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Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens
Welcome to Cinnamon Gardens, a home for those who are lost and the stories they treasure.
Cinnamon Gardens Nursing Home is nestled in the quiet suburb of Westgrove, Sydney – populated with residents with colourful histories, each with their own secrets, triumphs and failings. This is their safe place, an oasis of familiar delights – a beautiful garden, a busy kitchen and a bountiful recreation schedule.
But this ordinary neighbourhood is not without its prejudices. The serenity of Cinnamon Gardens is threatened by malignant forces more interested in what makes this refuge different rather than embracing the calm companionship that makes this place home to so many. As those who challenge the residents’ existence make their stand against the nursing home with devastating consequences, our characters are forced to reckon with a country divided.
Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens is about family and memory, community and race, but is ultimately a love letter to story-telling and how our stories shape who we are.
Cinnamon Gardens Nursing Home is nestled in the quiet suburb of Westgrove, Sydney – populated with residents with colourful histories, each with their own secrets, triumphs and failings. This is their safe place, an oasis of familiar delights – a beautiful garden, a busy kitchen and a bountiful recreation schedule.
But this ordinary neighbourhood is not without its prejudices. The serenity of Cinnamon Gardens is threatened by malignant forces more interested in what makes this refuge different rather than embracing the calm companionship that makes this place home to so many. As those who challenge the residents’ existence make their stand against the nursing home with devastating consequences, our characters are forced to reckon with a country divided.
Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens is about family and memory, community and race, but is ultimately a love letter to story-telling and how our stories shape who we are.
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2022
About the author
Shankari Chandran
8 books287 followersShankari Chandran uses literary fiction to explore injustice, dispossession and the creation of community.
Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens is her third novel, published by Ultimo Press in 2022 and short-listed for the Miles Franklin Literary Award 2023. Her first novel, Song of the Sun God, was also re-published by Ultimo Press in 2022.
Before turning to fiction, Shankari worked in the social justice field for a decade in London where she was responsible for projects in over 30 countries ranging from ensuring representation for detainees in Guantanamo Bay to advising UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
Her work helped her understand the role and limitations of international humanitarian law in conflicts. It also showed her what happens to society when governments subvert civil liberties. These issues form major themes in her writing.
Shankari wanted to write from childhood but kept her stories and her courage inside her head for a long time. She finally committed to creative writing when faced with the life changing events of returning from London to her home in Australia, and the birth of her fourth child in 2010.
In January 2017, she published her first book, Song of the Sun God with Perera-Hussein, about three generations of Australian Tamil women and the choices they make to survive Sri Lanka's civil war. Her second book, The Barrier, was published by Pan Macmillan Australia in June 2017. It asks, what would happen to the world if an Ebola pandemic and religious wars converged?
Song of the Sun God was long-listed for the International Dublin Literary Award (2019) and short-listed for Sri Lanka's Fairway National Literary Award (2018). The Barrier was short-listed for the Norma K Hemming Award for Speculative Fiction (2018). Song of the Sun God is being adapted for television, starring Bridgerton’s Charithra Chandran (no relation).
Her short stories have been published in the critically acclaimed anthologies, Another Australia and Sweatshop Women (Vol 2) by Affirm Press/Sweatshop and she is the deputy chair of Writing NSW.
She continues her work in social impact for an Australian national retailer. She is based in Sydney, Australia, where she lives with her husband and her four children.
Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens is her third novel, published by Ultimo Press in 2022 and short-listed for the Miles Franklin Literary Award 2023. Her first novel, Song of the Sun God, was also re-published by Ultimo Press in 2022.
Before turning to fiction, Shankari worked in the social justice field for a decade in London where she was responsible for projects in over 30 countries ranging from ensuring representation for detainees in Guantanamo Bay to advising UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
Her work helped her understand the role and limitations of international humanitarian law in conflicts. It also showed her what happens to society when governments subvert civil liberties. These issues form major themes in her writing.
Shankari wanted to write from childhood but kept her stories and her courage inside her head for a long time. She finally committed to creative writing when faced with the life changing events of returning from London to her home in Australia, and the birth of her fourth child in 2010.
In January 2017, she published her first book, Song of the Sun God with Perera-Hussein, about three generations of Australian Tamil women and the choices they make to survive Sri Lanka's civil war. Her second book, The Barrier, was published by Pan Macmillan Australia in June 2017. It asks, what would happen to the world if an Ebola pandemic and religious wars converged?
Song of the Sun God was long-listed for the International Dublin Literary Award (2019) and short-listed for Sri Lanka's Fairway National Literary Award (2018). The Barrier was short-listed for the Norma K Hemming Award for Speculative Fiction (2018). Song of the Sun God is being adapted for television, starring Bridgerton’s Charithra Chandran (no relation).
Her short stories have been published in the critically acclaimed anthologies, Another Australia and Sweatshop Women (Vol 2) by Affirm Press/Sweatshop and she is the deputy chair of Writing NSW.
She continues her work in social impact for an Australian national retailer. She is based in Sydney, Australia, where she lives with her husband and her four children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,026 reviews
January 22, 2022
I had no idea of the plight of the Tamil people. Thank you to the author of this well written novel that educated me on the civil war in Sri Lanka.
From the spiel I had no idea that this book would be a revelation for me on the refugees and immigrants from Sri Lanka. The inclusion of the stories from differing perspectives got me thinking about the back stories of people and how we can never know how and why they ended up in Australia.
The racial undertone was also very topical and I think an important one to read about.
From the spiel I had no idea that this book would be a revelation for me on the refugees and immigrants from Sri Lanka. The inclusion of the stories from differing perspectives got me thinking about the back stories of people and how we can never know how and why they ended up in Australia.
The racial undertone was also very topical and I think an important one to read about.
August 7, 2023
5★
“In a few hours, the cooks will begin frying onions, curry leaves and green chillies for the breakfast omelette, served with idiyappam, sothi and sambal. Omelette on a bed of steamed rice noodles, topped with milk gravy and a side of freshly grated coconut tossed in chopped chilli. It’s something to wake up for.”
That’s not my usual breakfast and chances are it isn’t yours either, but that’s the point. In a nursing home, residents are happiest when living with familiar things and eating familiar food. Cinnamon Gardens was named after the wealthy suburb in Colombo, Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon), and its owner and many of its residents came from Sri Lanka.
Sounds nice, right? Well, the nursing home is, and when the book opens, we’re introduced to the way it’s set out, attempting to accommodate the different backgrounds of the residents in Westgrove, Sydney, Australia.
On the second floor, there’s a large, shared shrine room.
“The altar in the shrine room was predominately a showcase for Hindu deities. It reflected the main religion of the nursing home, but like any Hindu shrine, it held statues of the Buddha, Jesus Christ and his poor mother Mary. Siddharth, Maya’s son in London, had also sourced a more racially accurate Jesus statue for her, and after some resistance from the Christians and Catholics, of all ethnicities, Brown Jesus (as he became known) had finally been accepted into the fold.”
Brown Jesus - about time! Maya is the elderly, widowed owner whose daughter Anjali, “Anji”, now runs the place (with supervision from Amma, of course). Anji was the geriatric psychiatrist at the home before she took over in 2009.
