It was all of this detail that led me to struggle through a lot of this book. I still couldn't tell you much about it in spite of having now passed my eyes over words describing many matches, strategies, accoutrements, and people pertaining thereto. Until I read this book, I knew nothing about cricket except that it exists. I recommend you find a Wisden from the 80s or 90s and read that instead. From a technical perspective, the diagrams that are included are reproduced so poorly that they are illegible. I waited to see if the final section (avoiding spoilers) would redeem the rest of the book, but it doesn't. Given its length, there is nothing illuminating, enriching or even memorable about it. While the writing style is sometimes interesting (as is the cricket, if you're a fan), Chinaman left me cold.

The other important ingredient in Chinaman is alcoholism and its effects. 'Ms Second Generation', which I infer is Chandrika Kumaratunga). He generally refers to key political figures by nicknames (e.g. For those unfamiliar with this latter subject (including me), be warned that the author is oblique in his references. The historical context is Sri Lankan's travails in the late twentieth century. The major theme of the book is the mutability of the past – personal as well as sporting and political. A shared obsession between the principal characters, 'cricket' could just as well have been 'snooker' or 'stamp collecting'.

Although it would be difficult to understand Chinaman without a good knowledge of cricket, the game is a device rather than the substance of the book. It isn't, though entries in this category are few (Selincourt's The Cricket Match is probably the front-runner). I was given this book as a gift because the giver had heard it described as the best novel written about cricket.

Chinaman by shehan karunatilaka