ISLAND OF A THOUSAND MIRRORS: A NARRATIVE OF TRAUMA, IDENTITY AND SUBALTERNITY

Nayomi Munaweera’s novel Island of a Thousand Mirrors is a poignant exploration of the Sri Lankan Civil War and its devastating impact on the lives of individuals, particularly the subaltern Tamilian women. The novel delves into the themes of trauma, identity, and subalternity, weaving a complex narrative spanning multiple generations and geographical locations. Drawing on theories of subalternity by Gayatri Spivak and Antonio Gramsci and trauma theory by Cathy Caruth, the paper examines how the Tamil character Saraswathi embodies the silenced, violated subaltern woman. Simultaneously, Yasodhara, a Sinhala girl living in Diaspora, provides a counterpoint to Saraswathi’s path, revealing the complexities of memory, guilt, and cultural dislocation. This abstract explores the ways in which the novel critiques the dominant Sinhala-Buddhist nationalism, highlights the agency ofsubaltern women, and underscores the need for a nuanced understanding of the Sri Lankan conflict and its ongoing impact on individuals and communities.