A Re-check of norm through the Colours of the Sun

Reviewed by Nelum Herat

Why was Colours of the Sun, as the first book of a young author, being short-listed at both the Gratiaen Awards 2010 and State Literary Awards 2010? This was what I wanted to find out when I first read the novel. In his foreword, Capt Elmo Jayawardena concludes his words with a clap. I commence this review with an applaud!

The clap is for the achievement of, as Capt Jayawardena highlights, a literary debutante who has so brilliantly articulated reality. Colours of the Sun by Rozaine Cooray becomes a breath of fresh air because reality is generally rejected. Accepting reality is not easy. The capacity to accept reality is for those who have progressed to the higher order level of thinking and maybe, Charles Darwin would have referred to this process as the evolution of the soul.

Universal struggle

The novel integrates many universal struggles ranging from the search for one's identity, to the meaning of something larger than oneself: life's purpose and God. Using this search as a backdrop, is the relentless voicing of themes of migration, ethnic/religious conflict, generational conflicts and above all, depression that one may have to risk when gambling with the social norm, the right and the wrong.

The methodology used to write the book is fascinating. A book that has the capacity to hold the reader's undivided attention until it is completed, consists of a few basic characteristics. The story has to be awesome, the presentation out-of-this-world and content, dynamic.

It is encouraging to the local readership, as this book could easily be categorised amongst the higher echelons of literature. The story of Mariam is unraveled through a series of letters addressed to her daughter Faith. The letters are sequential. Thus, the story evolves with brilliant ease.

Vital issues

We are the Mariam's society. Apart from the main themes, the story deals with a couple of vital issues. The first issue is of the sense of non-acceptance that is felt by a child. The second issue relates to the impact of this non acceptance throughout life. Rebellion for the purpose of self discovery, questionable choices and rejection are some of the others. The plot is best appreciated when the vital issues are looked at from two perspectives - the adult/parent perspective and that of a child. This provides the reader with a challenge; just as the sun has many hues, the different perspectives add to the holistic nature of the plot. The author vividly articulates the Child's perspective. The reader is left to grasp the perspective of the parents. This must be done if the book is to be enjoyed and appreciated to the fullest. Thus, the challenge to the reader becomes rewarding as the reality of human emotion trauma is only then understood. If this is achieved, then the book becomes a source of encouragement - an encouragement to acceptance of self. This is perhaps the paramount reason for 'Colours of the Sun' being a unique piece of literature.

Problem

What is evidently a problem with the book is the window of time. This can be confusing. At one point the reader is made to believe the letters are from a mother to an adult off-spring. This however is interrupted by the change in perception where the reader wonders if the mother is a very young woman writing to a baby suckling at the breast. Is this a strength or weakness? It is subjective.

The broken relationship between child and parent is instantly captured. The parents are of mixed marriage and career oriented. Time and interest do not seem to fit the profile of these parents. Does this reflect the parents of today? The love required by the child is provided by the paternal grandmother - yet another local social phenomenon.

A strange but real twist! Ideological transfer from grandmum within the confines of parental expectation! That was what Mariam had to deal with.

Traditional disciplines are yet preferred. Many a young adult grapples with having to forgo preferences for parental choice. Aren't children capable of making choices and decisions? Why is there an assumption that children would opt for the thorny path? Mariam's parents made the decision - she was to accept without question.

Question

The question then is very basic. Have the parents produced human flotsam minus the capacity to think? Mariam was encouraged to think, to be bold, to question, to pursue not by parents' but by an environment that was foreign.

The many Mariam in a local context may not be thus encouraged. The lessons learned are tough, the path thorny indeed with many a bruise but Mariam plodded on to victory.

A young woman discovers herself. That discovery was not easy. The pursuit of that discovery meant she went against the accepted norm. It may be assumed that courage and confidence are pre-requisites but Mariam has none of it. These so called pre-requisites are developed along the way. Mariam learns to accept reality. It is through accepting reality that her pursuit is rewarded.

Blame game

The blame game is also dealt with. Mariam also deals with the anger she harbours against her parents. She learns that parents are also victims of circumstance. I like the name Mariam christens her daughter with - it is a reflection of the faith she has in herself.

Reading this book was honestly a joy. It made me think. I had conformed to norm. Have I achieved 'my' perfect bliss? Is 'my' perfect bliss even possible when having to conform to the norm? What if the norm goes against the nature of the soul? My sociological background made me look afresh at societal norms. Parents can create but they can also destroy. At an ephemeral level, this is called love. Colours of the Sun is a brilliant analysis of the concepts of love, of self and of choice.

In conclusion, Rozaine must be congratulated for having the spirit to deal with a piece of art on reality and truth - more often than not, this by itself is going against norm. I call this 'creativity in its true rawness'.