I AM KAVI

One Sinhalese girl’s story set during the late 1990s amid the ongoing Sri Lankan civil war.

Ten-year-old Kavi isn’t happy, and she hasn’t been happy for some time. Her father came home from years of fighting but only because he lost his leg. Then, shortly after Thaththa died, her mother remarried. Kavi’s left with no father and a distracted mother who can’t understand that no one can replace Thaththa. Her one solace is school; in fact, Kavi does so well academically that she wins a scholarship to attend school in the big city of Colombo. She isn’t sure she wants to go live with her maternal aunt who works as a maid in a rich family’s house, but it might be better than staying at home. The city is completely different from Kavi’s village, and even as she struggles to fit in, she finds unexpected friendships and explores new experiences. But ultimately, Kavi’s future will depend on the consequences of one mistake and whether she can remain true to herself. Told in accessible, economical verse, this novel explores Kavi’s day-to-day struggles against a backdrop of civil war and social inequality. Though her problems at times seem insurmountable, this is ultimately a reassuring story of friendship, family, and finding solutions.

A serious and relatable tale of everyday life intersecting with and diverging from the realities of war.