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| Saturday, 15 November 2003 |
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Enemies in battle, people in love The Road from Elephant Pass, by Nihal de Silva. Vijitha Yapa Publications (2003). 359 pages. Reviewed by Jehan Perera There have been several English language novels in recent years with themes that revolve around Sri Lanka's ethnic conflict. Nihal de Silva's first novel which is titled The Road from Elephant Pass belongs to the genre of thrillers and adventure stories. The war forms its background. But it is no more than the background. The story is really that of the great escape of a Sri Lankan soldier and an LTTE woman cadre from the field of battle that saw the destruction of the massive Elephant Pass military camp in March 2000. Both are brave, neither is a coward and each has a secret mission. However, those who wish to read a real war story, and the language of military personnel, are likely to miss the action. The author's intention lies elsewhere. In the novel, the author seeks to make the point that barriers that separate people from one another, whether they be ethnic or different life experiences, can be transcended in a deep and meaningful way. The soldier and LTTE cadre are Sinhalese and Tamil respectively, who have different life experiences and perceptions of terrorism, which faithfully replicate the different opinions in the larger society. But fate made them a couple who worked together for the escape of both. The author is able to present both sides of the argument in a fair and balanced manner leaving the reader to figure out what the correct line of thinking is. The book can be regarded as a useful contribution to the peace process that involves people seeking to build bridges of understanding between the communities. The author has an easy style of writing that is discursive and enables him to stretch out his story in an interesting manner. His style would endear him to readers who like a long and leisurely read. There is much incidental information to be obtained, such as that the Seer fish is also known as Spanish mackeral, and the Sloth bear to be found in the Wanni jungles is a creature best left alone. And God forbid, being attacked by an elephant! The author uses many Sri Lankan colloquial expressions and also cruder slang words, which are fortunately confined to unvoiced thoughts of the male protagonist. There is splendid adventure in the hero and heroine's trek through the Wanni jungles and a thriller in their narrow escapes from the LTTE and a gang of marauding army deserters. There is also the redeeming power of love. |
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