Atawaka Putthu-A book that challenges readers to define its genre

Liyanage Amarakeerthi's new novel, Atawaka Putthu(Half-moon Sons), will be released at Wijesooriya Book Centre, Punchi Borella on Auguste 18 at 10. 30 a.m. In this coming- of -age novel, taking a family joke literally, a boy believes that his twin brother was not born, and hidden inside of himself, and looks for his unborn twin among his friends, lovers etc.

The central character, a budding poet, uses this 'joke of the unborn twin' as a metaphor to understand contemporary Sri Lankan life. During the violent 1980s, the boy comes of age, and the inner incompleteness of himself translates into a certain incompleteness of his politics. A combination of a love story, a political novel and a crime fiction, Atawaka Putthu challenges its reader to define its genre. The US-based author, on a visit to Sri Lanka, will read selections from the novel. The book is published by Wijesooriya Publishers.