Amma

Saraid de Silva’s debut novel Amma is a fascinating and beautifully rich exploration of intergenerational trauma, identity, and the weight of silence passed down through a Sri Lankan diaspora family. Spanning Singapore, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Australia and London, the story traces three generations of women (Josephina, Sithara, and Annie) whose lives are irrevocably shaped by a violent act committed in 1951.

The novel opens in London with Annie, who is searching for her estranged uncle, and quickly moves between time periods and geographies to unveil the emotional echoes of Josephina’s childhood trauma. De Silva’s non-linear structure allows the reader to slowly piece together how inherited pain shapes relationships, parenting, and personal identity.

De Silva’s prose is wonderful and impressive, with hair, food, and place rendered as rich symbols of cultural memory and emotional states. The novel’s treatment of trauma is gentle yet unflinching, balancing moments of sorrow with warmth and defiant hope. While its scope is broad, Amma is deeply intimate, capturing the everyday details of diasporic life and the quiet complexities of mother-daughter relationships.

Though some may find the ending a little too tidy, the emotional journey is both moving and authentic. Amma is not just about surviving trauma, but about reclaiming space, voice, and joy. It’s a tender and beautifully crafted novel that affirms Saraid de Silva as an exciting new literary voice. For readers of multigenerational and diasporic fiction, Amma is a powerful and memorable addition.