2006-11-09

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