In 1981, Maya and her young husband came to Australia to escape the violence in Sri Lanka. Her uncle Cedric, who had no children, had planned to sell the shabby Sydney nursing home he owned, but agreed to let them renovate it and turn it into a welcoming haven.
Again, this sounds like a cosy read, perhaps with some jockeying for position in the hierarchy of residents, some jolly power plays, that sort of thing. But there’s so much more.
Anji’s best friend since childhood is Nikki, who is now the home’s geriatrician. They and their families have been great pals until now, when Nikki and Gareth are struggling over the loss of a child. Anji’s husband, Nathan, is a counsellor, who has been trying to help them. Gareth has political aspirations, and some suggest his losing a child makes him a sympathetic candidate.
Now it sounds like family drama and suburban life, maybe still some kind of light fiction. That’s how the book was designed, the title and the cover. It will attract readers who probably don’t know much about how and why people leave their homelands and end up in other countries.
In fact, it’s a powerful punch in the guts of Australia’s supposedly abolished White Australia Policy that just keeps rearing up. Early on, one of the Sri Lankan nursing home staff members is badly beaten, not for the first time, by three young white men.
“‘Hey, boong,’ they called.
He had googled that one. Ethnically incorrect, but this wasn’t the time for pedantry.
‘Boong! We’re talking to you,’ said a recognisable voice.
‘He’s not a boong,’ said another. ‘He’s a Paki.’
Not even close. Over 2500 kilometres from Pakistan to Sri Lanka, a completely different religion, and many cultures and languages between them.
‘Hey, Paki!’
‘Osama, we’re talking to you’
. . .
He had been beaten by these boys before. He had been given his beating and he had accepted it. He didn’t know what was different about tonight; why he fought back this time. Over a decade ago, the Third Battalion of the Sri Lankan Army had taught him well. He knew what to do.””
The author describes graphically how he deals with these boys, and later there are more scenes of the violence and torture he (and others) lived through (or not) in Sri Lanka. It is not gratuitously violent, like some serial killer stories. It is what it is – a story of the people who flee in a kind of terror I imagine most readers haven’t experienced first-hand.
Then there’s the politics. When they get to Australia, what happens to these migrants, even after years of living here and being Australian citizens? When the local council and the state MP liaise with a police representative about the attacks above, the conversation is about how many there are and the increased violence. Politics is tricky. All of these people vote, the attackers, the victims, and their families.
“ ‘A public safety announcement? There’s no footage of their faces, so we’d be asking every South Asian in the suburb to be wary of every Australian in the suburb. That’s simply not practical… ’
. . .
‘They’re all Australian, Mike,’ Gareth said. ‘You keep referring to the South Asian Australians as South Asians and the white Australians as Australians. They are all Australian.’”
That’s the local conflict in their new homeland. The man who works in the nursing home and who was beaten speaks ten languages and had been a professor in Sri Lanka. He had also suffered far worse abuse there.
This takes place in the current day, but the Sri Lankan owner and residents were Tamils caught up in the long civil war that raged from 1983 to 2009. Many tens of thousands of people were disappeared, tortured, slaughtered murdered as the Tamils fought for an independent state.
The author takes us back and forth to the war at different times and to the nursing home when it was founded and today.
I listened to about half the book and then decided I really wanted to read the text to make sure I understood the names and places and history properly. It’s a terrific piece of work, using the small community of the nursing home as a centrepiece around which several families revolve.
I just read (and recommend) the Sri Lankan author Shehan Karunatilaka's The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida which just won this year’s Booker Prize … so I did have a bit of a head start on the tragic Sri Lankan situation.
This one, Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens (in case you forgot the title because this is sooo long) has just won Australia's prestigious Miles Franklin award, given to "a novel which is of the highest literary merit and presents Australian life in any of its phases". This is all that and more.
The narrator of the audio book is excellent, too.
I wasn’t expecting to read two books featuring Sri Lanka, and I certainly wasn’t expecting to add them to my favourites, but what a treat.
This is terrific (think I already said that), and if you're interested in the other, here's my review of The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida
“In a few hours, the cooks will begin frying onions, curry leaves and green chillies for the breakfast omelette, served with idiyappam, sothi and sambal. Omelette on a bed of steamed rice noodles, topped with milk gravy and a side of freshly grated coconut tossed in chopped chilli. It’s something to wake up for.”
That’s not my usual breakfast and chances are it isn’t yours either, but that’s the point. In a nursing home, residents are happiest when living with familiar things and eating familiar food. Cinnamon Gardens was named after the wealthy suburb in Colombo, Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon), and its owner and many of its residents came from Sri Lanka.
Sounds nice, right? Well, the nursing home is, and when the book opens, we’re introduced to the way it’s set out, attempting to accommodate the different backgrounds of the residents in Westgrove, Sydney, Australia.
On the second floor, there’s a large, shared shrine room.
“The altar in the shrine room was predominately a showcase for Hindu deities. It reflected the main religion of the nursing home, but like any Hindu shrine, it held statues of the Buddha, Jesus Christ and his poor mother Mary. Siddharth, Maya’s son in London, had also sourced a more racially accurate Jesus statue for her, and after some resistance from the Christians and Catholics, of all ethnicities, Brown Jesus (as he became known) had finally been accepted into the fold.”
Brown Jesus - about time! Maya is the elderly, widowed owner whose daughter Anjali, “Anji”, now runs the place (with supervision from Amma, of course). Anji was the geriatric psychiatrist at the home before she took over in 2009.
In 1981, Maya and her young husband came to Australia to escape the violence in Sri Lanka. Her uncle Cedric, who had no children, had planned to sell the shabby Sydney nursing home he owned, but agreed to let them renovate it and turn it into a welcoming haven.
Again, this sounds like a cosy read, perhaps with some jockeying for position in the hierarchy of residents, some jolly power plays, that sort of thing. But there’s so much more.
Anji’s best friend since childhood is Nikki, who is now the home’s geriatrician. They and their families have been great pals until now, when Nikki and Gareth are struggling over the loss of a child. Anji’s husband, Nathan, is a counsellor, who has been trying to help them. Gareth has political aspirations, and some suggest his losing a child makes him a sympathetic candidate.
Now it sounds like family drama and suburban life, maybe still some kind of light fiction. That’s how the book was designed, the title and the cover. It will attract readers who probably don’t know much about how and why people leave their homelands and end up in other countries.
In fact, it’s a powerful punch in the guts of Australia’s supposedly abolished White Australia Policy that just keeps rearing up. Early on, one of the Sri Lankan nursing home staff members is badly beaten, not for the first time, by three young white men.
“‘Hey, boong,’ they called.
He had googled that one. Ethnically incorrect, but this wasn’t the time for pedantry.
‘Boong! We’re talking to you,’ said a recognisable voice.
‘He’s not a boong,’ said another. ‘He’s a Paki.’
Not even close. Over 2500 kilometres from Pakistan to Sri Lanka, a completely different religion, and many cultures and languages between them.
‘Hey, Paki!’
‘Osama, we’re talking to you’
. . .
