Writer Chanis Fernando-Boisard explains that Ayah & Other Stories was born out of My poignant memories of a blessed childhood in Sri Lanka and my life in France, in between traversing many places and time-frames the world over. The writer explains that life is a cycle, one always keeps going back, and in her first chapter, Ayah, the character Asilin's chilling warning, about marrying a foreigner and the dangers of living overseas, is dramatically backed up by a lizard cry, which in Sri Lanka is said to be a signal of foreboding and evil. As a young girl Chanis, called Miss Nelun in the book, found this somewhat dramatic event deeply disturbing, but now, looking back with the wisdom of age, she realizes that Asilin had a point; one is best in one's homeland once that inner rebellion is done with. The power of this collection of stories is in the harsh realities of life's lessons that she succinctly sums up by saying Life is tough, life is unfair; why do some things happen to some and not to others I wonder? Then I shrug my shoulders; what good does it do thinking? Let's just get on with what has to be done. For Chanis jet setting around the world in the airline travel business showed her how travel and tolerance go hand in hand, the more people nurture prejudices, the more I scorn them. Worst terrorist incidence Like most Sri Lankans this enigmatic and deeply spiritual writer is very wary of the dangers of black magic and her superstitions are threaded throughout the book brilliantly brought to life in Chapter 6 Living with The Huynhs, From where I come, they say that hair is a perfect conduit for bad luck, spells and charms, which is why I have become so careful when cleaning my hairbrush or cutting my hair. Living overseas in the West has not changed her views on the spirit world as highlighted in the chapter about a house she lived in We who have lived in this house know that it conceals a hint of madness in its walls and corners. The bathtub on the first floor overflows for no good reason; in the basement pots of food burn to charcoal. From an early age Sri Lankan parents have their children's fingernails cut and burnt to stop them being used in spells to put on them. Like the stories, Chanis has a femme fatale quality to her writing in which the expected ending is twisted, like in Ayah when she is told of Asilin's death on her wedding day, instead of breaking down into tears, she quietly and firmly asserts without even a tear in her eyes: Will someone hand me the jasmines, please. I dare however anyone reading this book not to shed a tear or two by the end of it for Guillaume in particular whom in the last chapter one fears attended the football match at the Stade de France on that bloody Friday, November 13, one of France worst terrorist incidence in 2015! As the final page of Ayah and Other Stories was edited the authors dad died suddenly and I asked the writer if this unexpected tragedy would trigger an early return to live once again in her home country? This quietly rebellious writer responded, I am not ready to go back.
