The novel has been introduced as follows by its publishers:
'Immensely disturbing, Gorilla plunges us into the village of Kunjan Fields, in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Here, amusing local thug Gorilla runs wild and poor Rocky Raj, his son, tries to distance himself from his father's antics. Rocky Raj immerses himself in his studies, but the Tamil Eelam Movement comes to town and he becomes a child soldier. Soon, however, he is thrown out by the Movement for not following orders - then recaptured and tortured. What will be this soldier's fate?
'Filled with characters as strange and violent as they are unforgettable - young girls with bombs concealed in their bosoms, delinquent boys, illicit liquor sellers, wily police inspectors, murderers, prostitutes, farmers, innocents - Gorilla was a literary sensation when it first arrived in 2002. Its publication this year marks the English language debut of a remarkable talent.' |