He had been beaten by these boys before. He had been given his beating and he had accepted it. He didn’t know what was different about tonight; why he fought back this time. Over a decade ago, the Third Battalion of the Sri Lankan Army had taught him well. He knew what to do.””
The author describes graphically how he deals with these boys, and later there are more scenes of the violence and torture he (and others) lived through (or not) in Sri Lanka. It is not gratuitously violent, like some serial killer stories. It is what it is – a story of the people who flee in a kind of terror I imagine most readers haven’t experienced first-hand.
Then there’s the politics. When they get to Australia, what happens to these migrants, even after years of living here and being Australian citizens? When the local council and the state MP liaise with a police representative about the attacks above, the conversation is about how many there are and the increased violence. Politics is tricky. All of these people vote, the attackers, the victims, and their families.
“ ‘A public safety announcement? There’s no footage of their faces, so we’d be asking every South Asian in the suburb to be wary of every Australian in the suburb. That’s simply not practical… ’
. . .
‘They’re all Australian, Mike,’ Gareth said. ‘You keep referring to the South Asian Australians as South Asians and the white Australians as Australians. They are all Australian.’”
That’s the local conflict in their new homeland. The man who works in the nursing home and who was beaten speaks ten languages and had been a professor in Sri Lanka. He had also suffered far worse abuse there.
This takes place in the current day, but the Sri Lankan owner and residents were Tamils caught up in the long civil war that raged from 1983 to 2009. Many tens of thousands of people were disappeared, tortured, slaughtered murdered as the Tamils fought for an independent state.
The author takes us back and forth to the war at different times and to the nursing home when it was founded and today.
I listened to about half the book and then decided I really wanted to read the text to make sure I understood the names and places and history properly. It’s a terrific piece of work, using the small community of the nursing home as a centrepiece around which several families revolve.
I just read (and recommend) the Sri Lankan author Shehan Karunatilaka's The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida which just won this year’s Booker Prize … so I did have a bit of a head start on the tragic Sri Lankan situation.
This one, Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens (in case you forgot the title because this is sooo long) has just won Australia's prestigious Miles Franklin award, given to "a novel which is of the highest literary merit and presents Australian life in any of its phases". This is all that and more.
The narrator of the audio book is excellent, too.
I wasn’t expecting to read two books featuring Sri Lanka, and I certainly wasn’t expecting to add them to my favourites, but what a treat.
This is terrific (think I already said that), and if you're interested in the other, here's my review of The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida
February 5, 2022
‘I’m suggesting that violence should not be met with the silence of the oppressed.’
Australian author Shankari Chandran is a lawyer and social justice advocate. She was born in London, and raised in Canberra after her parents left Sri Lanka. Her third novel Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens is set in Sydney’s Westgrove and explores themes of racism and colonialism.
Anji runs the nursing home, lovingly renovated by her parents, feisty author Maya and ancient Tamil archaeologist Zakhir. Cinnamon Gardens is home to an assortment of quirky geriatrics of varied origins, with hidden talents and humour, who are lovingly cooked curries and rotis, instructed in yoga and internet skills and simply refuse to die fast enough to make way for the waiting list of would-be patrons. The story features Anji, her lovely husband Nathan, and her best friend Nikki who is negotiating a troubled relationship with her husband Councillor Gareth Bates, after the tragic loss of their child. There is also the indomitable Maya who writes novels under an Anglo-Saxon name as her own won’t sell any books, nursing home resident-come-lawyer Uncle Gana, and renowned jeweller and nursing-home escape artist Uncle Saha. Last but not least there is the enigmatic cleaner and carer Ruben who speaks ten languages fluently and carries the scars on his body of secrets past. Maya has learned a love of literature from her father who taught her, “If you read the literature of a country, child, you will understand it; you will fall in love with it.” She collects the stories of the home’s residents, many of them scarred by memories of war-torn Sri Lanka. There are scenes from the Sri Lankan Civil War (1983-2009) wherein the Tamil Tigers fought for an independent state, Tamil Eelam, due to persecution of the predominantly Hindu Tamils and anti Tamil pogroms by the Sinhalese Buddhist majority government. The United Nations estimates 80-100,000 people perished in this conflict, and many more are unaccounted for.
Maya’s father, an eminent scholar, spent his life researching Tamil ancient history and archaeology, finding evidence of Tamil civilisation predating the Sinhalese, thus offering a revisionist retelling of history. As he says, ‘Possession of land is nine-tenths of the law. Possession of history is nine-tenths of the future.’
The nursing home and its residents are soon thrown into the spotlight with allegations of racism towards white Australians, and become the targets of vicious racial attacks. The story cleverly teases out the ideologies of racism in our society, both blatant, ugly attacks and the more subtle unconscious assumption of superiority contained in colonialism, sadly so familiar.
A brilliantly written book, with great characterisation and an important message. I wondered for a while whether the story and its characters were going to be subsumed by the message, but the book shifts back to its cast and comes through as a 5 star book for me. An interesting combination of cute and quirky but hard-hitting, gritty and realistic.
Australian author Shankari Chandran is a lawyer and social justice advocate. She was born in London, and raised in Canberra after her parents left Sri Lanka. Her third novel Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens is set in Sydney’s Westgrove and explores themes of racism and colonialism.
Anji runs the nursing home, lovingly renovated by her parents, feisty author Maya and ancient Tamil archaeologist Zakhir. Cinnamon Gardens is home to an assortment of quirky geriatrics of varied origins, with hidden talents and humour, who are lovingly cooked curries and rotis, instructed in yoga and internet skills and simply refuse to die fast enough to make way for the waiting list of would-be patrons. The story features Anji, her lovely husband Nathan, and her best friend Nikki who is negotiating a troubled relationship with her husband Councillor Gareth Bates, after the tragic loss of their child. There is also the indomitable Maya who writes novels under an Anglo-Saxon name as her own won’t sell any books, nursing home resident-come-lawyer Uncle Gana, and renowned jeweller and nursing-home escape artist Uncle Saha. Last but not least there is the enigmatic cleaner and carer Ruben who speaks ten languages fluently and carries the scars on his body of secrets past. Maya has learned a love of literature from her father who taught her, “If you read the literature of a country, child, you will understand it; you will fall in love with it.” She collects the stories of the home’s residents, many of them scarred by memories of war-torn Sri Lanka. There are scenes from the Sri Lankan Civil War (1983-2009) wherein the Tamil Tigers fought for an independent state, Tamil Eelam, due to persecution of the predominantly Hindu Tamils and anti Tamil pogroms by the Sinhalese Buddhist majority government. The United Nations estimates 80-100,000 people perished in this conflict, and many more are unaccounted for.
Maya’s father, an eminent scholar, spent his life researching Tamil ancient history and archaeology, finding evidence of Tamil civilisation predating the Sinhalese, thus offering a revisionist retelling of history. As he says, ‘Possession of land is nine-tenths of the law. Possession of history is nine-tenths of the future.’
The nursing home and its residents are soon thrown into the spotlight with allegations of racism towards white Australians, and become the targets of vicious racial attacks. The story cleverly teases out the ideologies of racism in our society, both blatant, ugly attacks and the more subtle unconscious assumption of superiority contained in colonialism, sadly so familiar.
