Summary

Before “Sarath,” the novel’s first formally titled section of the novel, there is a short two-page section, written in italics. The passage describes the reaction of villagers somewhere in Guatemala who greet Anil, the protagonist of the novel, along with a team of scientists. The scientists are here to conduct forensic analysis of bones in a mass grave. Anil recalls the grief-stricken face of a woman who has lost her brother and husband to the violence in the country.

“Sarath” begins with Anil, a 33-year-old forensic scientist working for the U.N. Centre for Human Rights in Geneva. Under pressure from international human rights organizations, Sri Lanka’s government has agreed to pair local officials with outside consultants. Thus, Anil has returns to Sri Lanka, after 15 years outside the country, in order to work with Sarath Diyasena, an archaeologist in Colombo. She meets...