The Saint of Bright Doors

More of a 3.5 but I'm rounding up.

This turned out to be one of those books where I'm completely confused as to what I feel about it and what can I even write in this review. It was a very intriguing read in parts while very slow to get through in others, and throughout my reading I kept wondering where it was going and what was the point of it all. I can see the influences of Sri Lankan politics in the world building but I guess it was the writing style that just wasn't for me.

But I'm still glad I finally got to read this author's work. And the well narrated audiobook definitely helped me to want to pick it up whenever I could find little time.

I've never read anything like The Saint of Bright Doors – wildly inventive, totally mesmerizing, and it upended my expectations at every turn. It reads like an established author's career-defining masterpiece, rather than a debut novel.

Vajra Chandrasekera paints a vivid picture of a city on the brink – told through the eyes of a man born and raised to be a master assassin, a catalyst of change in the world, bound for one singular purpose – but his skills dull from disuse and he strays from his destined path. The synopsis may not sound unique, but the tale and its telling are wholly original.

I was so impressed with Chandrasekera's ability to craft a complex, political, and also surreal story in such an intelligible way. I was spellbound the entire time I spent with this book and I can't wait to read it again, just to recapture some of the awe I felt the first time around.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

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My experience of this audiobook was enhanced by a reviewer who urged readers to “not think about the plot details” and instead experience the world building. I second this advice and add that it helped me to view the story almost as an allegory - what colonization in the past does to a world and people in it. Even more so, it shines light on the growing darkness in our world - plague, pomgroms, ‘religion' colliding with governments to oppress those in the wrong “caste” and more. The fantastical elements were less than expected and not well explained - plot devices and symbols (like the “bright doors” of the title.) Overall, an engaging listen and a thoughtful exploration of how religion can use power and violence.??

I don't know how to describe this book because it has a lot of things it's saying, but the plot doesn't really go anywhere. But I still really enjoyed it. The basic storyline is about a man (Fetta) who leaves the cult he grew up in and goes to the big city. While there he makes friends, learns that he wants more out of life than fulfilling a destiny his mother thrust on him, and he also learns about the messed up things the people in power in the city are doing. Underneath that story, the book is saying a lot about classism, oppression of minorities, the lasting negative effects of colonialism, the dangers of hive mind, the inadequacies of government, etc. I was having a fantastic time for the first maybe 60% of the book. After that I was still interested in the story, but I was just kind of along for the meandering ride the plot had become. Even up to the last 3 chapters I was thinking “how exactly are we going to end this story? Everything is really up in the air?”. And I would say we got a plot twist I was really not expecting at all but it lead to an anticlimactic ending. So I liked it but I don't know if I could strongly recommend everyone read this. I could see a lot of people getting bored or frustrated with the lack of forward momentum with the plot.