A brilliantly written book, with great characterisation and an important message. I wondered for a while whether the story and its characters were going to be subsumed by the message, but the book shifts back to its cast and comes through as a 5 star book for me. An interesting combination of cute and quirky but hard-hitting, gritty and realistic.
October 9, 2023
I found this 2023 Miles Franklin Award winner a very uneven, yet powerful experience. It took me a long while to figure out what was going on, who was related to whom and the back and forth timelines were confusing to say the least. But this solid novel not only is about a Tamil Sri Lankan family emigrating to Sydney because their lives in Sri Lanka became untenable, but also horror stories from before and during the Sri Lankan 'troubled times', especially how Tamils were treated by the majority Sinhalese and the severe racism present in this country, in this case the Western Suburbs of Sydney.
It was not an easy read, but once again an important one, with some very interesting, yet conflicted characters, in this sweeping family drama. 4 stars, library ebook.
It was not an easy read, but once again an important one, with some very interesting, yet conflicted characters, in this sweeping family drama. 4 stars, library ebook.
July 25, 2023
EDIT: Winner of the Miles Franklin Award 2023
3.5★, rounded up
With its sweet title and cosy-pretty cover, you'd be forgiven for assuming that this is a certain kind of book. It's not - at least, not entirely. In fact it is a book of two distinct halves. The first half lulled me into thinking I was getting what I came for; a story about migrants and their families, and about refugees of the Sri Lankan civil war, living a better life in the relative comfort and peace of present day Australia. Grit and darkness is provided by recollections and flashbacks to the war and its effects on the Tamil community of Jaffna, but it's done well, neither glossing over the atrocities nor veering into the gratuitous. It contrasts perfectly with the idealised image of the nursing home, where the predominantly Sri Lankan residents enjoy the mouth-watering food of their homeland and daily yoga classes with their India-trained, resident instructor.
Then something happens (the something is an identifiable incident) and it turns into quite a different book, holding up an unforgiving mirror to the entrenched but disavowed racism of Australian society. I don't think it was about me, but I admit it made me feel extremely uncomfortable at times.
I liked the book, don't get me wrong, and it would have been a solid 4 star read for me except that the catalyst to the racism complaint was just so unconvincing to me, that it kind of detracted from the seriousness of the author's message. The character Gareth was already a bit of a dick, and what he did just seemed like the foolish action of a complete tool, and in that way it lost its power for me.
But that aside, Chandran is a good writer and she has gifted us some wonderful characters to care about. The insight she provides to the civil war is important and appreciated. I can only hope that when the time comes, I have the good fortune to find a home in a place like her Cinnamon Gardens (the old part, not the new - wink, wink).
Rachael Tidd's narration is wonderful - she does an admirable job with the Sri Lankan names, too.
3.5★, rounded up
With its sweet title and cosy-pretty cover, you'd be forgiven for assuming that this is a certain kind of book. It's not - at least, not entirely. In fact it is a book of two distinct halves. The first half lulled me into thinking I was getting what I came for; a story about migrants and their families, and about refugees of the Sri Lankan civil war, living a better life in the relative comfort and peace of present day Australia. Grit and darkness is provided by recollections and flashbacks to the war and its effects on the Tamil community of Jaffna, but it's done well, neither glossing over the atrocities nor veering into the gratuitous. It contrasts perfectly with the idealised image of the nursing home, where the predominantly Sri Lankan residents enjoy the mouth-watering food of their homeland and daily yoga classes with their India-trained, resident instructor.
Then something happens (the something is an identifiable incident) and it turns into quite a different book, holding up an unforgiving mirror to the entrenched but disavowed racism of Australian society. I don't think it was about me, but I admit it made me feel extremely uncomfortable at times.
I liked the book, don't get me wrong, and it would have been a solid 4 star read for me except that the catalyst to the racism complaint was just so unconvincing to me, that it kind of detracted from the seriousness of the author's message. The character Gareth was already a bit of a dick, and what he did just seemed like the foolish action of a complete tool, and in that way it lost its power for me.
But that aside, Chandran is a good writer and she has gifted us some wonderful characters to care about. The insight she provides to the civil war is important and appreciated. I can only hope that when the time comes, I have the good fortune to find a home in a place like her Cinnamon Gardens (the old part, not the new - wink, wink).
Rachael Tidd's narration is wonderful - she does an admirable job with the Sri Lankan names, too.
August 15, 2023
I read this book when it came out but apparently didn't put it on Goodreads. I admit to some surprise when it was listed for the Miles Franklin and even more surprise when it won that award, partially as a consequence of my own reading of it and partially because of the passages of the novel that are set in Sri Lanka, given novels that have been excluded in the past as a consequence of external/non Australian settings/content. I will also admit to some bias as I had a couple of novels I personally thought were worthy winners on this years short list - but I am not a judge, probably for good reason. Anyway given my past reading experience I thought I would re-read this novel bearing in mind its status as winner.
Set in Australia and in Sri Lanka during the Civil War, Chandran doesn't shy away from the violence of the events that underpin the novel. The topic of the War and its ongoing aftermath has been the subject of a few novels of late, including last years Booker winner. So why three stars for me? While there were aspects I admired, there were, obviously, others I did not. I struggled with the number of characters introduced in those early pages and had some difficulty connecting with them as a result - although we learn more as the novel progresses. For me some felt like caricatures, overblown. There was also something about the didactic and agenda driven nature of the novel, that while genuine, resulted in me feeling like I was constantly being pounded by it, sometimes at the expense of the plot and the characters. I am glad so many love this novel and that, as reviews on here show, it has informed as the events of the War, but I remain somewhat of an outlier.
Set in Australia and in Sri Lanka during the Civil War, Chandran doesn't shy away from the violence of the events that underpin the novel. The topic of the War and its ongoing aftermath has been the subject of a few novels of late, including last years Booker winner. So why three stars for me? While there were aspects I admired, there were, obviously, others I did not. I struggled with the number of characters introduced in those early pages and had some difficulty connecting with them as a result - although we learn more as the novel progresses. For me some felt like caricatures, overblown. There was also something about the didactic and agenda driven nature of the novel, that while genuine, resulted in me feeling like I was constantly being pounded by it, sometimes at the expense of the plot and the characters. I am glad so many love this novel and that, as reviews on here show, it has informed as the events of the War, but I remain somewhat of an outlier.
March 20, 2022
More of a manifesto than a novel, with characters that are tools to convey the author's message and represent the historical narrative rather than well-rounded people. All the Tamil characters, except one old nursing home resident who is in pain, are saints. The Australian-born characters are semi-saints (if married to a Tamil character), naive, ignorant, or nasty violent racists. The Aged Care Royal Commissioners need only to read this book to know how to deliver high quality, financially viable nursing home services. Tip: each nursing home owner should be a famous Tamil author pretending to be Australian-born who knows Australians better than they know themselves so that the massive book royalties can subsidise the nursing home costs.
