Seelawathi, a young village girl is brought to the city to care for Cat, the daughter of a prominent Colombo family. With her parents involved with each other and their active social life, Cat soon comes to regard Seelawathi as her parent and best friend. They build their own happy microcosmic life within the large household, and are relatively content until Seelawathi falls in love. Her forbidden relationship challenges the rigid boundaries of society and leads to a cataclysmic end of innocence. The Lament of the Dhobi Woman explores the issue of class in Colombo society and the fragile intricacies of love and forgiveness.

About the author

Karen Roberts was born in 1965 in Sri Lanka. She worked in advertising in Colombo and Dubai, and now lives in California. Her first novel, Flower Boy, was published by Random House in 2000. Her novels have been translated into Dutch, Greek, Portuguese and Spanish.