Book Review- Funny Boy
Funny boy is a work of fiction by the Sri Lankan-Canadian author Shyam Selvadurai. This was
Selvadurai’s first novel published in 1994 which won two awards namely; W.H. Smith/books
in Canada First Novel Award and the Lambda Literary Award. Parallel to Funny boy, most of
Selvadurai’s novels such as; Swimming in the Monsoon and The Hungry Ghosts, highlight the
political upheaval in 70s, 80s Sri Lanka, its impact and sexual awakening of the male
protagonist. Funny boy is written from a child’s perspective. “The novel raises subtle
intricacies of ones sexuality”.
Funny boy is the journey of Arjie, a seven year old, ‘Tamil Christian’ boy hailing from a
wealthy, traditional extended family living in Colombo. The story is set in 1980s Sri Lanka and
is presented in first person perspective. The novel discusses Arjie’s journey towards sexual
maturity amidst the backdrop of Sinhala-Tamil ethnic conflict. There are minor characters in
the novel and influential characters in Arjie’s life. The preceding chapters after the first
revolves around each of them and the way they influenced Arjie’s life like, Radha aunty’s,
Daryl uncle’s, Jegan’s and lastly Shehan’s incidents. All of them leave a deep impact on Arjie’s
life and the similarity is that their bond with Arjie ends abruptly towards the end of each
chapter.
The first chapter of the novel; Pigs can’t fly, gives a glimpse to every minor character in the
story and mainly we’re introduced to the protagonist, Arjun Chelvaratnam. Chelvaratnam’s
status is rather high in the society as they were living in the heart of Colombo, owning a
bungalow and having servants. One of the main themes discussed in this chapter is, the theme
of identity in relation to Arjie. The identity of Arjie is introduced to the readers through his
inclination towards feminine aspects and his interests, like becoming the bride in the much
anticipated game bride-bride. Arjie finds wearing the bride clothes as his ‘ultimate moment of
joy’ and trying Amma’s jewellery for him is ‘joy akin to ecstasy’ (pg15). Furthermore, Arjie
confronts with identity crisis by feeling lost in between the world of girls’ and boys’ ‘not
belonging or wanted in either’. His sense of loss is as such he couldn’t identify who he is “I
know something had changed. But how, I didn’t altogether know” (pg39). The theme of
conventionalism is also discussed. The traditional mannerisms are portrayed by the novel,
through the manner in which, the children wipe their feet before entering the house, paying
respects to their grandparents and strict rules and regulations within the family. Conventional
beliefs are further discussed through their attitude towards professions like acting, “what kind
of a low class person do you think I am” (pg16) said by Amma depicts how they demeaned
such professions during that time. Male dominance prevailing in conventional families is also
discussed. Pointing fingers at the mother in case the child goes wrong and “etiquette (or rather
my father) demanded that Amma wear a sari for the grand occasion” (pg6). Furthermore,
typical family behaviour is represented through the way the aunts and uncles subjected Arjie’s
bridal look into subtle humiliation.
Radha Aunty’s chapter mainly discusses on the theme of marriage. It’s depicted how marriage
is addressed by Sri Lankans race wise. In Sri Lankan Tamil context and Sinhala context, same
race, family background, status in the society, employment are given priority when proposals
are sought out. Each character has a different perspective towards marriage. According to Aunt
Doris, “whether you married the person you loved or not seems to become less important as
time passes” (pg81). Whereas, for Radha Aunty, if two people loved each other, the rest is
unimportant. The ethnic conflict between the Sinhalese and the Tamils during that time and
pressure exerted by the family deeply impacted Radha’s marriage. Radha’s character is
portrayed as a contradiction to the other aunties in the Chelvaratnam family. Her dress code,
halter top and trousers oppose the conventional attire of women and her cheerfulness, lack of
inquisitiveness portrays the impact of Western culture on her. This difference in Radha from
other aunties in the family attracts Arjie towards her and they share a special bond.
