Summer is the season for stretching out in the sun with a good book. If you need a suggestion, this year, U of G’s annual common reading program, Gryphons Read, will explore Funny Boy by Shyam Selvadurai.

In this remarkable novel, a boy’s bittersweet passage to maturity and sexual awakening is set against escalating political tensions in Sri Lanka during the seven years leading up to the 1983 riots. Arjie Chelvaratnam is a Tamil boy growing up in an extended family in Colombo. It is through his eyes that the story unfolds, and we meet a delightful, sometimes eccentric cast of characters.

Funny Boy will be released this fall as a film by the same name. The screenplay is written by Selvadurai, and the picture is directed by renowned filmmaker Deepa Mehta.

Students, staff and faculty are welcome to join the Gryphons Read Program, which includes the opportunity to participate in an online book club to discuss the novel in September, and to virtually meet with Selvadurai to further discuss his work. Gryphons Read participants get access to resources that will help make the book come alive and support their reflection on themes the novel addresses.

Gryphons Read is sponsored by the Office of the Provost, the McLaughlin Library, the Experiential Learning Hub and the College of Arts at the University of Guelph. For more information, contact gryphonsread@uoguelph.ca.