Funny Boy

Written by Shyam Selvadurai

Published in 1994.

Very touching book about a young boy coming to terms with his sexuality and with the ethnic tensions in Sri Lanka. Written from the point of view of the young protagonist, the book, without masking the cruelty of the ethnic riots in Sri Lanka, manages to undercut ethnic loyalties with the cross-ethnic relationships that evolve almost surreptitiously – against everyone's wishes, even those in the relationships – and gives some hope for the success of the ties of humanity over the ties of ethnicity, if not in the Sri Lanka of the novel, then in some other time or place.