Chinaman

W.G. Karunasena, a cantankerous and terminally ill former sportswriter, is making his final, fervent wish known: to discover the truth behind Pradeep S. Mathew, the enigmatic, six-fingered spin bowler he declares "the greatest cricketer to walk the earth." As his life ebbs away, W.G. defiantly dedicates his remaining months to this obsessive quest, largely ignoring his long-suffering wife and estranged son. Armed with copious amounts of arrack and a relentless spirit, he embarks on a sprawling, often hilarious, and increasingly surreal investigation across the vibrant and scarred landscape of Sri Lanka. His journey unearths a motley crew of characters, from former teammates and coaches to a fearsome Tamil Tiger warlord, each holding a piece of Pradeep’s mystifying past. Through unreliable narrators and fantastic tales, W.G. delves into the heart of Sri Lankan history, politics, and its profound cultural obsession with cricket. As he painstakingly pieces together the puzzle of Pradeep’s disappearance, he unwittingly confronts startling truths not only about the legendary cricketer but also about his own life, his country, and the elusive nature of genius and memory. This wildly inventive debut is a darkly humorous, poignant, and kaleidoscopic exploration of sport, obsession, and a nation's soul.