Daryl uncle’s entry unveils another face of Arjie’s mother. The theme of culture is depicted
likewise. Accordingly, 1980s was a period where modern thinking gradually took over culture.
Amma is presented as a sensible lady though having slight hints of conventional thinking due
to her family background. For instance, when Neeliya aunty complains Amma about Darly
Uncle’s frequent visits to theirs, she shuns her point saying, “How old-fashioned of you”
(pg111). This depicts culture interfering modern thinking yet Amma is not affected by such
pre-conceived notions. Amma’s character is further revealed in the chapter as a person against
Tamil terrorists being a Tamil herself once again depicting her sensibility. Moreover, theme of
violence is described through the ongoing communal clash, loss of lives and the attack on
Amma and Arjie by some Sinhalese.
Consequently, Arjie meets Jegan, his father’s friend’s son and develops a great regard on him.
Theme of racial violence and racism is depicted. Incidents occur in which Jegan becomes a
part of it and the Chelvarathnams face trouble and humiliation. The final chapter discusses the
theme of sexuality and theme of identity. Sexuality in relation to Arjie meeting Shehan, their
growing bond and their first sexual confrontation. Theme of identity is discussed in relation to
how Arjie finally recognizes his identity, “I now inhabited a world they didn’t understand and
into which they couldn’t follow me” (pg285). In addition, theme of power is discussed in
relation to Arjie. Arjie feels the sense of being powerful for the first time “was it not possible
for people like Shehan and me to be powerful too?” (pg274). Arjie realizes the injustice Radha
aunty, Daryl Uncle and Jegan had to face being subordinate and the way the powerful get to
decide others life.
Accordingly, the story has its own strengths and weaknesses. In my point of view, Selvadurai
has been able to capture each moment realistically due to the story being based on true events
specifically, the political tension in 80s Sri Lanka. His use of language devices, for instance,
humour in relation to characters; Varuna renamed as ‘diggy nose’, Tanuja being called ‘hey
fatty boom boom’ and Arjie shouting at Ammachi “I hate you, you old fatty” (pg38) sparks
hilarity. Furthermore, the issues; homosexuality and ethnic conflict are mainly raised by the
novelist. He has been able to express a clear overview of the ethnic conflict which caused ethnic
disharmony and destruction in Sri Lanka when the political groups turned deaf to them. The
manner in which, the minority were side-lined, suspected and attacked in the society for
instance, when Arjie says, “I don’t feel at home in Sri Lanka any longer, will never feel safe
again” (pg304) depicts their pathetic plight thereby creating pathos in the readers mind. On the
other hand, homosexuality is addressed as an unusual, humorous subject matter among Sri
Lankans. Comparable to Swimming in the Monsoon Sea, which also deals with a young boy
falling in love with his cousin brother from Canada in the similar Sri Lankan backdrop. For
instance, Arjie being addressed as pansy, girly-boy and so on reveals the suppression and
repression on such individuals in a cultural country like Sri Lanka. Throughout the novel one
can see how Selvadurai sustains the main issues, homosexuality and ethnic conflict in the
spotlight. In addition, themes such as conventionalism, identity, marriage and power are based
in the novel as the issues are related to the Sri Lankan context. In that case the novelist has
been successful to raise many of the issues still prevalent in Sri Lanka. Hence, the novel being
the notable book by the American Library Association and translated to many languages is
worthy. On the contrary, the novelist Selvadurai, should have focussed more on the protagonist
Arjie or discussed the communal riot and Arjie in balanced form rather than focussing much
on other characters in the novel.
To sum up, the novel Funny Boy relates the story of the journey to sexual maturity of a seven
year old and the manner in which he faces violence prevailing around his environment. The
novelist has also been able to relate the trials and the hardships the boy had to face in his
journey. In my point of view, the book gives the readers a new experience by giving the chance
to see aspects from a child’s perspective. The novel is worth the price and can be recommended
as a good read.