Anil’s Ghost Themes

In Anil’s Ghost, Anil embarks on a quest to discover the truth about the government’s role in the violence and extrajudicial murders that have overtaken Sri Lanka during the country’s Civil War. That search comes to a head when she and the archaeologist she is working with, Sarath, discover a skeleton whom they call Sailor. Uncovering the truth about Sailor’s skeleton then holds the key to finding the truth about the government’s…

Anil’s Ghost repeatedly underlines the horror and destructiveness of war by describing violent massacres that result in the deaths of countless innocent civilians, including children. The novel often describes these atrocities in detail to underline the immorality of those who carry out such acts. Notably, though, the novel does not seem to take a side regarding the three-sided conflict within Sri Lanka, which involves guerrillas, insurgents, and the government. Instead, the novel points out that…

In Anil’s Ghost, characters repeatedly find a renewed sense of meaning in both art and work. For example, growing up, Gamini struggles to find his place in the world and feels he is living in his brother Sarath’s shadow. However, when Gamini takes a post as one of only a few doctors in the under-resourced northeast of Sri Lanka, he tirelessly devotes himself to his patients, which leads him to feel a renewed…

Throughout Anil’s Ghost, Anil continually asks herself how she relates to her Sri Lankan identity. She left Sri Lanka when she was 18 and hasn’t been back since. She is also no longer fluent in Sinhala and only speaks English, reflecting the impact of the years she has spent in England and the United States. Furthermore, Anil’s parents have both died, and her brother has moved out of Sri Lanka, further fraying Anil’s connection…