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Reef by Romesh Gunesekera
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Reef (original 1994; edition 1996)

by Romesh Gunesekera

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
4091361,202 (3.62)36
Reef is the elegant and moving story of Triton, a talented young chef so committed to pleasing his master's palate that he is oblivious to the political unrest threatening his Sri Lankan paradise. It is a personal story that parallels the larger movement of a country from a hopeful, young democracy to troubled island society. It is also a mature, poetic novel which the British press has compared to the works of James Joyce, Graham Greene, V. S. Naipaul, and Anton Chekhov. With his collection of short stories Monkfish Moon--a New York Times Notable Book of 1993--Romesh Gunesekera quickly established himself as a leading literary voice. Reef earned universal praise from European critics and landed the young author on the short list for the 1994 Booker Prize, England's highest honor for fiction. Reef explores the entwined lives of Mr. Salgado, an aristocratic marine biologist and student of sea movements and the disappearing reef, and his houseboy, Triton, who learns to polish silver until it shines like molten sun; to mix a love cake with ten eggs, creamed butter, and fresh cadju nuts; to marinate tiger prawns; and to steam parrot fish. Through these characters and the forty years of political disintegration their country endures, Gunesekera tells the tragic, sometimes comic, story of a lost paradise and a young man coming to terms with his destiny.… (more)
Member:sadiebooks
Title:Reef
Authors:Romesh Gunesekera
Info:Riverhead Trade (1996), Paperback, 190 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:
Tags:fiction

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Reef by Romesh Gunesekera (1994)

  1. 00
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» See also 36 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 13 (next | show all)
Brilliant. A first novel and a Booker finalist. Writing that captivates. Gunesekera is, to my mind, an absolute master of those moments in life that are fleeting and indescribable; of a moment between two people. Of the evanescent, as I wrote above. I cannot think of anyone I have ever read who does it better. There is an exquisiteness, a tenderness, a stunning beauty to his images. Ostensibly the story of a houseboy in Sri Lanka, it becomes the story of two lives inextricably woven into the tragedy of the civil war in that country. As with Sandglass, above, it is a deep, unforgettable reflection on the passage of time, chances taken and chances lost, on identity, and of exile. Just stunning. ( )
  Gypsy_Boy | Aug 26, 2023 |
a hugely engrossing book full of real sensory delights - some of the best writing about food I've read. left me craving all kinds of things to eat. ( )
  mjhunt | Jan 22, 2021 |
The post colonial history of Sri Lanka told through food. Political events loom in the background as the kitchen takes the stage. National disruption is mirrored by disruption in the home through the introduction of a woman into bachelor domaine run smoothly by the house boy. A sad ending is inevitable. ( )
  Steve38 | May 9, 2016 |
A thoughtful, sympathetic story of the spoliation of the beautiful island of Sri Lanka, renowned first for its coral, but then for its bitter civil war. And the tender, amusing, sad then possibly hopeful love story of Mister Salgado; all told through the eyes of Triton, the 11 year old houseboy, who you come to realise has his own story as he progresses, through luck, determination, Salgado's guidance and self education, to become a a restaurant owner in Earls Court. Triton had managed to break 'all the old taboos' and freed himself from the 'demons' of his past.
The story is sensuous, its interweaving themes brought together through detailed depictions of cooking, whether it is preparing the exotic parrot fish or love cake, or the triumphant mastering of the Xmas turkey.
  Thyme09 | Dec 2, 2010 |
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» Add other authors (3 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Gunesekera, Romeshprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Figee, HenkEditorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Jonkers, RonaldTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Epigraph
Of his bones are coral made

- The Tempest
Dedication
Helen
First words
At the petrol station the forecourt was empty except for my car, an old red Volkswagen that used to be Mister Saldago's.
Quotations
The urge to build, to transform nature, to make something out of nothing is universal. But to conserve, to protect, to care for the past is something we have to learn.
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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Wikipedia in English (1)

Reef is the elegant and moving story of Triton, a talented young chef so committed to pleasing his master's palate that he is oblivious to the political unrest threatening his Sri Lankan paradise. It is a personal story that parallels the larger movement of a country from a hopeful, young democracy to troubled island society. It is also a mature, poetic novel which the British press has compared to the works of James Joyce, Graham Greene, V. S. Naipaul, and Anton Chekhov. With his collection of short stories Monkfish Moon--a New York Times Notable Book of 1993--Romesh Gunesekera quickly established himself as a leading literary voice. Reef earned universal praise from European critics and landed the young author on the short list for the 1994 Booker Prize, England's highest honor for fiction. Reef explores the entwined lives of Mr. Salgado, an aristocratic marine biologist and student of sea movements and the disappearing reef, and his houseboy, Triton, who learns to polish silver until it shines like molten sun; to mix a love cake with ten eggs, creamed butter, and fresh cadju nuts; to marinate tiger prawns; and to steam parrot fish. Through these characters and the forty years of political disintegration their country endures, Gunesekera tells the tragic, sometimes comic, story of a lost paradise and a young man coming to terms with his destiny.

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