Anil's Ghost

The author sets this fictional work against the backdrop of the decades-long civil war in Sri Lanka. The conflict was a consequence of colonial policy and developed over ethnic and linguistic divisions between the Sinhalese and Tamil groups. British colonizers, whose rule lasted from the early 19th century into the middle of the 20th (circa 1815-1948), elevated the minority Tamils to positions of power within the colonial government. Once Sri Lanka gained independence, the Sinhalese majority regained control of much of the government, often taking punitive measures over the Tamils, such as enshrining Sinhalese as the official language of the island nation. The Tamil insurgents wanted to separate from the Sinhalese government and form their own country, with their own language and ethno-religious traditions. This led to a continuous state of war, beginning in the 1980s and officially ending in the late 2000s. The effects of this long-lasting war are evident in Anil’s Ghost. Anil’s long separation from Sri Lanka illustrates the length of the war: She leaves in part to escape the war, and 15 years later, when she returns, it continues. It hovers over the lives of the characters like the ghost of the title: Sarath’s wife dies a death of despair; Ananda’s wife died during the village raid; Gamini buried himself in the endless work of war at the hospital.