Read
April 15, 2024Not rating this one from the start of the audio version I knew this was not for me not to say it’s not a interesting premise just their are book you know from the beginning your not going to enjoy. ☺️
August 15, 2023
Don’t let the name or cover deceive you. This is not a gentle or cosy read. It is powerful, confronting and provocative. It will probe you to assess your biases and opinions on race, religion and what it means to be Australian. This is the novel that Maya (the matriarch of this story) could not write or sell for her predominantly while Australian audience.
There are some beautiful and humorous scenes but the novel does predominantly explore some unflinching grim realities. While, as an Australian, it might be easy to condemn the treatment of Tamils in Sri Lanka it is not easy to dismiss the criticism of the treatment of immigrants (non-European) in Australia as inaccurate or exaggerated. Sadly there is probably a lot of truth and reality behind the events of this book, despite being fictional. In parts this is a deeply distressing novel and shows how quickly events can turn from casual racism to hate.
As a major prize winning novel in Australia I think there is acknowledgment that the the time has come for the diaspora of Australian citizens to look in on itself and reflect on how we can move forward as a more just and inclusive society. Accepting our past wrongs is a big part of this process too.
There are some beautiful and humorous scenes but the novel does predominantly explore some unflinching grim realities. While, as an Australian, it might be easy to condemn the treatment of Tamils in Sri Lanka it is not easy to dismiss the criticism of the treatment of immigrants (non-European) in Australia as inaccurate or exaggerated. Sadly there is probably a lot of truth and reality behind the events of this book, despite being fictional. In parts this is a deeply distressing novel and shows how quickly events can turn from casual racism to hate.
As a major prize winning novel in Australia I think there is acknowledgment that the the time has come for the diaspora of Australian citizens to look in on itself and reflect on how we can move forward as a more just and inclusive society. Accepting our past wrongs is a big part of this process too.
March 19, 2024
Chai Time At Cinnamon Gardens is the third novel by Australian author, Shankari Chandran. It won the 2023 Miles Franklin Award, and the audio version is narrated by Rachael Tidd. Some forty years after Maya Ali, her husband Zakhir and their twins, Anjali and Siddharth arrived in Sydney, Maya is herself resident in Cinnamon Gardens, the nursing home they restored together with their friend, Cedric Furholmen. It’s true that they now care for many Sri Lankan-born residents, but the mix of nationalities and faiths for whom they cater is quite diverse.
The residents enjoy a varied cuisine, partake of many different activities, and have the care and attention of dedicated staff sensitive to their needs and qualified medical professionals like their geriatrician, Nikki Barton. Since Zakhir disappeared, presumed dead back in Sri Lanka, over a decade earlier, Anjali has been the manager of the care facility.
And while they are not unfamiliar with some racism, of late the racially-motivated violence, attacks on both property and persons, seems to have escalated in the Westgrove area against those identifiably South Asian. One of the nursing home’s multi-skilled staff, Ruben has been the ongoing target of a trio of violent teens, and racist graffiti keeps appearing on the facility’s walls.
Meanwhile, Nikki’s husband, acting Councillor Gareth Barton for Westgrove City Council and loyal Democratic Alliance Party member, is discovering that his selection for the party in the upcoming elections is not a foregone conclusion: expensive data analysts have concluded that the area’s changing demographic means the electors like Gareth but won’t vote for him. What can he do to make himself more appealing to this changing community?
He and Nikki and their son Oscar are dealing with a heartbreaking loss, but it has split them apart rather than bringing them closer. Guilt and anger battle with grief, and when his life begins to fall apart on multiple levels, he fixates on an issue that sees him making what seems like a vexatious complaint which, in today’s social media obsessed world, quickly has far-reaching and tragic consequences.
Flashbacks to earlier times fill in the back stories: Maya describes Zakhir courtship of her in Jaffna, what led them to emigrate, and early days at Westgrove; Ruben details events in Sri Lanka during the colonisation and cultural seizure of the Tamil homeland by the Sri Lankan army; master gemologist Uncle Saha recalls the pogrom that cost the lives of many Tamils; and Anjali recalls her father’s passionate objection to colonialism.
There’s a parallel between Maya writing popular Australian-themed crime fiction under a pen name to fund the nursing home, and Chandran employing the Sydney Nursing Home setting to raise awareness of Tamil history and pique the interest of those who might not normally choose to read about it.
The story also explores refuge, opportunity, privilege and entitlement in relation to white populations and refugees. There are plenty of wise words and Chandran gives Nathan an insightful analogy about dealing with grief: “He’s reorienting his world - not to fill the void but to carry the void with him. Like trying to work out the best way to carry an awkward and heavy bag, he’s setting it against his body and then adjusting it so it’s easier to carry.” An informative, moving and thought-provoking read.
The residents enjoy a varied cuisine, partake of many different activities, and have the care and attention of dedicated staff sensitive to their needs and qualified medical professionals like their geriatrician, Nikki Barton. Since Zakhir disappeared, presumed dead back in Sri Lanka, over a decade earlier, Anjali has been the manager of the care facility.
And while they are not unfamiliar with some racism, of late the racially-motivated violence, attacks on both property and persons, seems to have escalated in the Westgrove area against those identifiably South Asian. One of the nursing home’s multi-skilled staff, Ruben has been the ongoing target of a trio of violent teens, and racist graffiti keeps appearing on the facility’s walls.
Meanwhile, Nikki’s husband, acting Councillor Gareth Barton for Westgrove City Council and loyal Democratic Alliance Party member, is discovering that his selection for the party in the upcoming elections is not a foregone conclusion: expensive data analysts have concluded that the area’s changing demographic means the electors like Gareth but won’t vote for him. What can he do to make himself more appealing to this changing community?
He and Nikki and their son Oscar are dealing with a heartbreaking loss, but it has split them apart rather than bringing them closer. Guilt and anger battle with grief, and when his life begins to fall apart on multiple levels, he fixates on an issue that sees him making what seems like a vexatious complaint which, in today’s social media obsessed world, quickly has far-reaching and tragic consequences.
Flashbacks to earlier times fill in the back stories: Maya describes Zakhir courtship of her in Jaffna, what led them to emigrate, and early days at Westgrove; Ruben details events in Sri Lanka during the colonisation and cultural seizure of the Tamil homeland by the Sri Lankan army; master gemologist Uncle Saha recalls the pogrom that cost the lives of many Tamils; and Anjali recalls her father’s passionate objection to colonialism.
There’s a parallel between Maya writing popular Australian-themed crime fiction under a pen name to fund the nursing home, and Chandran employing the Sydney Nursing Home setting to raise awareness of Tamil history and pique the interest of those who might not normally choose to read about it.
The story also explores refuge, opportunity, privilege and entitlement in relation to white populations and refugees. There are plenty of wise words and Chandran gives Nathan an insightful analogy about dealing with grief: “He’s reorienting his world - not to fill the void but to carry the void with him. Like trying to work out the best way to carry an awkward and heavy bag, he’s setting it against his body and then adjusting it so it’s easier to carry.” An informative, moving and thought-provoking read.
October 25, 2023
I had seen this cutesy cover all over my feed with rave reviews and at the top selling sections in bookshops but was never interested in it.
But then decided to pick it up after it won the 2023 Miles Franklin award.
