Karen Roberts

Karen Roberts was born in 1965 in Sri Lanka. She worked in advertising in Colombo and Dubai, and now lives in California. Her first novel, Flower Boy, was published by Random House in 2000. Her novels have been translated into Dutch, Greek, Portuguese and Spanish.

Bibliography



The Lament of the Dhobi Woman
Perera-Hussein Books, Sri Lanka

Seelawathie falls in love. Her forbidden relationship challenges the rigid boundaries of society and leads to a cataclysmic end of innocence. The Lament of the Dhobi Woman explores the issue of class in Colombo society and the frasgile intricacies of love and forgiveness.

The Lament of the Dhobi Woman
Perera Hussein Publishing House, Colombo, Sri Lanka

Seelawathi, a young village girl is brought to the city to care for Cat, the daughter of a prominent Colombo family. With her parents involved with each other and their active social life, Cat soon comes to regard Seelawathi as her parent and best friend. They build their own happy microcosmic life within the large household, and are relatively content until Seelawathi falls in love. Her forbidden relationship challenges the rigid boundaries of society and leads to a cataclysmic end of innocence. The Lament of the Dhobi Woman explores the issue of class in Colombo society and the fragile intricacies of love and forgiveness.

Flower Boy
Random House, 2000.

Review in the Austin Chronicle

Review by Zaheera Jiwaji in the Charlotte Austin Review.

Review by Anderson Tepper in the New York Times.

Review by Carolyn See in the Washington Post

July
2002.

Review by Anita Nair

South Asian Women authors
Sawnet Bookshelf
Sawnet