The March Minerva ‘treat’ was Chai time at Cinnamon Gardens, a contemporary Australian novel by the Sri Lankan/Australian author Shankari Chandran. It is the third book by this author and it was published in January 2022.
This novel was unusual in some ways for our group read. It includes a map of the setting of most of the novel, that is, the actual Cinnamon Gardens, the nursing home for elderly people living in the fictional Westgrove, a western Sydney suburb. This drawing of the two houses and gardens is a delightful frontispiece to the hard copy of the book.
The other unusual feature of the novel is that it gave us a lot of information about Tamils living in Australia especially during and after the long Civil War in Sri Lanka. Many of us were not fully aware of the ancient civilisation of the Tamils in Sri Lanka.
The novel explores the lives of several families, both Sri Lankan Tamil and Australian living in Westgrove. It deals mainly with the issues the migrants have to contend with living in a very different country from their homeland. It has many other themes too such as social justice, treatment of the aged and the longing for one’s own country experienced especially by first generation migrants.
First Impressions
- I loved the book. My first impression was the ever present racial tensions experienced by most of the Sri Lankans. Also the complications for the older generation with their migration history.
- I thought it was a terrific third book by this author. It appeared to me very authentic and written from the heart. It made me chuckle in many parts especially with the leading characters dealing with the aged residents (patients?)
- I found the information about the Tamil culture fascinating. I also felt sorry for the Australian character Gareth. He does not understand what is going on. It is hard for him.
- I found it a worthwhile read but I can’t say I enjoyed it. It is a bit overwrought and I felt bashed around by too many themes. The other thing is I have grandchildren called Florence and Oscar; the same names as children of two of the main characters, Gareth and Nikki.
- I loved the humour and I think it was a worthy winner of the Miles Franklin award for 2023. I was glad that Chandran didn’t hold back in her criticism of Australia and Australians and their mores. It reminded me of Michelle de Kretser’s novels talking about Sri Lanka. De Kretser also speaks to the Sri Lankan diaspora and the terrible civil war and the many disturbing things which happened.
- The humour shone for me too. I loved the depictions of the characters living in Cinnamon Gardens. It was a bit too strong in some parts and I didn’t feel it ended conclusively.
- I felt it was an uneven novel and not very subtle. It was, however, a great subject and I am very pleased to have read it. It was possibly a little too ambitious so there are flaws.
- The character of Gareth was a defining one and she tried to make him sympathetic while still being racist which is very difficult to achieve. I was not sure about it. The role of social media was also fascinating and makes it very contemporary. I loved the female characters as they were amazing.
- I found there were too many issues being discussed but all very good themes. The story is ultimately sad.
- (LATER, FROM AN ABSENT MEMBER: A little uneven but I grew to love reading about the characters and learning more about Sri Lanka. I liked her exploration of the role of story/history – positive and negative in our lives and culture – particularly the issue of distorted or selective history. I also thought it teased out some issues re racism very well.
Discussion
It was a wide-ranging discussion and these are just a few of the many topics we covered.
We discussed the author first. Shankari Chandran grew up in Canberra and many years ago one of our members knew her Dad, an eminent surgeon. She is a lawyer and has extensive knowledge of local politics. The racism experienced in the novel comes from first-hand experience felt by the author and/or by her family.
In the novel Chandran talks often about how migrants have to be ‘grateful’ to Australia for taking them in. But how long does that have to last ? And how often do they have to acknowledge it. It is all a bit one-sided many of us felt. (We should be thankful to them for coming and contributing and paying taxes, as Maya says at one point.)
Humour was a frequent topic raised by the members although it was a more gentle chuckle for some of us, rather than laugh out loud.
The scene where Gareth appears before the Human Rights Commission could appeal to some as humorous but it was also a bit farcical and unbelievable. Some members felt it was purely a plot device as Gareth’s life was out of control. Members also mentioned Nikki’s affair which was hurting Gareth but that occurred after their marriage had finished as far as Nikki was concerned.
