We like to alternate between a local and international author each month however it's been a little dry with local publishers of late so we were pleased to see another book by Ashok Ferrey hit the shelves a few months ago.

A well-known figure in Sri Lanka’s English-language literary world, Ashok Ferrey has built a reputation for light-hearted, sharply observant novels that capture slices of modern Sri Lankan society. We often recommend his books to travellers looking for a fun holiday read that offers insight into Colombo life (albeit usually Colombo 7 life) without the backdrop of the war.

What's it about?

This is the tale of personal trainer, Malik, who has recently relocated to the small village of Kalabola. Just as Malik starts to establish a few local clients, COVID hits and the village turns into a frenzy, convinced its karma out to get them. The opportunist snatch at the chance and we follow characters chasing money, love and power in a comical recount of pandemic life, some of which is based on true events!

What did bookclub think? (Spoilers alert!)

Known for his flair for self-promotion, Ferrey recently held a book event at Closenberg Hotel, (where he has held book chats before) and several of our book club members attended. Dramatic readings and weighty interview questions apparently set the tone for what sounded like a far more serious literary work, so many were surprised to find it a light, tongue-in-cheek story, similar in tone to his other books. Those of the bookclub who had read his other books and all agreed this to be the weakest yet, lacking any depth or substance....

At the other end of the table we had a few newbies, new to Sri Lanka as well as bookclub. Interestingly, everyone who had recently moved here loved the book, all saying how much they enjoyed learning about Sri Lankan society, characters and colloquialisms, and the madness of COVID in SL! With such a divided room we were lead to discuss... who is the book written for? It felt too local to be South Asia however parts were pretty belittling to dwellers of small towns in SL with not one single likeable (or nice) character from the village of Kalabola. So we settled on it being for the English speakers of Colombo.

The stand out of the book (and all Ashok Ferrey books) is the comedy and the characters. While one might ready them as over exaggerated, familiarity with village life  told us they are not! The particularly well written MP felt opportunistic, sleazy yet funny, caked in gold promoting his COVID "Miracle Water". Knowing Ferrey to be a PT, we considered the lead character, Malik, to perhaps be a thinly veiled fictionalised version of the author himself? The comedy in this is spoonfed to you with explanations around why something is funny, often killing the joke itself. It's not one of Ashoks funniest but will ignite a titter none the the less.

Perhaps the only topic with depth was the love triangle between Arthur, a passed-it aristocrat in his late 50's, Chanchala, a vulnerable (?) 23 year old cast as the most beautiful in the village and Kamala, Arthurs devoted housekeeper. We all agreed Arthur was cleverly written as both loveable and grotesque, leering after young girls yet upon hard times and being screwed out of his property by those in power, while all he really wants to do is tend to his vegetable patch. We discussed the morals around the exchange of money for beauty in marriage. Did we pity Chanchala? Absolutely. Did she know exactly what she was doing in pursuing financial security through marriage? Also yes. And were her alternatives equally bleak? Probably

We discussed Arthurs housekeeper, Kamala as being a weaker character. Though uneducated, in love with Arthur and without anything of her own, she behaved overtly confident, constantly described as "marching" around the village and confronting people.

We all enjoyed the personification of Karma however some mentioned they wish it had been taken further. She pops in as a character from time to time, highlighting the mind-set of the villagers but never fully developed enough to become meaningful.

The novel’s short chapters and frequent perspective shifts divided opinion. We all agreed this was often confusing as the characters lacked distinctive voice and everyone had to flick through to try and work out who they now were.

Littered with editing mistakes and bad grammar, the editors and writers of the group felt distracted by the poor publishing, the worst being the change in spelling of a lead characters name mid way through - shame on Penguin India.

Final Thoughts

A fun, basic read for someone travelling Sri Lanka or for the Colombo crowd who feel we have moved on far enough to look back at COVID hysteria with humour. Hot Butter Cuttlefish serves up insight into village attitudes, power dynamics and social hysteria, wrapped in Ferrey’s signature obvious-but-effective humour.

But if you’re new to Ashok Ferrey, this probably isn’t where we’d suggest starting. You may be better off reaching for one of his earlier novels first.