The Ceaseless Chatter of Demons

A wicked tale of the devil in all of us establishes Ferrey as one of the subcontinent’s wittiest voices. ‘I was born ugly. That’s what my mother always said.’ So begins the story of young Sonny Mahadewala who lives a dual life between his adoptive England where he lives in eccentric union with a privileged American and the mixed bliss of the Mahadewala Walauwa the big house on the mountain belonging to his father’s family in Kandy - the ancient capital of Sri Lanka - where he has both cachet and awful memories. For Sonny’s mother a wonderfully maleficent anti-heroine is convinced that demons possess this awfully ugly son of hers. Demons and the devil himself are the playing field of this book whether seated in the draughty chapels of Oxford or roaming the Kandyan countryside and through their clever interplay they speak of larger horrors with able grace. For who is utterly good or utterly evil-and who indeed is the devil? Review 'Ashok Ferrey is a wonderful writer. This lovely surprising book will enchant and amuse. It is quite simply a triumph.' - Alexander McCall Smith'Ashok Ferrey is both court jester and crown prince of modern Sri Lankan writing’ - Shehan Karunatilaka‘Cosmopolitan and diasporic at home in other lands as much as his own’ - Shyam Selvadurai‘Laugh-out-loud funny but also thoughtful moving and beautifully written’ - Ian Rankin on Serendipity About the Author Ashok Ferrey is the author of five works of fiction and Sri Lanka’s best-selling author in English.