37 pages • 1 hour read
Island of a Thousand Mirrors
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Essay Topics
Describe how the two narrators are connected historically and culturally. How do Yasodhara and Saraswathi’s voices work together in telling the story of the Sri Lankan Civil War?
What is the importance of having such a detailed history of Yasodhara’s family? Why is it significant that such detail is not offered for Saraswathi’s family history?
How is Yasodhara’s family privileged on the island? What happens to this privilege when they immigrate to the United States?
Ravan and Saraswathi, both Tamil, transform quickly from naively hopeful to vengeful. Which Sinhala characters demonstrate vengeance, and in what ways? What might the author be showing readers about vengeance?
Although there are plenty of male characters in the story, attention focuses on female characters. What important roles do men play in this story?
What is the significance of the novel’s title? What is the significance of Saraswathi twisting the mirrors of the title into broken bottles?
Are Saraswathi’s actions understandable? Are they justified? Why or why not?
What is the importance of the triangle between Yasodhara, Shiva, and Lanka? How does that triangle shift throughout the novel? Does Samudhra complete the triangle after Lanka’s death?
Does Samudhra’s character and Yasodhara’s vision for her future bring closure to the novel? Why or why not?
The author attempted to avoid supporting one side of the civil war over another. Rather, she aimed to tell the stories of individuals and families in a complicated situation. Was this goal achieved?
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