V.V. Ganeshananthan’s novel, Brotherless Night is an account of one Tamil girl’s struggles during Sri Lanka’s civil war which began in 1983 and lasted until 2009.

Unsurprisingly, after Sri Lanka’s independence from Britain civil unrest began as majority Sinhalese mobs carried out violence against the minority population of Tamils. This story of unrest after Britain’s exit from a nation it colonized is all too familiar (Nigeria, India, Hong Kong, etc…), so this story is not unique. However, it does highlight the complexities of the civil war and the ways in which, at times, it felt as if there was no “good” political option for the Tamil population to support and follow (the Sri Lankan government, the Indian government's armed forces or the Tamil Tigers).

As Sashi navigates completing her education (interrupted in the novel by the real-life event of the burning of the Jaffna Public Library), she comes to discover that it’s not only her education that she will sacrifice in order to survive the atrocities of the war.

While at times this story is plot-heavy, the main focus is on Sashi as a true heroine. She faces conflict after conflict and at times experiences insurmountable loss that would be debilitating for anyone. And yet, Sashi pushes forward in the only way that she can: helping others in order to preserve life, whether it is the life of a friend or foe. While she questions her morals and actions continuously throughout the novel, Sashi does not take the easy road in order to save her own life. Training to be a doctor and then later acting as a stenographer, Sashi fights to record the atrocious stories of the people who become collateral damage during war: the innocent people who are bystanders and those unwilling to take part but are forced to.

If you are looking for a historical fiction sprinkled with the terrible realities of the past, if you are looking for a family saga with strong female characters at the forefront, if you are looking for a story that, although heartbreaking, shows how flimsy and slippery truth is depending on who is recounting the events, then Brotherless Night is the perfect novel for you.

Prior to reading Ganeshananthan’s novel, I knew very little about the Sri Lankan civil war and what lead to it’s eventuality which is shameful since I attended high school with an incredibly smart and beautiful Tamil Sri Lankan woman: Sangita. She too studied to become a doctor. And now, I wonder if her family fled to Canada to escape the persecution of the civil war in Sri Lanka. I admit that this book took me longer to read than I thought because it was emotionally difficult to read.

Although this is a fictional account of the Sri Lankan civil war, the protagonist leaves the reader with questions that, as we watch controversial politicians hide and lie about the devastating things that their governments do to innocent people for no reason except that they are “other”, we should constantly be asking ourselves: “Whose stories will you believe? For how long will you listen? Tell me why you think you are here…” (last page of text).

Upon its publication, I highly encourage you to read Ganeshananthan’s novel Brotherless Night, a tale of love, sacrifice, and the ways in which war creates an inner struggle to “do the right thing” no matter the cost.
Many, many thanks to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me an ARC of V.V. Ganeshananthan’s incredibly moving novel Brotherless Night in exchange for an honest review.

Starting the new year off with a deeply moving, brutal account of the Sri Lankan civil war. The narrator addresses the reader in the Prologue, "You must understand", and I am on alert. Then, throughout the book, I am addressed again and again, gently, to make sure I am taking it all in. The narrator is right to be concerned, it's a lot to wrap my head around. I knew literally nothing about this history aside from the names of various groups, and I was wary when the narrator warned "that word, terrorist, is too simple for the history we have lived". It is uncomfortable, but morally speaking, I cannot imagine a more balanced, compassionate approach to these events. I highly recommend this book.

Brotherless Night
By V.V. Ganeshananthan

This is the story of the nightmare of Sri Lanka in the 1980s thru to 2009. It is a novel based on truth. The Tamil minority were systematically terrorized by the government and the majority Sinhalese. The story here is a microcosm of what happens throughout the country – it is the story of a Tamil family, a mother, father, four sons, and a daughter. A family which is split apart in reaction to what is going on around them.

The protagonist here is the daughter, Sashikala or "Sashi", who wants only to become a doctor. But as her brothers, one by one, leave the family, Sashi herself must make difficult choices: loyalty to her family; to her Tamil people, to the Tamil tigers (terrorists)? Who needs and deserves her support?

