Not Quite Paradise

An American Sojourn in Sri Lanka

Adele Barker

Narrated by Adele Barker

Available from Audible

Book published by Beacon Press

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's colorful past and its twenty-five-year civil war between the Sinhalese majority and the Tamil Tigers. When, having returned home to Tucson, Barker awakes on December 26, 2004, to see televised images of the island's southern shore disappearing into the ocean, she decides she must go back. Traveling from the southernmost coasts to the farthest outposts of the Tamil north, she witnesses the ravages of the tsunami that killed forty-eight thousand Sri Lankans in the space of twenty minutes, and reports from the ground on the triumphs and failures of relief efforts. Combining the immediacy of memoir and the vividness of travelogue with the insight of the best reportage, Not Quite Paradise chronicles life in a place few have ever visited.

REVIEWS:

“Rich in the tales of Sri Lanka under colonial British rule as well as coverage of the current civil war, Barker's memoir is an enlightening and captivating read.”

—Booklist (American Library Association)

“Anyone going to Sri Lanka should consider Adele Barker's Not Quite Paradise essential reading. Even travelers headed to other parts of the globe-or those going no farther than their own living room-will find this story of an American woman thoughtfully wending her way through the complexities of another country's culture and history fascinating.”

—Kristin Ohlson, author of Stalking the Divine and coauthor of Kabul Beauty School

“Adele Barker offers this memorable gift: the story of strangers from very different countries becoming cherished and enduring friends. Against the background of a most beautiful country and through the tragedies that have marred its recent history, her love of the land and for its people won a high place in this reader's heart.”

—Mary Oliver, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet

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