An unbelievable plot according to some was little Florence’s death by taking Valium given to her by Gareth’s demented father at the Nursing Home. Was it a plot to extend the story?(Our medical expert thought it was possibly not medically correct.)
Another plot device was possibly that Maya could write and have published many novels and remain disguised despite being the elderly Sri Lankan owner of ‘Cinnamon Gardens’ rather than the supposed Australian, Sarah Byrnes.
Maya says “the mystique of the author behind her only adds to Clementine’s appeal. Let’s keep it that way.” (pp 88-89)
Earlier in the same chapter Maya says
“I want to write. I want to raise my children and I want to help my husband build a nursing home.” (page 88)
These are not Mills and Boone novelettes but serious writing. However, we are given clues to this at the beginning of the novel where Maya is researching places in outback Australia. One member thought Maya was indulging in reverse racism – saying you guys are fooled by my writing – more fool you!
Chandran also talks a lot about Maya’s husband and her father, both experts in ancient Tamil architecture and how their lives were affected by the terrible conflict in Sri Lanka. They also suffered from severe racial abuse in Australia. (SPOILER ALERT) The climax of the novel with the fire and Ruben’s death are also a result of Ruben trying to rescue a book written by Maya’s husband and her father.
We discussed how it was different for Anji and her brother Siddharth as they hadn’t lived through the hardship experienced by their parents both in Sri Lanka and in Australia. So we were wondering if the author herself felt a bit of survivor guilt? Was Chandran trying to address something in her own life?
This reminded us of Anh Do and the second generation trauma experienced by kids whose parents have suffered greatly in their home countries before escaping. Members said that was similar to people of our generation whose relative was a POW or a holocaust survivor in WW2.
One character we felt was drawn well was the Local Councillor ‘Davidson’ and his daughter who was equally believable. Our south coast member didn’t like these characters as she has first-hand knowledge of local council.
Chandran ‘bags’ Australia, according to one review but it is the place to live! The migrants like Maya and her family have a strong work ethic and make a success of their businesses. And often Australians are jealous of the migrant’s success.
Many of us felt the title – Chai Time in Cinnamon gardens was a trojan horse. There is little serenity and peaceful times in this nursing home so maybe that is the point? It is not cosy crime or a story like Best exotic Marigold Hotel (2011 British film). Is it misleading? Maybe to attract certain types of readers and not scare us? It is certainly not soft and lovely.
Contemporary figures in the media are also mentioned which appealed to some members, people such as Waleed Aly are mentioned.
There are many other features of this story which we liked, such as the descriptions of the old women and their antagonisms over the deities and their rightful position in the prayer room. This is wonderful Asian humour.
There is also humour in the discussion of aged people. ‘People are blessed and burdened by longevity’. This quote lead us to thinking about advanced care directives for ourselves !!!
There was also discussion about the impact of one’s parent’s deaths. At a young age it is very traumatic but when you are much older you can accept it as part of life.
(SPOILER ALERT) We were all sad that Ruben didn’t make it out of the burning building as he was a great character and Maya and Nikki loved him. He was also so talented with his 10 languages which astonished Gareth when they met at the Human Rights Commission’s office.
Racism is experienced as a traveller in other countries and one does one’s best. The problem is that we all need to do better. Many of us blame the internet as does Chandran.
There was some discussion about the Cook sculpture and the destruction of it by Zakhir. One member liked the way Chandran puts down ‘Cook’ but others did not. (See pages 234-235). We should be proud of our legacy and it is ok to have these figures in sculpture around our towns. Captain Cook is not to blame as he was a great navigator and was doing his duty. This was the issue that so upset Gareth. (Or was it just a way to make himself feel important?)
The issue we all liked was her admiration for libraries and the Jaffna Public Library in particular. This library was burnt down in 1981 and many rare Tamil documents were lost. The author’s admiration for books is also wonderful and heartfelt:
“Our achievements and our failures are all recorded here so that we can better understand ourselves, so that we can better achieve our potential. Words are a gift. Books are a gift.” (page 168).
It was a discussion of many aspects of a complex work but most of us agreed that it was a good read.
Present : 9 members
Minerva Reads ACT 