Unfortunately, I did not enjoy it as much as I thought I would.
Shankari Chandran is eloquent and there are some beautifully written and insightful phrases.
I do appreciate all the important topics such as racism and injustice, dispossession and community, relationships, politics and social media. I also was touched by her spot on portrayal of being a migrant and the different challenges and double standards we are subjected to.
However, it read as if the plot and characters were merely an artifice for her to discuss themes, and so the book feels too exaggerated and unnatural at times, and although all the points are valid, it lacks subtlety and originality.
But then decided to pick it up after it won the 2023 Miles Franklin award.
Unfortunately, I did not enjoy it as much as I thought I would.
Shankari Chandran is eloquent and there are some beautifully written and insightful phrases.
I do appreciate all the important topics such as racism and injustice, dispossession and community, relationships, politics and social media. I also was touched by her spot on portrayal of being a migrant and the different challenges and double standards we are subjected to.
However, it read as if the plot and characters were merely an artifice for her to discuss themes, and so the book feels too exaggerated and unnatural at times, and although all the points are valid, it lacks subtlety and originality.
September 25, 2023
There was some beautiful writing in this and I was glad to learn more about colonisation and civil war in Sri Lanka.
There were memorable moments, like a character coming eye to eye with the lifeless body of a Captain James Cook statue stuffed under the verandah of the funeral home.
As the book wore on the characters behaved more like panellists on Q&A than real people with nuanced lives. Sections of the writing felt like lifts from Andrew Bolt and Waleed Ali editorials, used as devices to make the author’s points about racism and colonisation. All points I completely agree with but felt I was being force fed.
There were memorable moments, like a character coming eye to eye with the lifeless body of a Captain James Cook statue stuffed under the verandah of the funeral home.
As the book wore on the characters behaved more like panellists on Q&A than real people with nuanced lives. Sections of the writing felt like lifts from Andrew Bolt and Waleed Ali editorials, used as devices to make the author’s points about racism and colonisation. All points I completely agree with but felt I was being force fed.
March 14, 2024
Book club review. Delayed by 3 months hence only a foggy recollection of what happened so instead I will use some quotes from the discussion:
“it had the air of a work conference”
“good, important message, bad writing”
“unreadable”
“boring”
“one dimensional”
“it was Yellowface in reverse”
“other books by this author were better”
Ratings: my 2, their 2, 2, 2, 1.5.
“it had the air of a work conference”
“good, important message, bad writing”
“unreadable”
“boring”
“one dimensional”
“it was Yellowface in reverse”
“other books by this author were better”
Ratings: my 2, their 2, 2, 2, 1.5.
April 25, 2022
4.5/5
The title and cover of this book are a little misleading. They look and sound somewhat light and fluffy but really this book deals with very serious issues. A really good read.
The title and cover of this book are a little misleading. They look and sound somewhat light and fluffy but really this book deals with very serious issues. A really good read.
August 3, 2023
EDIT- 2023 Miles Franklin Winner
2023 Miles Franklin Literary Award Shortlist
"The stories we tell are the temples we build. They must not be erased"
What a surprise this brilliant novel is! It starts off like general fiction or genre fiction and then as the reader gets deeper into the novel and discovers what is in the hearts and minds of the characters, as a result of what they've been through, the literary merit of the work is also revealed.
It's a clearly written story drawing subtle and not so subtle parallels with what happened with the civil war in Sri Lanka and what happens in some sections of Australian society.
It's not a linear story, but the way the characters' memories enter the story appeared seamless to me.
I don't want to include spoilers in this review so I won't say too much more, I think it's better if someone discovers what's in this novel for themselves, but I'll be thinking about this one for quite a while.
It's an excellent nominee for the 2023 Miles Franklin shortlist, it's vying for top spot with Limberlost out of the ones I've read. If it won the MF I wouldn't be disappointed.
"Possession of land is nine-tenths of the law; possession of history is nine-tenths of the future"
2023 Miles Franklin Literary Award Shortlist
"The stories we tell are the temples we build. They must not be erased"
What a surprise this brilliant novel is! It starts off like general fiction or genre fiction and then as the reader gets deeper into the novel and discovers what is in the hearts and minds of the characters, as a result of what they've been through, the literary merit of the work is also revealed.
It's a clearly written story drawing subtle and not so subtle parallels with what happened with the civil war in Sri Lanka and what happens in some sections of Australian society.
It's not a linear story, but the way the characters' memories enter the story appeared seamless to me.
I don't want to include spoilers in this review so I won't say too much more, I think it's better if someone discovers what's in this novel for themselves, but I'll be thinking about this one for quite a while.
It's an excellent nominee for the 2023 Miles Franklin shortlist, it's vying for top spot with Limberlost out of the ones I've read. If it won the MF I wouldn't be disappointed.
"Possession of land is nine-tenths of the law; possession of history is nine-tenths of the future"
September 2, 2021
A special, multifaceted book about many things, not least diversity and how media can warp our society views.
But, it’s much more than just multicultural societies and the politics of media and indeed the prevailing politics of Australia and Sri Lanka.
It’s a wonderfully nuanced history lesson, populated by some incredibly drawn and fascinating characters.
It’s beautifully written, and at times laced with some subtle wit.
So, for those of you who love Joanna Nell or Michelle de Kreisler there is so much to enjoy here!
Ultimo Press have a gem of a book on their hands here and to Ultimo, thanks for the advance reading copy.
But, it’s much more than just multicultural societies and the politics of media and indeed the prevailing politics of Australia and Sri Lanka.
It’s a wonderfully nuanced history lesson, populated by some incredibly drawn and fascinating characters.
It’s beautifully written, and at times laced with some subtle wit.
So, for those of you who love Joanna Nell or Michelle de Kreisler there is so much to enjoy here!
Ultimo Press have a gem of a book on their hands here and to Ultimo, thanks for the advance reading copy.
Shelved as 'abandoned'
May 28, 2023I borrowed this because it's longlisted for the Miles Franklin.
I abandoned it because I grew tired of its heavy-handed didacticism.
I don't rate books I don't finish.
I abandoned it because I grew tired of its heavy-handed didacticism.
I don't rate books I don't finish.
August 17, 2022
The title and book cover prompted me to imagine the story being a wholesome nursing home tale where tea and gossip was a daily occurrence. It definitely was not.
It was a very interesting story shedding light on Sri Lankan history. However, I was confused about what the actual plot was. I felt there were too many character perspectives, time jumps and unhappy characters. I found some parts engaging, but mostly I wasn’t as interested in the characters and their lives as the author intended the audience to be.
It was a very interesting story shedding light on Sri Lankan history. However, I was confused about what the actual plot was. I felt there were too many character perspectives, time jumps and unhappy characters. I found some parts engaging, but mostly I wasn’t as interested in the characters and their lives as the author intended the audience to be.
September 29, 2023
A very important and interesting subject but I thought as a book it suffered from way too much exposition. It was too much telling and not enough showing. Also at times unrealistic scenarios seemed contrived purely to deliver extremely didactic points by way of character monologues. I wholeheartedly agree with the messages of the book but I just wasn’t a fan of the execution. This reads like written submissions and I can tell that the author is a lawyer.
