Channa Wickramesekera

About half-way through reading this book, I picked up my pencil and started making corrections. I do not usually mark the books I’m reading in any way – even if they are destined for the Op Shop I like the next reader to enjoy the book free from my observations about it. But this book is not ready for publication and should never have been sent to me for review. I felt as if I were back in the classroom, wearily marking up writing, and rehearsing what I would say to my student: have you re-read this very carefully as you are supposed to, before bringing it for me to read?
It is such a pity, because Tracks has such great potential. I have read Channa Wickremesekera’s work before (see my review of Asylum) and liked it very much. And that is why, against my better judgement, I broke my own rules and agreed to review a self-published book.
Tracks begins well but it needs a good editor. The story explores the sexual identity of Shehan, a middle-class teenager of Sri-Lankan heritage. He has a crush on a troubled student called Robbie who has been expelled from countless schools because of his violent temper. Robbie is not gay, but he likes Shehan, not least because Shehan tries to help him get away from his violent father.
The novel paints a convincing picture of a gay adolescent facing the dilemmas of falling in love with someone who is straight. The first-person voice is pitch-perfect and Shehan’s struggle to reconcile his head and his heart when things get out of control is engaging. But when Shehan eventually realises the dangerous risks of his friendship with this very violent young man, and recognises that he is compromising his own academic future as well, Wickremesekera undercuts his own theme by having his convincing gay character suddenly fall for a girl. An editor would have sorted out this flaw in the novel’s trajectory either by dispensing with the girl character, replacing her with another gay character, or by making Shehan much less certain of his sexuality early in the novel. As it is, the book is a wasted opportunity...
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2017/12/21/tracks-by-channa-wickremesekera/
I almost rated this book with one star because the production values are so unsatisfactory, but it is a story that has potential and it did keep me interested almost to the end.… (more)

I loved this book! Asylum is an hilarious inversion of anything you might be expecting from the cover.

Channa Wickremesekera is a Melbourne author who came here from Sri Lanka, but his novel follows the adventures of a suburban family of Afghan origin when they are confronted by a freckled teenage gunman in their home. The story is narrated by a bemused teenager called Khalid Khan whose commentary is droll in the way that only an adolescent view of the world can be.

‘Khalid!’

Mum calls. From the kitchen. She is always calling. From the kitchen. ‘Khalid, eat this!’ ‘Khalid, drink this!’ ‘Khalid, bring your plate here! Don’t think I am going to walk all over the house looking for your plate!’ And it’s always Khalid, never Aisha. I swear, if Aisha weren’t a girl, she would have been calling her constantly too. And they say Muslims oppress women. (p.1)

Mum is the boss of this household, and when the teenage gunman bursts into their breakfast routine, it is she who decides that it is against their religion to deliver him into the hands of the armed police outside.

To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2016/08/30/asylum-by-channa-wickremesekera/… (more)