just another bomb blast
1999 / Short Story Collection
just another bomb blast is an award-winning collection of short stories by Sandaruwan Madduma Bandara. It captures the deep sense of sadness that is the emotional background of a generation that grew up with war and political violence as its natural environment. The stories are set in the 1990s, where the outrageous had become the everyday, and the island nation lived in a constant state of anxiety.
Through a series of narratives, the author builds a disturbing picture of radicalisation, systemic corruption, the fragility of life, violence, and the loss of cultural identity.
From the titular story, through tales of adolescence and love, to the dark realities of political and social life, these are not so much stories of individual characters as of a generation. It’s a literary time capsule that stands as a silent witness between the worlds. You will be caught off guard by the subtle commentary between the lines, the clash between modern lifestyle and antiquated cultural biases. We accept atrocities, suffering and injustice as normal - this is a recurring theme. If you are curious about seeing a turbulent era through the eyes of young people who lived through it all, this is a must-read.
This is an extraordinary collection of short stories for readers interested in award-winning literary fiction, Sri Lankan literary fiction, Asian and world literature, and young adults and teens. The stories cover historical stories from the 1990s, in Sri Lanka and the United States, that often touch on political topics, social issues and cultural heritage.
This is an unflinching exploration of themes that include a society tangled in the inherited prejudices of past generations, young idealism in the face of racism and caste bigotry, the psychopathy of university hazing, ethnic war and communist revolution, young love, longing and heartbreak, and suicidal ideation. Is it misogyny or borderline personality disorder? Or is it both?
This book will change you. It is an insightful, incisive, and deeply troubling read that will leave you questioning your worldview.
Reviews
“This book really took me back to my childhood and teen years. Even I have forgotten how crazy our childhood was, growing up in Sri Lanka, with a civil war in the north and a socialist revolution in the southern parts of the country. We went to school through all this, and the writer beautifully captures the mood, emotions, the thinking, the attitudes and the hopes and dreams of a generation. There is also the conflict of cultures when Sri Lankan students go to university in the United States. There are so many rich themes here, including war, insurgency, young love, racism, caste bigotry, generational conflicts, and the much more psychological elements of the later stories, which I assume were written when the author was more mature and had also matured as a writer.I have heard people get really angry about some of the stories, calling the author a racist or a misogynist or having an arrogant attitude towards his fellow humans. When I hear this, I know this is an exceptional writer, because he has made readers forget that the narrator is also a character, and every character flaw very deliberately placed by a master storyteller.This collection of stories will make you feel many things. You may love the characters or hate them; you may love the author or hate him (and associate him with his characters too much); you may love the stories or hate them; whatever your emotional response, it will be a strong one. These are stories that will stay with you, perhaps even haunt you. Certainly worth a read, and a place on your bookshelf.”
— Ruwan J
“These stories by Sandaruwan Madduma Bandara are a window into time in Sri Lanka that is hard for most of us from peaceful western countries to imagine. The stories convey a human fabric which is novel, exotic and shockingly violent. We think of Sri Lanka as a peaceful and laid back society populated by genuinely friendly people. But this Pearl of the Indian Ocean has been the stage for some of the most brutal acts of violence and hate of the 20th Century. Here the Tamil Tigers invented the Suicide Bomber - (and, coincidentally, and helped elect the Minister of Justice in Justin Trudeau's government). The author tells us of decades of random bombings that killed hundreds of innocent people in Colombo and gives us a close and personal view into the modern psyche of Sri Lanka. The author helps us to comprehend how a communist insurgency - which killed, and was killed by the thousands - is now the current government of Sri Lanka - elected on a stop corruption platform and is respected for trying its best to shape the country in a good way. it is an indispensable set of stories for any one seeking to understand the dark side of one of the best paradises on the planet. Race, class and caste conflicts do linger here . . . but mostly in a friendly way. The author helps us to understand the incomprehensible.”
— Fraser Parsons
Visuals
Artworks by Nabeeha