This is a gut-wrenching story. It leaves the reader with many questions and few answers. It is a very difficult read, but one that should make readers understand how much written here could apply to all of us. I would recommend this to any serious reader.

Thanks to Random House, via NetGalley, for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book has a sweeping quality. It covers Sri Lanka’s three decades of turmoil starting in the early 80’s and depicts the very tragic conditions, especially for the Tamils. There is no hero but the enemies are prolific (and yes, sometimes the call is coming from inside the house). The main groups/factions conducted themselves in complicated ways and many transformed into multi-headed monsters. We see how the context evolves and various players unravel.

The author portrays the mix of historical factors with a confident pen. The writing is strong and does not falter. As a reader, I felt well considered in the storycrafting.

For the first third of the book, I felt that Sashi served as a recorder. She mostly describes what happens around her, as if she were a camera. This role seems to diminish later but it gnawed at me. I realized she often acted or reacted due to others. Was her powerlessness a metaphor? Granted she does have some agency—and often it was defined or prescribed by others or by the “situation.” Is that how life often is?

I’d recommend this title to get a glimpse of Sri Lanka and perhaps gain some insight into its current conditions. While reading this I reflected on her earlier book, Love Marriage. I got more context about the uncle character.

A searing, tear jerker of historical fiction. I loved this book, even though it was so hard to read at times. A great book to delve into.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this wonderful book.

To start with, I was intrigued to read this book because I had only a scanty knowledge about Sri Lanka and the long running civil war there. Don't feel that you need any pre-knowledge of the country or the events - the book is well written and gives you plenty of information.

Our main character, Sashi, has four brothers, and winds up embroiled in the Sri Lankan civil war, partly by choices made by her brothers and party by chance and bad luck. She wants to be a doctor and is studying to be one, and gets pulled by her brother and his best friend into working as a doctor for the rebel forces, particularly the Tamil Tigers. Her own goal is to help people, not to take a political stand - but it's extremely difficult to avoid politics when you're in the middle of a civil war.

Because of the way the book is set up - with 2 brothers joining the Tamil Tigers, one killed by government forces simply in the course of his work as a doctor, and one opposing the rebels, we get a broader picture. I always prefer, if it's at all possible, to read a book that is not one-sided, and this book does cover the bigger picture. Yes, the government forces are pretty awful - but so are the rebel forces. No matter which side you're on, war is destructive and damaging, and this book allows us to see the big picture.

But most importantly, the author is able to show us the people involved - they're well drawn and it's easy to empathize with them all, particularly with Sashi. A terrific book - although it's largely unhappy, because of war and death and destruction, it's a compelling read.

Until I read the Author's Note at the end of this book, I thought this was a personal, albeit fictionalized, account of her time during the Sri Lankan civil war. It isn't - it's apparently a fictional account researched over very many years and written in the first person!

Any author who can make you think that is a force to reckon with! I can't wait to read more of her books in future.

The title of the book resonated with me in many places, but at the end of it, I didn't feel it. Mind you, I felt the book, oh I SO felt the book, but the title seemed a bit unjustified to me at the end.

I don't really want to write about the plot of the book - you can read that on any platform that discusses books. I do, however, want to write about how I felt when I read it 3 days flat.

I cried, sighed, and quivered... This book was so great that I ended up highlighting several portions in it. It has been written in the first person voice, but took into account so many perspectives, and didn't shy away from expressing them and providing valuable insights through them too.

When you read books like this, you are forced to examine your privilege, forced to contemplate the ridiculousness of this whole power game and the mercilessness of the human race. And yet, in the face of this sea of monstrosity, little paper boats of hope and help and kindness stand tall. Are they enough though?

Ganeshananthan writes beautifully, piercingly, and in a very well-paced way. She creates a brilliant world - there was a little more show than tell, but it wasn't jarring. It wasn't opportunistic. It wasn't gimicky. It was just really really worth reading!

