Teza once electrified the people of Burma with his protest songs against the dictatorship. Arrested by the Burmese secret police in the days of mass protest, he is seven years into a twenty-year sentence in solitary confinement, cut off from his family and contact with other prisoners. Enduring the harsh conditions with resourcefulness, Buddhist patience and humour, he searches for news and human connection in every being and object that is grudgingly allowed into his cell. Despite his isolation, Teza has a profound influence on the world of the cage. He inspires the conscience-ridden senior jailer to radical change. His very existence challenges the brutal authority of Handsome, the junior jailer. Even though his server, the criminal Sein Yun, sees compromising the singer as a ticket out of jail, Teza befriends him, risking falling into the trap of forbidden conversation, food and the most dangerous contraband of all, paper and pen. Lastly there's Little Brother, an orphan child growing up inside the walls. Teza and the boy are prisoners of different orders, but their extraordinary friendship frees both of them in utterly surprising ways. Overturning our expectations, Karen Connelly presents us with a mystifying world that celebrates the human spirit, and spirit itself, in the midst of injustice and violence.
The Lizard Cage
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Review
"expertly constructed, often harrowing thriller" -- The Guardian review by Tash Aw
'a chilling and powerful story' -- Anita Sethi, TLS
Connelly is fluid and well-paced, and her fictive prison world,
set in the actual political hellhole that is present-day Burma, is as
affecting as any UN statistical report about the conditions of life in that
ruined country. -- Edmonton Journal
Connelly reminds me of Latin American writers and poets like Pablo
Neruda, who wrote so eloquently about the ills of their homelands. Like
these writers, too, Connelly finds beauty and kindness and the potential
for redemption in the most unexpected places. -- Toronto Globe and Mail
In The Lizard Cage, Connelly peels away much of the political
rhetoric and gives us the human story, which is both fragile and
resilient.
-- Vancouver Sun
In a feat of epic vision, Karen Connelly uses her every art to
tell the urgent story of what the New York Times calls "Myanmar, arguably
the most repressive regime in the world". The suspense never relents. Hope
is small, but it lives, strengthened by this powerful book. -- Maxine Hong Kingston
The story unfolds perfectly and unaffectedly, with Connelly
striking a remarkable balance in a tale that by turns delights, surprises
and shocks. But even when writing of some of the darkest depths to which
humanity can sink, her poet's heart shines through; she observes with
lucidity and without moralizing. -- Weekend Post
'a chilling and powerful story' -- Anita Sethi, TLS
Connelly is fluid and well-paced, and her fictive prison world,
set in the actual political hellhole that is present-day Burma, is as
affecting as any UN statistical report about the conditions of life in that
ruined country. -- Edmonton Journal
Connelly reminds me of Latin American writers and poets like Pablo
Neruda, who wrote so eloquently about the ills of their homelands. Like
these writers, too, Connelly finds beauty and kindness and the potential
for redemption in the most unexpected places. -- Toronto Globe and Mail
In The Lizard Cage, Connelly peels away much of the political
rhetoric and gives us the human story, which is both fragile and
resilient.
-- Vancouver Sun
In a feat of epic vision, Karen Connelly uses her every art to
tell the urgent story of what the New York Times calls "Myanmar, arguably
the most repressive regime in the world". The suspense never relents. Hope
is small, but it lives, strengthened by this powerful book. -- Maxine Hong Kingston
The story unfolds perfectly and unaffectedly, with Connelly
striking a remarkable balance in a tale that by turns delights, surprises
and shocks. But even when writing of some of the darkest depths to which
humanity can sink, her poet's heart shines through; she observes with
lucidity and without moralizing. -- Weekend Post
Book Description
Winner of the Orange Broadband Prize for New Writers
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Nothing really happens in this book and the novel's climax is revealed within the first few pages. The events of this book though are incidental; the Lizard Cage is a book about people. It's a book about spirit. It's a book about love.
