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On Sal Mal Lane
On Sal Mal Lane | Ru Freeman
7 posts | 4 read | 11 to read
One of Reader's Digest Best Summer Reads (US). Set against the backdrop of the Sri Lankan civil war, Ru Freemans epic novel explores the lives of the diverse families that live on Sal Mal Lane and the heartbreaking ways this once harmonious community turns on one another with the country on the brink of war. On the day the Herath family moves in, Sal Mal Lane is a quiet street, disturbed only by the cries of the children whose triumphs and tragedies sustain the families that live there. As each neighbour adapts to the newcomers in different ways, the children fill their days with cricket matches, romantic crushes, and small rivalries. But when the tides of civil war begin to turn towards the neighbourhood, their differences ignite in ways no one could have imagined. As the stability of their neighborhood is threatened by clashing political beliefs and prejudices, the children of the community are forced to watch their parents and friends turn against one another. Seen through the children's eyes, the events on Sal Mal Lane come to mirror the course of modern Sri Lanka at its most violent and volatile. A powerful, evocative work, On Sal Mal Lane masterfully illuminates the origins of this war and explores the lengths family will go to protect one another.
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blurb
llwheeler
On Sal Mal Lane | Ru Freeman
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Still working my way through my July #doublespin (tagged, enjoying it when I pick it up but not always feeling a push to) but excited for August picks!

I'm still going with my Libby wishlist for my #BookSpin list, when the numbers are called I filter to available now and count down. So fun to see what comes up.

Thanks for hosting @TheAromaofBooks!

22 likes1 stack add
blurb
Cinfhen
On Sal Mal Lane | Ru Freeman
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#HeyJune Happy Father‘s Day to all you wonderful #MenofLitsy #PennyLane the song is about an ordinary street in a quiet Liverpool neighborhood and my tagged book is similar, although set in Sri Lanka on the cusp of a civil war. The story beautifully written captures the intertwining lives of the residents who make up Sal Mal Lane and it primarily focuses on the newest family to the block. And the cover is gorgeous 💙‼️😀

TrishB I‘m loving reading comments about my neighbourhood 😁 feels weird, but then it‘s strange to live in an area that people connect with due to a song! 6y
Kalalalatja Great cover, and I love the illustration of the lane too 👌 6y
GypsyKat Sounds great! 6y
See All 6 Comments
emilyhaldi Another new (to me) book I need to stack!! 😅 6y
Cinfhen It‘s a #borrownotbuy @emilyhaldi I read it through my library system a few years ago 6y
emilyhaldi Ahhhh good to know!!! 😉👍🏻 6y
100 likes4 stack adds6 comments
blurb
Seshat
On Sal Mal Lane | Ru Freeman
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I got this gorgeous, mint-condition hardcover at Goodwill today.

josie281 I need to go book thrift hunting as soon as I close on this house!! 7y
Seshat It is do fun, @josie281 7y
27 likes1 stack add2 comments
review
mhippo
On Sal Mal Lane | Ru Freeman
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Pickpick

Haunting images and writing that makes you slow down to understand the many layers of detail. Read this for a book group, but re-reading parts on my own has made my appreciation grow. Insights on childhood, relationships, and loss that linger.

7 likes2 stack adds
quote
mhippo
On Sal Mal Lane | Ru Freeman
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"Something about his unaesthetic physicality and sense of coming undone irked her orderly mind. She was only willing to concede good so long as its human form stayed far away from herself and her siblings."

quote
mhippo
On Sal Mal Lane | Ru Freeman

"He had the untroubled look of the blameless, further enhanced by its suggestion of an unshared inner life."

review
ldoxford
On Sal Mal Lane | Ru Freeman
Pickpick

Sweet yet sad