I’m still considering recommending this book to my mum as a first generation Indian immigrant to NZ, I’m sure she’d feel seen in the description of passive racism endured by some of these characters in the middle portions of the story.
I’m still considering recommending this book to my mum as a first generation Indian immigrant to NZ, I’m sure she’d feel seen in the description of passive racism endured by some of these characters in the middle portions of the story.
November 17, 2023
Chandran is able to coax complicated and vibrant characters out of very few words. Though she used a breadth of characters/places, I didn’t find myself getting lost.
The third act felt a little dreamscape-y, but I loved every second of this book and the deft way the historical subject matter is handled. Essential reading !
The third act felt a little dreamscape-y, but I loved every second of this book and the deft way the historical subject matter is handled. Essential reading !
October 2, 2023
“Not English enough? It’s set in a post-independence nation. It’s about colonialism and its consequences. It’s about genocide, about dispossession and migration. It’s practically “Advance Australia Fair”.”
Feel like this quote from the book sums it up.
Loved this book for the compelling emotional narratives that span generations and backdrops, and the interspersed narrative of Sri Lankan history which I knew nothing about prior. There were a few too many characters with no significance for my liking but the main cast of characters and their backstories fascinated me.
The parallels drawn between Sri Lanka and Australia, of contested histories and colonisation and systemic racism, were thought provoking. It’s interesting how the whiteness in literature is so pervasive that stories become othered and viewed as ‘about race’ or ‘migrant literature’, as if all stories and histories aren’t shaped by race, migration, power, oppression, love, cruelty, and as if all perspectives aren’t inherently culturally laden - not just those that aren’t white.
Feel like this quote from the book sums it up.
Loved this book for the compelling emotional narratives that span generations and backdrops, and the interspersed narrative of Sri Lankan history which I knew nothing about prior. There were a few too many characters with no significance for my liking but the main cast of characters and their backstories fascinated me.
The parallels drawn between Sri Lanka and Australia, of contested histories and colonisation and systemic racism, were thought provoking. It’s interesting how the whiteness in literature is so pervasive that stories become othered and viewed as ‘about race’ or ‘migrant literature’, as if all stories and histories aren’t shaped by race, migration, power, oppression, love, cruelty, and as if all perspectives aren’t inherently culturally laden - not just those that aren’t white.
November 15, 2023
4.5 ⭐️ I felt that this was a very realistic commentary on racism in Australia, both in how it explored the response from individuals and wider society. I loved the parallels draw between the colonization of Sri Lanka and Australia, and the impact on indigenous groups.
The way the mysteries unfolded kept me guessing, but was also believable. All of the characters were well rounded and nuanced. While there were a lot of characters, I enjoyed how time was taken to flesh them all out, even if it wasn’t essential to the plot.
The only thing that kept me from giving it a full 5 stars is that I felt a bit deflated by the ending.
The way the mysteries unfolded kept me guessing, but was also believable. All of the characters were well rounded and nuanced. While there were a lot of characters, I enjoyed how time was taken to flesh them all out, even if it wasn’t essential to the plot.
The only thing that kept me from giving it a full 5 stars is that I felt a bit deflated by the ending.
February 5, 2024
Winner of the 2023 Miles Franklin Literary Award
4.5, rounded up
4.5, rounded up
September 24, 2023
Discussing topics like grief, racism, and war, Chai Time is a lot darker than its cover suggests. In the book, we follow multiple POVs that all have a connection to the nursing home Cinnamon Gardens. We slowly learn more about the characters' backgrounds, and since most have experienced the violence in Sri Lanka, the story gets quite heavy.
I really liked learning about the characters, but I would've liked there to be less of them. Because of the large cast, I felt like no one really got their time to shine, and the book was perhaps not as focused as it could've been.
Which is also my main critique for the book. It tries to do so much, and although I really admire the author's guts to tackle so many heavy topics, I feel like the book and its characters suffered because of it.
I also didn't vibe with the halfway point plot twist; where one of the characters does something quite random. The plot kinda lost me there, and it didn't necessarily get better.
It's a shame, because I loved learning about the conflict in Sri Lanka, the Tamil, and racism in Australia. It's a perspective and experience I've frankly never read anything about. It was heartbreaking, but I feel like it could've been even more heartbreaking if there had been less characters.
I really liked learning about the characters, but I would've liked there to be less of them. Because of the large cast, I felt like no one really got their time to shine, and the book was perhaps not as focused as it could've been.
Which is also my main critique for the book. It tries to do so much, and although I really admire the author's guts to tackle so many heavy topics, I feel like the book and its characters suffered because of it.
I also didn't vibe with the halfway point plot twist; where one of the characters does something quite random. The plot kinda lost me there, and it didn't necessarily get better.
It's a shame, because I loved learning about the conflict in Sri Lanka, the Tamil, and racism in Australia. It's a perspective and experience I've frankly never read anything about. It was heartbreaking, but I feel like it could've been even more heartbreaking if there had been less characters.
October 20, 2023
Solid 4-star book, I really enjoyed it! Don't let the cute cosy cover deceive you, the book truly packs a punch, tackling topics like racism in Australia, the hypocritical and horrible nature of (white) politicians here when trying to deal with said racism and violence ("Australia is not a racist country"...), Islamophobia (which the author captured SO WELL), colonisation and the long-lasting effects of colonisation, the Sri Lankan civil war, white privilege, abusive marriages...the list goes on. But never does the book come across as preachy/didactic, all the characters are so wonderfully fleshed out and each has their own distinct personality. The writing/descriptions are so great as well. Definitely deserving of the Miles Franklin. Thanks to my bestie for getting me a copy for my bday, ily <3
June 19, 2023
I don't know what I expected from this book, but what I got wasn't it!
This book was really hard to get into as it introduced so many characters early on and it was hard to keep track.
Dual POV helped with this but it was still a lot to remember.
The story was far more intense then I expected. It was a great story about race/racism but it also felt a little bit long.
It had an almost non-fiction feel to it.
This book was really hard to get into as it introduced so many characters early on and it was hard to keep track.
Dual POV helped with this but it was still a lot to remember.
The story was far more intense then I expected. It was a great story about race/racism but it also felt a little bit long.
It had an almost non-fiction feel to it.
June 18, 2024
This is no whimsical tale of old folks sipping hot beverages, the cover and title I think being just another little misconception the author wants us to contemplate. Bah, I wrote out my review on here earlier and then lost it all… anyway, this is a complex story with lots of characters, I probably should have read the book rather than listen to the audio (even though the narration was good). It’s about trauma of many kinds: war, persecution, loss of opportunities and loved ones and racism both blatant and subtle.
There’s a disturbing character Gareth, who I’ve been thinking about a lot. On one hand he’s your classic white privileged male, a local councillor who’s lost touch with the changing demographic in his electorate. His wife doesn’t love him, doesn’t even like him really and they’re both grieving the loss of their young daughter. He does something disturbing and despicable, he rapes his wife. Then he goes off on a bizarre witch hunt relating to the years-old removal of a Captain Cook statue which ends with devastating consequences. He’s such a pathetic, pitiful character I almost felt sorry for him but then he becomes a poster boy for far-right racist low-lifes, I guess just to ram home the point about being a passive or unwitting conduit to evil. This is only a small part of the story, there’s a lot that goes on and it’s all designed to make us feel uncomfortable about colonialism and systemic racism. It was well done, not always enjoyable but thought provoking and wise.
