Sri Lanka, off the coast of India, is an island of "consistently lovely landscapes: the gorgeous sprawl of lagoons and 'gobbs,' the fantasy rivers and the hills so green they seem to glow with their own internal light," writes John Gimlette. After spending three months criss-crossing the country, from its sandy beaches to its dense interior where he was warned of the numerous ways he might die (including "scorpions, landmines, rabies, marauding elephants and--of course--serpents"), Gimlette has collected his thoughts into a kaleidoscope of personal, cultural and historical perspectives.
Readers learn about Sri Lanka's 26-year civil war and its devastating effects on the people and land; about its elephants, crocodiles and other dangerous fauna; and about more than 500 years of the island's history, as the Portuguese, British and other rulers injected their religions and cultures into the lives of Sri Lanka's indigenous people. From ancient temples tucked away on the tops of mountains to the splendor of hillsides covered in tea or cinnamon trees, Gimlette describes the beauty of this island paradise, but he also shares its unfortunate side. He discusses the hundreds of thousands of landmines that pock the landscape, maiming and killing many long after the end of the war; the terrible traffic in Colombo, where pedestrian deaths are a daily norm; and the sexual slave trade prevalent in parts of the country, where young boys are the preferred commodity. Thoroughly researched, Elephant Complex gives insight into Sri Lanka like no other book. --Lee E. Cart, freelance writer and book reviewer