A poetic debut
It is 1997 in Sri Lanka, and Kavi is your average 10-year-old, fangirling over Shah Rukh Khan and studying hard for her year 5 scholarship exams. Only, she is also coming to terms with the recent loss of her father, and even more recent re-marriage of her mother to a man she intends to despise for the rest of her life.Kavi’s life takes a complicated turn however, when she wins a scholarship to a reputed “bigger and better” school in Colombo, and what she hoped would be the start of an exciting new life for just her and her mother, turns out to be a solo escape from her poverty-stricken village to a new and scary life in the big city.
Set against the backdrop of the country’s civil war, I Am Kavi – scheduled to be published in the US this September- is a rich and tender middle grade (8-12yrs) novel in verse, where debut author Thushanthi Ponweera cleverly employs imagery-driven lyricism to help tell Kavi’s story in a contemporary narrative structure that is both poetic and captivating.
“I can’t quite explain it, but poetry has always come more naturally to me than prose, and I’ve always felt more comfortable writing my feelings through verse,” Thushanthi explains. “Aside from the story in itself, I feel that a novel’s setting is almost as important, and with this format I feel like I can get both the message and descriptions across more vividly and in not so many words.”
We see this to be true in I am Kavi, for from the incandescent glow of jasmine flowers, the transparent flaps of the tuk-tuk driving through rain, to the intimidating presence of soldiers and checkpoints, we witness through Kavi’s innocent eyes, what it is like to live a very ordinary life in quite an extraordinary setting.
I’ve heard of what happens on the battlefield / How the uniform turns all these smiling people / into robots who follow commands / and cannot show mercy.
Thushanthi Ponweera Pic by Sanjeewa Weerasinghe
Having grown up reading stories in English primarily from first-world countries, and eventually from the likes of Lankan authors Karen Roberts and Punyakante Wijenaike, Thushanthi vowed to publish at least one book in her lifetime. However, it was only in 2019 when COVID-19 brought the world to a near-standstill, that this ex-marketer and mum of two took up on the chance to pursue this dream.
“I relate a lot to South Asian authors and especially love reading South Asian children’s books,” she says. “And although I’m so happy there are more Sri Lankan authors in the international literary scene of late, I wish there were more breaking into the kids’ space.”
“Even though I come from a comparatively far more privileged position than Kavi, I wanted to write about what it was like growing up around that time.” says Thushanthi, claiming parts of her young protagonist as her own. “My book is not necessarily about the war, but one I hope presents important context to Kavi’s story.”
“I also feel like I’ve always been spurred on by things that I’m angry about,” she admits. “Like with this book, I address themes like class, poverty, war, and race, but I still feel like I’m only scratching the surface of the depth these conversations can go, and this is a reflection of where I am in my journey of writing.”
In Colombo, Kavi comes to live with her maternal aunt who is employed as a maid and we watch as she, wide-eyed, takes in all the opulence of a life so far removed from her own, while also grappling with the terms and conditions of societal classism.
A maid never sits / at the same level as their employers / and always eats last / usually what’s left over
“At the end of the day, I hope that kids will enjoy the book enough to recommend it to others – not because it’s from Sri Lanka but because they can relate to the main character and her journey. Themes of friendship, loneliness, and navigating blended families are universal, and I want this to be a good and meaningful book that they will always remember.”
I want to be friends with these / happy, / fearless, / popular/girls / who look like they / belong.
So I could also be / happy, / fearless, / popular / and maybe even/ belong.
As the novel progresses, we watch as Kavi learns to navigate her new life, friends, and conflicting emotions – even going to great lengths to earn her place in a discriminatory society, feeling deeply her sensitivities and her failings, and even celebrating her wins as she journeys towards defining belonging, family, and where happiness truly lies.
“I would absolutely love it, my dream even, if I Am Kavi is made available and more accessible to children here in Sri Lanka,” Thushanthi muses. “I want to be able to give Sri Lankan kids especially those coming from privilege – a glimpse into this significant portion of our post-colonial history that they never lived through nor were taught about in school.”
“I want to make them curious enough to want to ask all the right questions about what happened during the war and how it impacted everyone’s lives, especially young people like themselves,” she adds.
As Thushanthi eagerly awaits the release of I Am Kavi, she is currently working on an upper Middle Grade book, with her first picture book scheduled for release in 2024. Acquired by publishing giant Simon & Schuster, The Rainbow Bangles revolves around the lives of two best friends living in Sri Lanka’s tea country, both of whom have mothers employed overseas – addressing the very real stories of the children left behind while their parents seek foreign employment, while also navigating important topics of isolation, jealousy, and friendship.
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