When I first arrived in Colombo,  I was introduced to Barefoot, a crafts shop, café and bookshop. The bookshop is a goldmine of books by Sri Lankan writers and books about Sri Lanka. My first purchase was Paul M M Cooper’s River of Ink.

River of Ink, by Paul M M Cooper

River of Ink, by Paul M M Cooper

River of Ink tells the story of Ansaka, a 13th-century court poet, tasked by Kalinga Magha, a conquering tyrant, with translating an epic Sanskrit poem called the Shishupala Vadha. The story is told by Ansaka who is more self-serving than hero. The book's tagline, The king taught them fear, but a poet taught them hope, refers to the jibes Ansaka inserts into the poem's translation. He does this not as a response to the Kalinga's tyranny but to maintain the affections of his servant girl-mistress, Sarasi.

Cooper's writing is lush and beautiful—I'm very jealous! And I wasn't surprised to learn that the author spent 5 years researching this novel. I lost myself in Cooper's world building more than I admired the protagonist, but that didn't spoil my enjoyment of the book.

Occasionally, my suspension of disbelief was tested. Was the Kalinga so daft he didn’t recognise himself in the poem's translation? The eponymous Shishupala is frequently described as having bushy eyebrows like the Kalinga’s. This comparison becomes a joke among the common folk, something neither the palace nor the Kalinga ever picks up on. I'm guessing, the Kalinga never bothered to read the drafts Ansaka regularly delivered to him.

I won't say too much about the ending and its big reveal, which is obvious due to the lack of main characters. For me, the ending was touching—without being sentimental—and very satisfying.

I think Mr Cooper has set the bar high. I’m keeping my fingers crossed his second book will be equally as good as River of Ink.

Image: Amazon.co.uk, 11-Sep-17

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