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

Book Review:
Sam's Story – winner of Sri Lanka's prestigious Gratiaen Prize (2001) – is the powerful debut novel by Capt. Elmo Jayawardena, an airline captain and humanitarian. Narrated by Sam, an illiterate houseboy from a remote village, the story follows his journey to Colombo, where he finds fleeting happiness amidst difficult days and painful moments. Sam's tale reaches across Sri Lanka, gathering characters like Piya (childhood friend), Kaluwa (son of a rich Mudaliyar), Leandro (Tamil cook), Lucky (barber), and Sam's two brothers who join the army to fight separatists. This is the story of a nation gasping for breath amid unending civil war and the chronic trauma inflicted upon every life, leaving none untouched. Praised by Romesh Gunesekera as ''told simply and with genuine concern,'' and compared to Hemingway's Old Man and the Sea, this is a classic of modern Sri Lankan literature.