I couldn't put this down. It was incandescent. It was searing. It made my heart physically ache, and made me do a thousand searches for nonfiction follow-ups. I am 100% going to read Ganeshananthan's previous book. the writing for this just completely gripped me, and once I got going in earnest, it just snowballed.

The family of the novel's protagonist Sashi is complex, and the book spends the entire time slowly unwinding the moral complexity of strongly held beliefs, and unravelling the word 'terrorist'. I was struck by the way Ganeshananthan made the entire cast of characters possible to understand, and you could see consistency of character even as motivation and ideologies changed. Truly can't wait to insist that everyone read this in 2023 and beyond.

*Thanks to Random House, NetGalley for the ARC*

This book is the reason I love to read historical fiction books. This is a time in history I had no idea even happened but is so essential to being told. The whole time I read I was diving into Sri Lankan culture and the civil uprising that happened. So much of this book is based in fact and it made my heart hurt that it goes so quickly unnoticed.
This book was a marathon and not a sprint but it will remain with me for a very long time.
I loved the voice that this story is told in. Sashi is raw and vulnerable and open throughout the book. You feel her pain as if it’s your own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is an interesting way to introduce a lot of people to what happened in Sri Lanka in the 80s. It reads like a true story & grips you from the beginning. Great way to learn about history.

Thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

A beautifully written novel that will sweep you up and pull you into the tragedy of Sri Lanka. Sashi, 16 at the start, is focused on following in the footsteps of her father and older brother by becoming a doctor but life quickly spins out of control. She's got four brothers-young Tamil men who become targets. Her brothers' pal K drops out of medical school to join the Tigers, later becoming a leader who will reach into Sashi's life to involve her as well. She makes it to medical school but it's hardly a haven with the politics firing up even among the students. Sashi finds herself helping at a field hospital while a first year student, her commitment to helping people overriding her disquiet and distress over the politics and violence. The situation in Sri Lanka did not receive the attention it deserved at the time nor now but this novel, so heartfelt, so horrifying, so emotional will tug and stick in your memory. Sashi's narration is intimate and expansive both and at times some things become imagination are described succinctly - making them all the worse. SO much random violence, so much needless death. It's a propulsive read that made me turn the pages because I was caught up in Sashi's world and needed very much to know what would happen to characters I'd come to care about. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A terrific read - highly recommend.

An eye-opening account of the Sri Lankan 30-year civil war through the experiences of a med school student who suffered the loss of 2 brothers and multiple friends. Her story, though fiction, reads like a memoir and resonates with a heart-felt struggle in the midst of an impossible situation. The author does a magnificent job explaining the horrors of a civil conflict on both individuals and families, as well as a nation.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC to read and review.

Brotherless Night by V.V. Ganeshananthan

Published: January 3, 2023
Random House
Pages: 368
Genre: Literary Fiction
KKECReads Rating: 5/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

V. V. Ganeshananthan is the author of Brotherless Night and Love Marriage, which was longlisted for the Women's Prize and named one of the best books of the year by The Washington Post. She teaches in the MFA program at the University of Minnesota and co-hosts the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast on Literary Hub, which is about the intersection of literature and the news.

“How could one word be enough?”

What happens when war takes over your country, and people band together, claiming it for your good- but they are just as deadly as any enemy? How would seeing the dead body of someone around your age lying in the street for days mark you? Losing a brother to “the cause”? Having two brothers run away to join this cause- only to find they did horrible things. This is the Sri Lankan reality.

Holy buckets. This book was heavy. And the weight just continued to pile on as I read. I cannot imagine seeing the things these characters did.

While this is a work of fiction, it is based on actual events, and it’s terrifying. I cannot imagine witnessing everything you know going up in flames and having people you love disappear.

This was a powerful, beautiful novel that will sucker punch you page after page. Our main narrator was so incredibly brave, so bold, and so angry.

I cannot describe the pain within these pages. It breaks my heart knowing this happened, and happens, in faraway places. And that so many are comfortable saying, “there is nothing we can do.”

This book is about doing something. Surviving. Witnessing. And refusing to be silenced. This powerful novel will shatter your heart and leave you sobbing. Beautifully written, eloquently delivered, and powerfully emotional, this is a must-read.

