LITERARYScene By Ryan G. Van Cleave RYAN G. VAN CLEAVE SPOTLIGHTS THREE PERFECT-FOR-THE-BEACH BOOKS MARRIAGE OF A THOUSAND LIES by SJ Sindu We make an effort to focus the selections for this column on writers with a strong connection to our area, and Sri Lankan author SJ Sindu—a recent graduate of the Florida State University creative writing program—hits that mark, now that she’s going to be teaching at Ringling College this fall. I’m the one who hired her, after all, and while she has all the necessary teaching credentials, degrees, and 84 SCENE | JULY 2017 arts&culture qualifications, I was quite taken by her debut book, Marriage of a Thousand Lies. It’s a tragic tale set in contemporary Boston about Sri Lankan- American families struggling to cope with the tension of community, identity, and desire. Lucky and her husband have a fake marriage to placate their conservative families. Both are gay and date on the side. When Lucky’s grandmother suffers an accident, Lucky returns to the home of her childhood and reconnects with an old flame and former best friend, Nisha. And poor poo Nisha is about to get saddled with an arranged marriage to a m man she’s never met before. What’s W interesting is how believable and powerful the central conflict con in the story is portrayed—the profound psychological and and emotional toll for everyone involved is clear. Sindu presents a si situation, too, where American culture can be as oppressive and and patriarchal as the South Asian society these women left. Don’t D let the -isms fool you. Yes, this is about ethnocentrism and and individualism and conservatism and much more, but on the other oth hand, it’s simply the story of Lucky, told from her outsider perspective.per If you like stories about forbidden love and parents who wh try but just don’t understand their children, this book is worth wo a good long look. K co Keep an eye out for Sindu to be doing readings from this book come fall. It’ll be well worth the visit to see her in person. Rating: www.SJSindu.com * * * R w BLINDSIDED: THE TRUE STORY OF ONE MAN’S CRUSADE AGAINST CHEMICAL GIANT DUPONT FOR A BOY WITH NO EYES by James L. Ferraro (with Laura Morton) If you like the stories behind the movies Erin Brockovich or The Rainmaker, then this book is going to resonate with you. It’s the story of a decade-long courtroom battle fought right here in Florida, about a boy born with no eyes after his pregnant mother was doused with a chemical fungicide at a local you-pick farm. Miami Beach attorney James “Jim” Ferraro—whose business The Ferraro Law Firm is well-known for Mass Tort and Federal Tax Whistleblower practices and have won billions in settlements for their clients—took on the chemical giant DuPont to find justice and hope for this horror-stricken family. This book will pull at your heartstrings while increasing your awareness of the potentially dangerous chemicals that are so much a part of our daily lives. Rating: www.ProjectBlindsided.com
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