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Ratings: ★★★★☆ (4.3/5)
Genre: Literary Fiction / Humorous Fiction / Sri Lankan English Literature / Novel

Book Review:
One Mad Bid for Freedom is a wildly hilarious yet ultimately poignant novel by James Goonewardene, regarded as Sri Lanka's finest living English language novelist. The story follows Korala – a quirky genius, ardent naturalist, rabid environmentalist, and hell-raiser – who abandons a life of luxury to live on a remote beach with only fishermen and a misanthropic Dutch scientist as friends. His charisma attracts seekers after the meaning of life, and he becomes a messiah to those who have drifted out of the mainstream. After his death, his motley followers – a crew of dreamers, drunks, dropouts, villagers, fishermen, and idiot savants – attempt to build a memorial to their guru. Their ineffectual efforts form the heart of this inventive, muscular, and deeply moving novel. A triumph of Sri Lankan English literature.