There’s a disturbing character Gareth, who I’ve been thinking about a lot. On one hand he’s your classic white privileged male, a local councillor who’s lost touch with the changing demographic in his electorate. His wife doesn’t love him, doesn’t even like him really and they’re both grieving the loss of their young daughter. He does something disturbing and despicable, he rapes his wife. Then he goes off on a bizarre witch hunt relating to the years-old removal of a Captain Cook statue which ends with devastating consequences. He’s such a pathetic, pitiful character I almost felt sorry for him but then he becomes a poster boy for far-right racist low-lifes, I guess just to ram home the point about being a passive or unwitting conduit to evil. This is only a small part of the story, there’s a lot that goes on and it’s all designed to make us feel uncomfortable about colonialism and systemic racism. It was well done, not always enjoyable but thought provoking and wise.
February 16, 2024
This novel so brilliantly written introduced me to Australian nationalism and the Sri Lankan civil war. It’s an exhibition about how our history directly inspires our present and how our present will be a detriment to our future because we refuse to acknowledge and resolve the past.
From the characters to the setting to the historical context to the delicately placed humor to the ending, I can’t sing enough praises for Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens by Shankari Chandran, a Tamil author and social justice lawyer. The synopsis didn’t prepare me for what actually transpired in the book (in the best way possible), and I want the same for you, if you choose to pick it up for yourself.
From the characters to the setting to the historical context to the delicately placed humor to the ending, I can’t sing enough praises for Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens by Shankari Chandran, a Tamil author and social justice lawyer. The synopsis didn’t prepare me for what actually transpired in the book (in the best way possible), and I want the same for you, if you choose to pick it up for yourself.
April 4, 2022
A 3 and a half stars book, but for the warm glow it gave me at times & the hope that all aged care homes could be run like this one, I'll give it a 4 here.
Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens is set in an aged care home in Western Sydney. It’s run by a Sri Lankan refugee, Maya and her husband, Zakhir. The present day story line sees Maya now living in one of her own rooms, and the nursing home being run by her daughter, Anji. Chandran uses flashback chapters to fill in the backstory of how they came to be in Sydney, and how they recreated a safe haven for the (mostly) Sri Lankan elderly who have come to live with them.
Cinnamon Gardens was specially designed by Maya to cater for the needs of all its residents. Sri Lankan food is on the menu every day (as well as other culturally appropriate meals for the nationalities of the other residents and staff). Activites and religious services also reflect the cultural diversity of the residents. The decor, plantings and staff are all carefully curated to help the residents feel at home and comfortable, surrounded by familiar sights, aromas and sounds. It sounds wonderful. A caring, thoughtful haven for those in their twilight years. A place where their stories are listened to and respected. A place where their life stories matter.
But of course, it’s not all roses and Arabian jasmine.
Many of the residents are traumatised by their earlier experiences that caused them to leave their home countries, and many of the staff suffer at the hands of local gangs not happy with the growing racial diversity in their neighbourhood. Throughout the story, we are also aware that something awful has happened to Zakhir.
A lot of stories are interwoven into Chandran’s heartwarming, honest, and sometimes disturbing story. Anji and her husband, Nathan, their friends, Nikki and Gareth (who have their own personal tragedy to deal with), Ruben, one of the assistants and various residents all get some time to tell their stories.
At the halfway point, though, the story takes a big turn. Not necessarily a surprising turn, but a confronting one. By giving us the first half of the book to get to know all the charcters and their back stories, Chandran allows us to be sympathetic or at least empathetic, when things start to go bad. Very bad.
Full response here - https://bronasbooks.com/2022/02/23/ch...
Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens is set in an aged care home in Western Sydney. It’s run by a Sri Lankan refugee, Maya and her husband, Zakhir. The present day story line sees Maya now living in one of her own rooms, and the nursing home being run by her daughter, Anji. Chandran uses flashback chapters to fill in the backstory of how they came to be in Sydney, and how they recreated a safe haven for the (mostly) Sri Lankan elderly who have come to live with them.
Cinnamon Gardens was specially designed by Maya to cater for the needs of all its residents. Sri Lankan food is on the menu every day (as well as other culturally appropriate meals for the nationalities of the other residents and staff). Activites and religious services also reflect the cultural diversity of the residents. The decor, plantings and staff are all carefully curated to help the residents feel at home and comfortable, surrounded by familiar sights, aromas and sounds. It sounds wonderful. A caring, thoughtful haven for those in their twilight years. A place where their stories are listened to and respected. A place where their life stories matter.
But of course, it’s not all roses and Arabian jasmine.
Many of the residents are traumatised by their earlier experiences that caused them to leave their home countries, and many of the staff suffer at the hands of local gangs not happy with the growing racial diversity in their neighbourhood. Throughout the story, we are also aware that something awful has happened to Zakhir.
A lot of stories are interwoven into Chandran’s heartwarming, honest, and sometimes disturbing story. Anji and her husband, Nathan, their friends, Nikki and Gareth (who have their own personal tragedy to deal with), Ruben, one of the assistants and various residents all get some time to tell their stories.
At the halfway point, though, the story takes a big turn. Not necessarily a surprising turn, but a confronting one. By giving us the first half of the book to get to know all the charcters and their back stories, Chandran allows us to be sympathetic or at least empathetic, when things start to go bad. Very bad.
Full response here - https://bronasbooks.com/2022/02/23/ch...
September 27, 2023
Persisted with this as it was a book club book. I found it overtly political and not the way to get people onside. The idea of racism was rubbed in the readers face, while the author was being racist herself. The assumption that all "white" people are stupid and racist is not okay. Other examples were stating that commonwealth countries are not okay because they don't share wealth, stating that the characters shouldn't listen to police because they represent colonization, taking down a Captain Cook Statue as they didn't agree with what it represents, referring to white people as neo-nazi's and referring to "white" culture as boring and "simple"- in relation to the food. There is a large contrast with the characterization between white and non-white characters. Ms Chandran kept beating readers over the head with cases of extreme racism, referring to them as they are everyday occurrences and acceptable in this "racist" country.
There are so many tangents in the story, it feels like being a mother trying to have a conversation with children interrupting. Everyone is equal and everyone has a right to their heritage, culture and history, warts and all. We need to take history with it's good and bad and move forward, rather than using it as a way to divide. No form of racism is okay and everyone's history is just as valid. I would have given more stars, because the writing is at times beautiful and the cover is beautiful, but ethically I can't.
There are so many tangents in the story, it feels like being a mother trying to have a conversation with children interrupting. Everyone is equal and everyone has a right to their heritage, culture and history, warts and all. We need to take history with it's good and bad and move forward, rather than using it as a way to divide. No form of racism is okay and everyone's history is just as valid. I would have given more stars, because the writing is at times beautiful and the cover is beautiful, but ethically I can't.
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