Fluke-Romesh Gunesekera https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5Sd_r7XOtc&list=PLY5ePJs0vTIhctgZAKb72WDY2dz73wkN&index=17&t=204s ANALYSIS Romesh Gunesekera was born in 1954 in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and later moved to England in 1971. He achieved an Arts Council Writers’ Award in 1991. His literary works often revolve around the ethnic and political tensions in Sri Lanka. “Monkfish Moon” is a collection of short stories reflecting these themes, published in 1992. His first novel, “Reef,” received critical acclaim and awards. “The Sandglass” and “Heaven’s Edge” are his subsequent novels. Gunesekera has also authored “The Match,” “The Prisoner of Paradise,” and “Noon Tide Toll.” He currently resides in London and has participated in writing residencies and literary events worldwide, being elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2004. Analysis Romesh Gunesekera’s 2014 novel, Noontide Toll, delves into the enduring effects of war and the intricacies of post-war reconstruction amidst the backdrop of Sri Lanka’s thirty-year civil conflict between the government and the LTTE. The book comprises fourteen interconnected stories, following the experiences of “Vasantha the van man” as “he transports tourists, soldiers, entrepreneurs, aid workers, and exiles between the ravaged north and the renewed south, all the while observing his passengers” (The Guardian). Gunesekera skillfully intertwines the narratives, inviting readers to interpret the stories from the Northern region in contrast to those from the Southern region. In turn, “Ramparts,” “Fluke,” “Shoot,” “Turtle,” “Janus,” and “Humbug” mirror “Folly,” “Deadhouse,” “Scrap,” “Roadkill,” “Mess,” and “Renewals,” respectively. With the end of the conflict, numerous Sri Lankans developed a keen interest in delving into the realms of marketing, entrepreneurship, and leveraging modern technology to advance both pursuits. Gunesekera skillfully mocks this inclination in “Fluke” with a significant dose of humor. Vasantha’s passenger, Mr. Weerakoon, who served as the key speaker at the seminar “Marketing: The Secret of Success,” embodies the author’s portrayal as “a man of the modern world. The brand-new face of our remodeled country, wide open for full-fledged business”.Geared towards beginners, his PowerPoint presentation captivates the audience with its “bullet points,” “exploding pie charts,” “bell curves,” and “www dot shots” However, his blue suit, mock leather bag, and smug demeanor epitomize artificiality, concealing deep-seated insecurity. He not only falters when faced with technological glitches but is also consumed by fear that the valuable information stored in his phone and computer (both of which Vasantha can effortlessly access with his native intelligence) will be pilfered by others. Even his presentation, featuring “bell curves, market segmentation, and www shots,” appears to Vasantha as nothing but hot air (148). Vasantha ponders on how much more effectively he had “marketed” his services as a van driver. The remaining participants also fail to make an impression. They form a disparate group comprising a Buddhist monk who appears entirely out of place in an entrepreneurship seminar, and two young women who revel in the attention received from men of all ages. Yet, the individual who captivates Vasantha the most is the ex-Navy commander who has repurposed some of the vessels acquired to combat the LTTE into whale-watching ships for tourists. Despite his initial cheeriness, he becomes despondent towards the end as he recounts to Vasantha foreign powers’ efforts to uncover the truth about casualties in the conflict: “Not good for tourism, not good for me, not good for you. We all make mistakes; it is not always a war crime.” The public relations expert and his entourage evoke the image of the stork perched by the pool, situated outside the conference room. The more the narrator, Vasantha, scrutinizes it, the less convinced he is of the bird’s authenticity: “These days it is so hard to spot a fake”. Despite his emphasis on success and exports, the marketer finds himself literally out of his depth without Vasantha’s assistance.
