Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens by Shankari Chandran, published in 2022, is a winner of the 2023 Miles Franklin Award. This award-winning fiction novel caught me off guard.
It was really not what I was expecting.
What I thought was going to be a cozy story about some seniors at a nursing home turned out to be a multi-layered narrative that explores themes such as racism, violence, trauma, community, and resilience. It was deep and thought-provoking. It was shocking and sorrowful. It was not my typical read, yet I loved it.
It was easy to see why this is an award-winning novel.
Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens Summary
There are a number of key characters in this novel. Cinnamon Gardens Nursing Home is a retirement home in Sydney, Australia, owned by Maya, an elderly widow. Maya is a writer who publishes under an Anglo-Saxon name to sell her books.
Maya’s daughter Anji helps her run the nursing home. Anji’s best friend, Nikki, also works at the nursing home. Nikki and her husband Gareth’s relationship is struggling due to the loss of a child. Anji’s husband, Nathan, is their counselor. Ruben is a staff member at the nursing home and is of Sri Lankan heritage. He has scars and secrets of his own.
Quite a few of the residents are migrants from Sri Lanka who escaped the civil war (much like Maya and her husband Zakhir) to live peaceful lives.
Though Cinnamon Gardens Nursing Home is a beautiful place offering familiar cuisine and a variety of multi-cultural and multi-religious activities for its residents, there is racism outside its walls. Quite literally.
RelatedMrs. Endicott’s Splendid Adventure by Rhys Bowen: A Joyous Reinvention Tale With Unexpected Grit
The walls are graffiti with unpleasant messages, while Ruben is repeatedly subjected to racism-driven violence, which the police haven’t done much about. Amongst all that, the nursing home comes into the spotlight for alleged racism towards white Australians.
There are parallels drawn between the tragedies of the residents who escaped and what they ultimately faced. We get to see how experiences shape the lives of people in the actions they take.
Enjoying this article?
Subscribe to our weekly newsletterStrengths
Character development is a strong suit of this novel.
We see a range of characters from quirky residents at the nursing home who have their own histories to the staff and related characters dealing with their own issues. Although it was heartbreaking, I liked how Ruben’s story intertwines with Maya’s towards the end and helps give some closure.
A quote that is repeated in the novel is “Possession of land is nine-tenths of the law; possession of history is nine-tenths of the future.” This showed the importance of preserving history and of storytelling, and especially what it meant for Maya and Zakhir.
Another related quote is
The stories we tell each other, and the stories we tell ourselves. The stories we reveal, and those we hide. The stories we tell our children. These are the temples we build, they must not be erased.
Their conviction in this was a huge part of Maya and Zakhir’s lives right to the end. Maya, Zakhir, and Ruben survived the horrors of civil war, but that was not the end of their struggles. Shankari’s powerful prose brings us the incredible stories of the characters’ pasts and how they relate to their present.
RelatedWayward Girls Review: Susan Wiggs’ Most Haunting Historical Fiction Yet
Weaknesses
This award-winning read flicks back and forth to show the histories of different characters.
There are different timelines and settings to follow, and some readers may not find it easy to do so. While I did find this to be an amazing novel, I did not initially appreciate that it was not what I was expecting.
I found the descriptions of the atrocities during the Civil War period particularly disturbing to read. There are descriptions of violence and torture that leave you with a heaviness.
I had to pause at a couple of places because it felt like it was too much, yet I soon continued because I needed to know what happened.
I do think that some readers may need a trigger warning if they are to read this. The synopsis at the back of the book didn’t mention the civil war, so I had no idea that it would be mentioned, and with additional details along with it.
RelatedThe 10 Must-Read 2025 Releases Everyone’s Adding To Their TBRs
Key Themes and Takeaways
Apologies in advance if this is a bit sombre, but that has been the whole vibe of the novel itself. It simply cannot be avoided.
This novel is definitely a tear-jerker, but it has also been very educational. I was completely unaware of the plight of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka.
I was also unaware of the terrible things that happen to people during civil wars. I’m not much into politics, but this book really brings the social and political injustices of the world into the limelight.
Wars are not something I ever spend time thinking about, but this novel made me stop and think about just how different the political climates are across the globe.
This novel really gives you an in-depth perspective of what drives people to leave their homes to seek refuge elsewhere. It made me think of the refugee crisis in the world today and the inequality of standards of living across the globe. We live in a world that has luxuries for some, while others have war, terror, and starvation.
Verdict
Although I found the synopsis misleading, I still thought this was a great novel. I admit I probably would not have chosen to read this book if I knew it was about surviving a civil war and dealing with racism; however, I don’t regret reading it.
There was a lot of depth and cultural richness in this award-winning novel. I would rate this book four and a half out of five stars. As much as it made me cry, it was a story worth reading. It really makes you think about the injustices in the world that are still there even today. If you love a good tear-jerker, I absolutely recommend this book.
*Disclosure: We only recommend books that we love and would read ourselves. This post contains affiliate links, as we are part of the Amazon Services LCC Associate Program and others, which may earn us a small commission, at no additional cost to you.
The Review
Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens
I thought this was a great novel. I admit I probably would not have chosen to read this book if I knew it was about surviving a civil war and dealing with racism; however, I don’t regret reading it
PROS
- Rich characters
- Important themes
- Critically recognized
CONS
- Heavy themes
- Complex, layered plot
Amazon
Barnes&Noble
Walmart