The storyof the Sri Lankan civil war is told through the life of Sashi as she grows up and goes to medical school. The book pays painstaking detail to what real life is like in the middle of such conflict and violence for a bright young lady. She sees the impact of war on each of her brothers. The conflict between real life and the values and mores of the medical profession are seen all too vividly in Sashi and her choices.

THIS is why we read. I knew nothing about the civil war in Sri Lanka - didn’t even know there was one - and so recently! This book transported me to the beautiful cultures within the country with a plot revolving around a family and their friends before, during, and after this war. It’s a story about family and choices and circumstances beyond control. As I was reading, I kept looking up words and places online - so interested in the history. Heartfelt thanks to Random House for the advanced copy. Go read this one. Choose for your book club - you won’t stop talking about it.

Brotherless Night is set during the Sri Lanken Civil War, and centers on one family with four brothers and one daughter. The narrator is the sixteen year old daughter named Sashi who dreams of becoming a doctor. Her three oldest brothers become part of the resistance, slowly she looses them to the terrorism either through death or allegiance to the fight. Her youngest brother is grounded in the belief they need to get out to save themselves.

This novel brings the fight to life in a striking way through the eyes of a teenager. Her characters reminds us that war is often suffered by those who are not in the fight. The timeframe of this novel has me the same age as the daughter which had me reflecting on what different worlds we lived as teens.

This historical fiction novel is a coming of age where every lessons comes at a painful cost for survival.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group for the complimentary copy of this novel.

Unflinching. Brilliant. Complex. These descriptions apply to Brotherless Night and the novel’s protagonist, Sashi, as she navigates a world that has been torn apart by civil war. This is a heartbreaking coming of age story of what might have been, a portrait of sibling relationships, a study of how people navigate impossible choices with loss on both sides. Highly recommend for individual readers or book clubs.
I knew very little about Sri Lankan history or culture before reading this book. The rich descriptions provided just enough context to help me find my footing without breaking the fourth wall too often explaining practices, foods, etc. that required no explanation to the characters within the story. Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read this one early

Thanks to NetGalley for this advance reader copy in exchange for a review. This review will appear on Goodreads immediately.
Shedding light on a civil war in Jaffna in the 80s, this book was compelling, fast paced, and most importantly worth reading, it was interesting and complex yet relatable in a way.
Worth doing in book clubs with much to discuss, I leave this with a solid 4*

Where do I even begin? This book was thoroughly engrossing and important. "Brotherless Night" brings us back to the war in Sri Lanka that lasted decades. Although fiction, it shows us a full picture of the history that many civilians or dealt with during such a hostile time. With many different sides fighting for control, the true causalities of the war were not the militants, Indian, or Sri Lankan governments - but the ordinary people of the country.

The book was a slower read, but I got so wrapped up in the story that it didn't even matter. I appreciated the author not only setting the scene, but making you feel as if you were apart of Sashi's life and family. She is a fierce character that you can't help rooting for and highlight what women can do in the face of violence, war, and change.

I think there are quite a few important lessons this book demonstrates, but one that shine is the need for truth, the need for accurate reporting, the need for the voiceless to have a say.

I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is also posted on Goodreads.

This was the first book I read by this author, and it certainly will not be my last. As a reader I was brought along on Sashi's journey and was with her through her experiences living in Sri Lanka during a civil war in the 1980's. Prior to reading this book I had no knowledge of this civil war, which occurred while I was growing up. This novel did a good job of explaining what it would be like to live in a civil war, faced with impossible choices to make. The characters had to choose between staying with their family, or joining forces with those who they felt would make a better future for their families. Many of the decisions made came with consequences such as kidnapping, torture, and death. Sashi dealt with the loss of home and loss of friends and family to the conflict. In many of the situations it was not clear which was the morally right choice to make, and I think that was the author's intent, to show us that in a war there are times when there is no clear division between "good" and "evil". The role the governments played in the war was disheartening and there were many parts that were difficult to read. This story will stay with me for a long time.