I am in two minds over this book. Parts of it were sheer brilliance and the end felt like somebody pushed me from a tall cliff into a dry river bed. The lyrical interpretations of Sinhalese history, its locales, Buddhist and Hindu philosophies spewed by the two main characters, Sita and Irfan in course of their conversations in Lanka, the golden land; the gorgeous narrative of the Sindh and interiors of Karachi had me hooked and absolutely transfixed with the story. However, women always are seen to be more forgiving than men and in reality they are, Sita just seemed to be someone who captivated attention wherever she went. Her Colombia education made her a free thinking liberal woman unafraid to smoke cigarettes and drink in the company of men, for which I don't judge or despise her, but the men around her exploited her emotionally. Sita's vulnerability tugged my heart and the way her life came to be drifted apart at places and in the company of people she thought she knew and loved her, just saddened me. I am terribly miserable about the way the book shaped her character and my empathy for her cannot be judged in stars.