Funny Boy
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Funny Boy
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Narrated by:
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Raoul Bhaneja
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Written by:
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Shyam Selvadurai
About this listen
In this remarkable debut novel, a boy’s bittersweet passage to maturity and sexual awakening is set against escalating political tensions in Sri Lanka, during the seven years leading up to the 1983 riots.
Arjie Chelvaratnam is a Tamil boy growing up in an extended family in Colombo. It is through his eyes that the story unfolds and we meet a delightful, sometimes eccentric cast of characters. Arjie’s journey from the luminous simplicity of childhood days into the more intricately shaded world of adults - with its secrets, its injustices, and its capacity for violence - is a memorable one, as time and time again the true longings of the human heart are held against the way things are.
“A powerful and beautifully written novel....” (Literary Review (UK))
©2013 Shyam Selvadurai (P)2019 McClelland & StewartWhat the critics say
“Shyam Selvadurai has brought back from his Sri Lankan childhood a glittering and wise novel. Funny Boy keeps repeating with quiet conviction that the human condition can, in spite of everything, be joyful. You are not alone, it says to the reader I understand you. I was there. I remember.” (Alberto Manguel)
“He spins a subtle web that holds readers captive....” (Saskatoon StarPhoenix)
“Lyrical, moving, and deeply perceptive. This isn’t the first coming-of-age story ever written, but I doubt there’s been one quite like it.” (Halifax Chronicle-Herald)
What listeners say about Funny Boy
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Vijay
- 2020-07-26
Still one of the best
This book is a treasure. I have been longing for an audiobook of this classic and I am glad to say that this was such an excellent effort. The narration is superb and the moments of vulnerable emotion are performed so excellently. I have only one criticism and it is this: given that part of the magic of Funny Boy for me is hearing the Tamil and Sinhala words, names and phrases add a dimension of life to the text, it was really heartbreaking for me to finally be able to listen to the audiobook and have to hear almost every single appearance of Tamil and Sinhala be mispronounced. The production of this story has, at least for me as a person of Sri Lankan origin, really missed an opportunity to win a place in my heart by overlooking the important aspect of the experience of this story. Outside of that, this is still very much a 5 Star audiobook for me!! I highly recommend.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Alla
- 2022-12-21
Gorgeous
Beautiful, compelling, touching and heart breaking. Real art. Couldn’t put it down. Highly recommend this book!
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