Bookworm, Issue 18

The Book: Brotherless Night by V.V. Ganeshananthan

With the arresting statement, “I recently sent a letter to a terrorist I used to know,” V.V. Ganeshananthan opens Brotherless Night and introduces readers to the book’s brave narrator Sashikala Kulenthiren. Sashi goes on to reveal that she herself was once a terrorist, too. But, she cautions against a rush to judgment; for “when two terrorists encountered each other in my world, what they said first was simply hello. Like any two people you might know or love.”

And so, from the outset, readers understand that Brotherless Night is a complex story – one in which rightness and wrongness are not always clearly defined. The novel mostly takes place in Sri Lanka during the 1980s as civil war erupts between Sinhalese government forces and the country’s Tamil ethnic minority. At the time, sixteen-year-old Sashi, a Tamil, is living with her family in Jaffna and studying to enter medical school.

Our wine pairing is based on point-of-view – strong, female perspectives. In this case, the producers are two women who use winemaking, instead of words, to express themselves. This wine’s textural weight aligns with the book’s serious contents, but its contrasting bright flavors and acidity balance the somber tone.

For readers who are unfamiliar with Sri Lanka’s 30-year civil war, Ganeshananthan’s novel gently educates, but it accomplishes so much more. The story generates understanding and empathy as the author develops a confident, smart, young woman’s voice. Sashi attends medical school, works in a field hospital, and eventually practices medicine in the West. She frequently addresses readers, calmly but with urgent insight, “I want you to understand: it does not matter if you cannot imagine the future. Still, relentless, it comes.” Escalating violence and grief shape her journey, but it’s her moral fortitude that sets this story apart.

Young Tamil men comprise an “epidemic of disappearing boys” as they are left with little choice but to join the militant Tigers or risk detainment by government forces. At the center of Sashi’s life are her three older brothers, Niranjan, Dayalan, and Seelan; one younger brother, Aran; and their family friend K. The men who choose the Tigers must demonstrate unwavering loyalty to the “movement” – ahead of one’s family, friends, and even oneself. As priorities diverge, once-close connections fray.

Despite this rising tension, it’s within the book’s relationships that readers find balance to an otherwise grim story. On occasion, humanity triumphs over hatred as people reach across ethnic, caste or religious divides to help one another. Moments of tenderness and intimacy provide relief from the realities of war. One evening on campus, K finds Sashi alone, and they walk holding hands. They imagine a life together without war; it’s a brief, yet sweet and heartbreaking, exchange.

The civil war prevents people from speaking openly, especially about politics, but also about everyday life. At university, Sashi meets Anjali, a beloved professor who courageously criticizes both the Tigers and the Sri Lankan government. Anjali “announce(s) her loves” by inviting students to her home, introducing her family, and sharing her interests in music and books – calling attention to “what we had that was worth defending: ordinary things.” In doing so, Anjali remains committed to human connection and resists rising fear, isolation and militarization.

By weaving together carefully-researched history and a fictional coming-of-age story, Ganeshananthan creates an unforgettable page-turner. And, in between the real and the imagined, she reveals some uncomfortable truths. As the politics of war play out, ordinary people suffer the most. The war claims Sashi’s loved ones and her home – everything she’s known and the people who know her. She carries on, unsheltered from the grief, unable to change the outcome. The novel does not have a happy ending, but that honesty is its greatest success.

The Wine: Camins 2 Dreams, Grüner Veltliner, Spear Vineyards, Sta. Rita Hills AVA, California, 2021 $32.99

This wine is medium lemon. It has medium (+) intensity on the nose with aromas of fresh green apple and pear, cracked white pepper, pineapple, lemongrass, lime zest, sea salt, honeysuckle, orange blossom and ginger.

On the palate, the wine is dry with medium (+) acidity, medium (+) body, and medium alcohol at 12.5% ABV. It has medium (+) intensity and a medium (+) finish. Flavors include lemon, lime, grapefruit, orange pith, green apple, underripe pineapple, white pepper, sea salt and honeysuckle. This wine has mouth-coating, textural weight that enjoyably contrasts the bright and fresh citrus flavors and elevated acidity. It’s absolutely delicious!

The wine is unfined and unfiltered. You might notice tartrate crystals (harmless) on the cork, like I did. It’s a sign of low-intervention winemaking in which the producer has prioritized flavor and structure over predictability.

Winemakers Mireia Taribó and Tara Gomez are the couple behind Camins 2 Dreams. Their belief is that “wine is made in the vineyard,” and so their intention is to highlight terroir. This Grüner Veltliner is made from organic grapes that are foot-stomped and left to macerate for several hours before pressing. The juice is then fermented using natural yeast and aged in a combination of neutral French oak barrels and stainless steel tanks.

Why the pairing works:

Sashi’s courageous, feminist point-of-view inspires this pairing with a wine from Camins 2 Dreams founders and winemakers Mireia Taribó and Tara Gomez, who are a married couple. In Brotherless Night, Sashi bears witness to war, and it’s a tragedy; but her narration is also an act of love, for her country and to her family and friends. For Taribó and Gomez, winemaking is an expression of love, too; they use it to share their dedication to the land and the vines and to one another.

Throughout the novel, Sashi is true to herself and works steadily toward her dream to become a doctor. She remains focused on helping people. “(Medicine is) a kind of safety, and if I can make anyone feel safer, that’s the kind of work I want to do,” she says.

Winemakers Mireia Taribó and Tara Gomez have an equally clear (but different) vision. Their winemaking philosophy revolves around respect for the vineyard and minimal intervention in the winery to craft wines with a true sense of place. (They work with vineyards in Santa Barbara County’s Sta. Rita Hills AVA, where the climate is influenced by the ocean. Foggy mornings, cool nights and marine soils contribute to their wines’ character.)

The aromas, flavors and structure of this Grüner Veltliner both contradict and compliment the novel. Bright citrus and acidity contrast the heartbreaking story of a family torn apart by civil war, providing respite from the suffering. But the wine’s rich, mouth-filling texture adds complexity and aligns with the serious subject matter, ultimately keeping the pair in balance.