Cooper’s River of Ink is an exquisite offering whose words sing in the blood. Ink spills across the cover like the eponymous river, evoking the beautiful nature of the story within. This is a tale of conquest, change, and forbidden love. Likewise, it is a  tale of ancient Sri Lanka.

Above all, it is the story of Asanka, royal poet to King Parakrama. When an invading army takes over the kingdom, the new ruler, Kalinga Magha, commissions Asanka to do a translation. Magha wants to make an epic poem from the Sanskrit available in Tamil, and accessible to everyone. In an act of rebellion towards a capricious ruler, Asanka slips allusions into his translation. He hints that Magha is like Shishupal, another ruthless ruler.

Now, ancient Sri Lanka is not my usual forte for historical fiction. Cooper seems to have done an admirable amount of research. There are no false notes in the story that ring anachronistic. Cooper’s elegant writing style made enjoyable a viewpoint I tend to avoid. Written in first person, this story is recollection and memory. Asanka writes to his lover Sarasi, reminiscing of this time of upheaval and change. The characters are well-drawn out. I will admit, there were times when Asanka got on my nerves with his timidity. However, he is a poet- a writer, not a warrior. The type of person whose gentle, empathic nature crumples in the face of brutality and violence. In these things, it was nice to see a main character with abundant human flaws.

River of Ink is Cooper’s debut novel, a marvellous offering from a brilliant young author. I look forward to future works from him. If you enjoy well-wrought literary fiction, and becoming deeply immersed in a another time, and another place, then this is the book for you.

Reviewed for the San Francisco Book Review