The 'Lizard Cage' is a prison in Burma filled mainly with political prisoners held by the country's insidious Junta. Karen Connelly skilfully peels off layer after layer of the corruption and brutality that affects every strata of Burmese life. Although the story is fictitious, Connelly's tale is all too real and makes for bleak reading.
The novel's mistreated prisoners are a metaphor for the shackled citizens of the country and her beleaguered characters display the spirit in adversity that Burma's citizens often show whilst living under the most oppressive of regimes. The Lizard Cage makes for bleak reading at times, right up to its incredibly bitter-sweet ending and is perhaps a little overlong. That said, this is a powerful, moving novel and anybody who has a passing interest in Burma or Human Rights should read it.
The 'Lizard Cage' is a prison in Burma filled mainly with political prisoners held by the country's insidious Junta. Karen Connelly skilfully peels off layer after layer of the corruption and brutality that affects every strata of Burmese life. Although the story is fictitious, Connelly's tale is all too real and makes for bleak reading.
The novel's mistreated prisoners are a metaphor for the shackled citizens of the country and her beleaguered characters display the spirit in adversity that Burma's citizens often show whilst living under the most oppressive of regimes. The Lizard Cage makes for bleak reading at times, right up to its incredibly bitter-sweet ending and is perhaps a little overlong. That said, this is a powerful, moving novel and anybody who has a passing interest in Burma or Human Rights should read it.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By des teovski
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is the best novel I've ever read.
When I first got hold of it, I had a peep inside as I was walking home.I was unable to put it down and probably risked my life a few times, reading as I walked the streets.I am naturally quite a gloomy individual but this lifted me to somewhere special and new!
What I love most about the book is the circular nature of the plot.Many novels leave you hanging.You've enjoyed the body of the novel but this can't be sustained as it moves to a close and you're disappointed. I don't want to put in a spoiler, but this ending drives you straight back to the beginning for more and this process makes sense!
If you think Buddhism and yoga are daft.Read it.If you think Buddhism might help: read it.If you want to find hope in hopeless circumstances: read it.If you're a realist: read it:it's a treasure trove.
I can't believe this is her first work of fiction.Her skill with words is utterly engaging.Her character construction is vibrant.The plot is remarkable and has the internal action of a wild thriller.
When I first got hold of it, I had a peep inside as I was walking home.I was unable to put it down and probably risked my life a few times, reading as I walked the streets.I am naturally quite a gloomy individual but this lifted me to somewhere special and new!
What I love most about the book is the circular nature of the plot.Many novels leave you hanging.You've enjoyed the body of the novel but this can't be sustained as it moves to a close and you're disappointed. I don't want to put in a spoiler, but this ending drives you straight back to the beginning for more and this process makes sense!
If you think Buddhism and yoga are daft.Read it.If you think Buddhism might help: read it.If you want to find hope in hopeless circumstances: read it.If you're a realist: read it:it's a treasure trove.
I can't believe this is her first work of fiction.Her skill with words is utterly engaging.Her character construction is vibrant.The plot is remarkable and has the internal action of a wild thriller.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Wendy
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is not a pacy, intricately plotted story. It is extremely detailed and perceptive, though at times too drawn out, and it took me some time to get through it. But any time I was finding it too harrowing or tedious to read, I wondered how much more harrowing and tedious it would be to live under those conditions.I enjoy fiction which gives me a window into real-life events and places, (eg. Poisonwood Bible, Half a Yellow Sun, The Good Earth, Cellist of Sarajevo etc.) I know I should study them more formally, but find fiction more accessible. The Burma of this story seems very real and well researched and Karen Connelly's beautiful writing enables us to see and experience it through each of the characters all too well; a book to be admired rather than enjoyed. Leaves you feeling sad and uncomfortable.
I would also recommend 'The Glass Palace' by Amitav Ghosh; a tale of Burma's troubles in earlier times.
I would also recommend 'The Glass Palace' by Amitav Ghosh; a tale of Burma's troubles in earlier times.
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