Crossmatch

When a young boy succumbs to his injuries in the ICU of a busy hospital, no one considers it anything but the result of a tragic accident. No one, that is, but Lotus, a dreamy, introverted medical student, the narrator of the story, who is a chance witness to his final moments. Determined to find out what really happened to him, she embarks on a trail that takes her through the hospitals, slums and mansions of Colombo, and is forced to confront some surprising truths about herself as well as reveal dark secrets behind the apparently respectable façade of the medical establishment. Winner of the Gratiaen Prize 2020 Winner of the State Literary Award (Sri Lanka) for best English novel 2021 Longlisted for the Dublin Literary Award 2022 "Carmel Miranda's first novel creates a unique narrative that combines a sensitive and nuanced understanding of the Lankan medical world with a powerful and moving, yet unsentimental, psychological account of love, loss and reconciliation." Arjuna Parakrama, Senior Professor of English, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka Crossmatch was selected as the winner of the Gratiaen award for 2020 "for its compelling storyline, its convincing characterizations, and its skillful use of language." "[T]he novel explores themes of longing and belonging from the vantage point of different characters from different backgrounds...[It] is also about a quest for justice, and putting the system right, and what that looks like from varying perspectives." The Jury, Gratiaen Prize 2020