The Lyrebird’s Cry: a Compelling Probe into Sexuality and Self-Acceptance

The Lyrebird’s Cry is the recently launched debut novel by Sri Lankan Australian writer, Samantha Sirimanne Hyde.

An alumna of the University of Kelaniya and Sydney’s Macquarie University, Sirimanne Hyde has been engaging in creative writing for over four decades. Her free verse, haiku, tanka and other poetic forms and short fiction have appeared in Australian and overseas publications. 

The book’s acknowledgements page indicates that The Lyrebird’s Cry was inspired by a true story. It explores questions about love, sexuality, gender, marriage, identity and migration. It also probes the main character, Jagath Rajasinghe’s self-acceptance issues with keen understanding and a compassionate eye. 

Apart from the intended pun, the title is metaphoric for like the Australian lyrebird who imitates its surrounding sounds, Jagath from a young age has been trying to impersonate whatever and whoever his parents want him to be.

This compelling novel sensitively unfolds intense and complicated relationships between Jagath and his father Senarath, mother Hiranthi and wife Sepalika. The parents’ reckless refusal to believe or acknowledge that their son is gay drives them to arrange a marriage, totally ignoring the cost to his personal well-being. 

On holiday in Sri Lanka, Jagath’s actions will affect not only himself but also his long-term love, Ryan back in Australia and of course, Sepalika. Will he toe the line? Or is he capable of standing up to his overbearing parents? How free are any of us when we make decisions seems the philosophical point in question.

There is a leitmotif of Buddhist wisdom throughout the story, conveying helpful approaches to the story’s characters and to the reader alike. Each chapter starts with a verse from the Dhammapada pertinent to that section of the story. 

Along Jagath’s tortured journey, he connects with a Buddhist monk who helps him understand that he should live his life the way he was born, explaining that we are not all “wired’’ in the same manner where our sexual identities are concerned. As he explains: “…Not accepting the situation you’re in. Not accepting the nature of things. This in the end leads to disappointment and depression.’’

Whether the reader likes Jagath’s character or not, the novel is a page turner which moves along at a good pace. While the events that unfold are not always in chronological order, the writer manages the various scenes in a very original manner and the reader is always sure where the narrative happens in time and place. 

With interesting characters who represent different perspectives and points of view, the book has a strong filmic quality about it. The physical and cultural milieu of Sri Lanka is brought out in vibrant descriptions as do the occasional queer haunts in Sydney. 

The writer does not hold back on bringing to light cultural hypocrisy and inequality, bigotry and the ferocious power dynamics that exist within some family structures. 

The Lyrebird’s Cry is an incredible voice for the LGBTQIA+ community and a book which would benefit from the backing of a local publishing house, and perhaps a Sinhala translation, and who knows it would also do well on the large screen. 

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