WINNER OF THE MILES FRANKLIN LITERARY AWARD 2023 –
In the store’s Book Club we always read the Miles Franklin winner and there is no guarantee that even though it has won a literary prize, we will like it.
Readability is a very different thing from the scope of the judges’ criteria; this current Miles Franklin winner has to be (and I am sure we might offend here), in my opinion, the best in several years.
Do not be fooled by the title; this novel effectively organises the narrative, enhances pacing and allows for a thorough exploration of characters and themes.
With its beautiful green cover, the reader might be forgiven for thinking that they are in for a sweet, gentle, heartwarming novel about relatively harmless retirees living in a nursing home; there seems to be a theme in new releases at the moment akin to The Thursday Murder Club, a series of four books we can’t afford to go past, and will visit in the future.
Instead, this is a powerful, compassionate novel about friendship, family, community-building and the racism faced by members of diasporic communities in this country.
Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens offers a well-structured narrative that captivates readers from beginning to end.
The author’s ability to organise the story in a coherent and engaging manner is commendable, as the book is divided into distinct sections or chapters, which allows for a smooth flow of the story.
The chapters are well-timed, providing moments of tension, reflection and resolution at appropriate intervals.
Each chapter feels interconnected, yet offers a unique perspective or theme that adds depth to the overall plot.
This allows for the exploration of different characters and their individual story lines and by dedicating chapters to specific characters or sub-plots, the author provides a comprehensive view of the world within Cinnamon Gardens, creating a rich and immersive reading experience.
Chandran addresses themes that I was not always comfortable with such as infidelity, racism, colonisation, the distortion of history and traumas of the Sri Lankan civil war, but the one that affected me the most was grief and loss.
So if you don’t want to shed a tear, stay away from this prize winner.
Similar reads would be Hopeless Kingdom by Kgshak Akec or The Lovers by Yumna Kassab.
Julie Chessman, The Bookshop Umina