Island Witch by Amanda Jayatissa

Amanda Jayatissa’s previous book, You’re Invited, was just okay for me. But I wanted to give her another chance and requested an e-arc of Island Witch on Netgalley. I think Jayatissa should write more horror because this book is incredible. Expected publication is February 20, 2024, and is available for pre-order.

“Set in 19th century Sri Lanka and inspired by local folklore, the daughter of a traditional demon-priest—relentlessly bullied by peers and accused of witchcraft herself—tries to solve the mysterious attacks that have been terrorizing her coastal village.“

Welcome, or Welcome back! My name is Amanda and this is where I share spoiler-free book reviews and other bookish things. Thanks for visiting. Let’s get Smitten For Fiction.

About The Book 📚

Title: Island Witch

Author: Amanda Jayatissa

Publication Date: February 20, 2024

Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group

Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Horror, Historical Fiction

Pages: 384

Content Warnings: sexism, domestic abuse, bullying, body horror, rape, violence

About The Author

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20764500.Amanda_Jayatissa

Grew up in Sri Lanka
One of the first Sri Lankan women to get an international book deal
Her first novel My Sweet Girl won Best Debut Novel at the International Thriller Writers Awards in 2022
Lives with her husband and two dogs in Portugal
https://www.amandajayatissa.com

My Review

› In the Author’s Note, Jayatissa said “My beautiful island has been called many names throughout history. It was known as Taprobane by the Greeks, Serendib by the Arabs, Ceylon by the British – which is when this story takes place – among many others.” Sri Lanka is a small island in the Indian Ocean that is about 432 km long and 224 km wide. Due to its location near India, their cultures have influenced each other. Amanda Jayatissa demonstrates this close relationship in Island Witch with the commentary about Buddhism and Hinduism. This story also shows the impact of British colonization on Sri Lanka.

› Although there are big themes like colonization, religion, superstition, and women’s rights, Island Witch doesn’t feel preachy. It’s a dark, tense, and emotional book about a young woman discovering the truth about herself, her family, her friends, and her town.

› The cover for Island Witch is eye-catching. It exudes a mysterious, gothic jungle vibe. Perfect for this thrilling horror novel set in 19th-century Sri Lanka.

› First Line: “The demon-drums started and the little girl’s face contorted like a blood-soaked rag being twisted dry.”

› The story begins with Amara‘s father, Thaththa, performing an exorcism on a little girl possessed by a yakku (demon). Amara is eighteen years old. Her father is a Capuwa, a demon-priest. Amara has been accompanying her father since she was a young girl, but now that she’s older her mother, Amma, doesn’t feel it’s appropriate and thinks Amara needs to focus on finding a husband.

› Raam is Amara’s secret boyfriend. They’ve been secretly seeing each other for two years and cannot reveal their relationship until they are engaged. Raam keeps delaying the engagement saying it’s not the right time. Amara wishes she could talk to her long-time friend Neha about it, but they had a falling out when Neha became good friends with British teenagers who bully Amara.

› British colonization has caused some of the townspeople to shun Thaththa’s work, however, they still call upon him for help. They call Amara a witch – “a new term brought over by the British”.

“Even though the number of families converting to Christianity had continued to grow on our island since the invasion of the British, our Sinhalese traditions had coexisted harmoniously till now.”

› Amara has been sleepwalking. Waking up on the beach or in the jungle without recollection of how she got there. Her mother has been making her drink a tonic every morning – what is it for?

› Thaththa gave Amara a suray, a talisman that she wears around her neck, to protect her. “It was meant to protect me, but I never understood from what.”

› Amara encounters Heen Achchi. Four feet tall, with white hair, two teeth, and white-glazed eyes, the townspeople have long forgotten Heen Achchi’s real name. Amara’s father told her that Heen Achchi can look into other worlds. She tells Amara that there is darkness surrounding her and warns her to be careful.

› Something has been attacking men in the jungle and some people accuse Amara’s family. Determined to find out who is responsible for the attacks, Amara teams up with Bhagya – a young girl she met in the jungle – to clear her father’s name.

“Shame had permeated me for as long as I could remember. It was planted by the nuns at school, and cultivated by the girls in class. It only grew as I got older, even as I started to understand that I didn’t have anything to be shameful for.”

› Who is responsible for the attacks? Will Thaththa be arrested for the attacks? Is he attacking people? What do Amara’s dreams mean? Why is Amara sleepwalking? What is the tonic for? Why does her father think she needs protection? Why are her parents being secretive?

› The character name meanings are accurate and even a little spoilery so I’ll let you look that up yourself. The characters are well-developed. Raam gives me the ick. “It’ll be nice to have something to remember you by. To remind me that you’re mine.” Ew.

› I love the descriptions and world-building. The atmosphere is dark and emotional. You can tell this was well-researched and Jayatissa effectively weaves the folklore into a powerful and unique story.

› There is commentary about unwed pregnancy and how that can ruin a woman’s life, yet it doesn’t affect men the same way. Even the way they treat women once they start menstruation is degrading. When a woman has her first period (known as Kili) she is forced to segregate for two weeks, staying in a small hut alone because women are believed to be unclean.

› The writing is high-quality with great readability and believable dialogue. The inclusion of other languages immerses the reader into the culture. The point of view puts you in Amara’s shoes and you feel just as confused as she does. Jayatissa shines when writing horror:

“She took a step closer to me, her limbs like spider legs, her body clicking and disjointed as she moved.”

› I loved the beginning, the middle is a little slow, and I didn’t like the ending. But that doesn’t affect how I feel about the book. There isn’t a lot of fluff, every sentence is moving the plot forward. Horror book tropes are all here: evil, open windows and doors, strange nightmares, inclement weather, a mysterious neighbour, and feelings of being watched.

› I didn’t want to put this down. I think the message is unique and Jayatissa succeeded in writing a dark feminist horror story. I didn’t see any plot holes.

› In the past I have given a rating out of ten and converted that to a star rating, but I’m no longer giving a star rating here on my blog. I will continue to do that on Goodreads and The Story Graph.

› Final Thoughts
• Women have been afraid to walk alone at night for centuries. It’s about time men knew how that felt. Island Witch is an unforgettable, terrifying and poignant book about colonization, class inequality, sexism, family dynamics, superstition, betrayal, and revenge. It reminded me of Monstrilio and I can definitely see the influences from The Exorcist and Carrie.