Tab Article
Ratings: ★★★★☆ (4.4/5)
Genre: Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction, Family Saga, Sri Lankan Literature
Book Review:
Carl Muller's ''Yakada Yaka'' is a rollicking, irreverent, and utterly delightful continuation of the Burgher saga that began with ''The Jam Fruit Tree.'' If the first book introduced us to the von Bloss family and their world, this second installment expands that world, taking us into the heart of the Burgher railway community and their adventures with the ''Iron Demon.''
The novel is set during the colonial era, when the British introduced the first railway steam locomotive to Sri Lanka. The machine is terrifying to the local villagers—a smoke-spewing, banshee-wailing black beast that hisses like a thousand cobras. They declare it an Iron Demon—a yakada yaka. But to the Burghers who drive it, it's a source of pride, adventure, and endless opportunity for mischief.
The story follows Sonnaboy von Bloss and his fellow Burgher railwaymen through a series of wild escapades. They chase villagers naked across Anuradhapura, conjure corpses, demolish missions, and engage in all manner of hijinks. The novel is episodic, each chapter a new adventure, each one more outrageous than the last.
But beneath the humor and the chaos is a deeper story. Muller is writing about a community in transition—the Burghers, caught between their European heritage and their Sri Lankan home. The railway is a symbol of modernity, of change, of the forces that are reshaping their world. The Burghers embrace it, but they also resist it, carving out their own space, their own identity, their own way of life.
Muller's prose is as lively as ever. He captures the cadences of Burgher speech, the rhythms of their lives, the joy and pain of their existence. The dialogue crackles with energy, and the set pieces are hilarious and unforgettable.
The critical response has been strong. Business Standard praises Muller's ''gentle humour often bordering on tenderness, but couched in the vigorous rugged localise.'' India Today notes that ''the Burghers... believed in living life to the hilt. Every situation occasioned wild revels, and there was nothing that could not be solved through a brawl.''
For fans of ''The Jam Fruit Tree,'' ''Yakada Yaka'' is essential reading—a chance to spend more time with beloved characters and dive deeper into their world. For newcomers, it's a wild, funny, and surprisingly moving introduction to one of Sri Lanka's most distinctive literary voices.
''Yakada Yaka'' is a celebration of life, of community, of the indomitable human spirit. It's a novel that will make you laugh, make you think, and make you fall in love with the Burghers of Sri Lanka. Highly recommended.
