Not Quite Paradise: An American Sojourn in Sri Lanka

A chronicle of life on the resplendent island, combining the immediacy of memoir with the vividness of travelogue and reportage

Adele Barker and her son, Noah, settled into the central highlands of Sri Lanka for an eighteen-month sojourn, immersing themselves in the customs, cultures, and landscapes of the island—its elephants, birds, and monkeys; its hot curries and sweet mangoes; the cacophony of its markets; the resonant evening chants from its temples. They hear stories of the island’...