Bodies in Motion: Stories

Mohanraj's debut--linked stories of Sri Lankans over three generations--has much to admire: sharply drawn characters, well-wrought prose with intermingling storylines, sensual connects and disconnects. Some of the tales, like the first one--"Oceans Bright and Wide"--may slip without many ripples into our subconscious, while others, like "Lakshmi's Diary" and "Mangoes with Chili," stay with us, dark and edible gems that shine within long after we've swallowed them. A word of caution: the family trees at the beginning telegraph some of the stories' events/outcomes, so it may be prudent not to linger on them. Because if you're like me, you'll want to know where the branches lead--and won't want to wait.

Bodies In Motion is a collection of short stories that spans 60 years and two interlocking Sri Lankan families. The creation of this book also spans time as according to her web site, the author wrote the stories over the course of ten years. Like most short story collections, the book offers a glimpse into the characters' lives, so the writing itself must draw you in. Some of the stories transported me into the characters' world. I also learned a little about Sri Lankan history and culture and the Sri Lankan immigrant experience. Though like other readers I thought the most rich and juicy details centered around spicy cooking and sexuality. Mohanraj literally and figuratively plumbs the depths of her characters through their intimate relationships. I enjoyed reading about the same character through the years and from different POVs. Often the story ended without a complete resolution, though at times the resolution was further explained in another story. The second story "Seven Cups of Water" introduces Managi a lesbian who ends the collection in a prologue with a beautiful description of her joy in cooking and eating. Sushila with whom she spends a steamy seven nights is later portrayed through her husband's eyes in one of the best stories "Tightness in the Chest"

Bodies In Motion is a tapestry of lush and poetic stories arcing through time and connecting the members of two Sri Lankan families through moments and memories. Each member of the families is given their own section with a story that distills their existence into moments of revelation, identity, love, and loss. You will be sucked into their lives as you read each section, learning about people like Mangai, the unattractive baby of the family who falls in love with her brother's wife; Kuyila, sent off into an arranged marriage because of her lack of intelligence compared to her brilliant sisters, who intentionally causes the miscarriage of her first pregnancy, bears a daughter, then loses her husband to his first love; and Chaya, who cannot share her innermost feelings with man she loves and loses him because of her unwillingness to open up. As each chapter finishes, you will be eager to discover the next person in the timeline and experience the fragments of his or her life which will in turn provide insights into the next. While many of the stories are filled with loss and pain, they are all covered with a shadow of hope - for their futures and the futures of the friends and family who will follow them.

Bodies in Motion is part of my introduction to South Asian literature. I found it an interesting primer on the culture clashes SA immigrants must face. The writing is sensual and beautiful to read. Oceans Bright and Wide drew me right in. I really loved the perspective of a father trying to do the best thing for his daughter. Even though that best thing went against all his upbringing. Princess in the Forest is a nice glimpse at Sri Lankan myth and legend and the juxtaposition with a modern woman a thought provoking counterpoint. I found it interesting to learn about some of the Sri Lanken culture through these characters. I may never be able to understand submitting to an arranged marraige, but I certainly spent time thinking about Riddhi's decision in A Gentle Man. Could I have done that? Could any of us, with western culture as our base? Mary Anne gives us a view of two cultures that most of us will never experience, and perhaps not truly understand. But it is important to learn about these views. There are many people who live with one foot each in different cultures. Understanding how they might think and feel and act under those pressures is enlightening. And enlightenment is the first step to understanding.

As a Sri Lankan who has also managed to spend a great deal of time in the US, I read "Bodies in Motion" with two colliding mentalities. One was looking at the characters as representatives and composites of the people I met in the US, the transplants from Sri Lanka, who came there at various stages of their lives (Sri Lankans don't have a "cute" label like ABCD's for themselves), and also rather critically to see if and how she had misread the Sri Lankan culture she never really managed to live in. I had, of course, read some of Mary Anne's online work before, and her style was familiar to me. So no surprises there. What was surprising was the detail she managed to bring into the people, and even more, the similarity between the immigrants and the Americans they live with while still maintaining their Sri Lankan-ness. There were times when I saw them as something out of a period sitcom with the main characters still being Sri Lankan. Mary Anne's writing style is excellent and sensual, sometimes too much so.. you have to put the book down and digest what you just read, like after a tasty and rich meal, in order to avoid a sensory overload. The stories themselves skip lightly across the years and generations.. a glimpse here, an anecdote there, a section somewhere else. But those glimpses are what makes the book so interesting. One person's actions in a main story add depth to that person's supporting role in another. It takes skill to pull it off, but Mary Anne does it in style. (Am I gushing yet?) Of course, like any collection of short stories, the style and topic changes. Some are evidently semi-autobiographical (read Mary Anne's website and see if you can figure out which ones), some are a somewhat confusing, and trying to read these as one continuous story is an invitation to get the wrong impression of the book. Far better to look on it as a multi-generational miniseries (a la Steven Spielberg's "Taken"). Finally, has Mary Anne misread Sri Lankan culture, as viewed from a Sri Lankan viewpoint? Not by much. There are spots where she has made a few errors, none of which are critical, and would only be caught out by a person who has had a lot of experience of Sri Lanka. They are anachronisms and make no difference to the stories, I will not mention them here. She has, however, managed to capture a lot of the Sri Lankan mentality quite well. In conclusion, this is an awesome book, almost sensual in the way it wraps itself around you. I would not recommend reading it in one go. The best way to read it is one story at a time, when you catch a few minutes, in the bus, just before you sleep..