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Ratings: ★★★★★ (4.7/5)
Genre: War Memoir / Biography / Oral History / Sri Lankan Non‑Fiction

Book Review:
A Long Watch by Commodore Ajith Boyagoda (as told to Sunila Galappatti) is a subtle, intimate, and human account of the Sri Lankan civil war. Praised by Michael Ondaatje as ''the best book yet on the war in Sri Lanka,'' it recounts Boyagoda's experiences of captivity and return. Michael Frayn calls it ''clear, vivid, and elegant, without false heroics or self-pity.'' Rana Dasgupta notes its testimony to the destruction of optimism, tolerance, and social fibre. Sonali Deraniyagala describes it as ''bold, yet tender.'' A landmark contribution to war literature and Sri Lankan history.