The Hamilton Case: A Novel

by Michelle de Kretser and Kretser Michelle de

Book Overview

A flamboyant beauty who once partied with the Prince of Wales and who now, in her seventh decade, has "gone native" in a Ceylonese jungle. A proud, Oxford-educated lawyer who unwittingly seals his own... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0316010812
• Release Date: April 2005
• Publisher: Back Bay Books
• Length: 321 Pages
• Weight: 0.66 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 0.8" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

Family secrets, murder in the jungle and Ceylonese tea

The Hamilton Case is set in gorgeous, seductive landscape, Sri Lanka, and tells a captivating story of pompous Sam Obey, his family and its secrets. Sam is an Edwardian scholar who returns to his native Ceylon after studies. His native country is going through a complex period politically and socially, and different people make different decisions how to cope with the changes and chose to believe in different things. Through Sam's interaction with the other characters draws, we are unveiled a tragic portrait of Sam. Sam later takes on the Hamilton Case, which turns out to be a story within the story, and proves that there can be more than one way of seeing the world, more than one way to understand reality. The novel is cleverly written, and told through four different narratives. Author's language is lush and enchanting, and hauntingly draws the readers into the heart of Ceylonese jungle.

Exotic setting, deep secrets and a troubled family

The author, now living is Australia, is native to Sir Lanka, the setting for this rather complex 2003 novel. The country was called Ceylon before independence in 1948 and most of the action of the story takes place then, under the yoke of an English colonialism which penetrated into every aspect of life. The first few chapters introduce our main character, Sam Obeysekere, born in the early part of the 20th century to a privileged dark skinned Ceylonese family. There are troubles though and deep secrets which are only hinted at in the beginning. But as we get to know Sam better, there are some things that start us wondering. Sam grows up, is educated at Oxford, and comes back to Sri Lanka to become a prosecuting attorney. That's when he encounters the Hamilton Case. A wealthy tea grower had been murdered. At first it was blamed on the coolies who worked on his plantation. But after a little investigation, that an Englishman was put on trial, something unthinkable at the time because this was a Ceylonese court. Even after the case ended, there were loose ends that were never tied up, but that was only halfway through the book. As the story goes along we meet some memorable characters, most notably Sam's mother Maud. She was once of the privileged set, the type of woman who raised eyebrows in the 1920s with her flamboyance. She drank and smoked and went to parties and usually was the subject of gossip. As she aged, however, and her husband died, she depended on Sam who was now a wealthy man, married and with a son of his own. By now my own feelings about him had changed as he treated both his wife and his mother badly. Basically, Maud was allowed to live in the home of her young womanhood where Sam was born. This home was at the edge of a jungle and she was virtually a prisoner there even though she had two servants, who are themselves interesting characters. It was in this portion of the book that I learned more than I ever imagined I wanted to know about insects, snakes, plants, humidity, monsoon storms, leaking roofs and deep loneliness. And I got to love Maud who somehow never lost her spirit and energy even though she started losing her mind. The author uses words well, a flowery style that seems a bit too over-decorative in places, but yet is entirely appropriate to the characterizations of the people and the worship of the English language at the time. Through it all though, there is a rumble of discontent, and we're also introduced to the revolutionary who once was educated in the same English school as Sam. He was also privileged but chose be "of the people", insisting on wearing sarong at all times, even with an English jacket. Early on, he marries Sam's sister. But that is another part of this convoluted story that at first seems disjointed but yet all comes together in the final chapters. One of the things I loved about this book is because it took me to a time and place I knew nothing about. It enriched my u

Author shows phenomenal talent

Some of the positive reviewers have already done a terrific job, I'll just emphasize a few points. First, this book is not a mystery, thriller or legal novel, although some people may get that impression from the title. There is not a lot of fast-paced action. That would be unsuited to the book, set in a hot, wet jungle climate mostly during the British colonial period. You can't read through it fast, because it is necessary to savor the author's use of language. This is a gourmet feast. If you have never been in a jungle at night, you'll learn exactly what it looks, sounds and feels like. Her description is strikingly original: the main character's brother-in-law has a hairy body. What the author says is "one longed to ask him if he'd had an accident with a bottle of hair restorer." The idea of Sam trying so hard to be an Englishman, while the British would always see him as Sinhalese (when he gets off the train at Paddington, a woman immediately assumes he's a porter, although he's been a barrister for many years) reminds me of the predicament of Hari Kumar in The Jewel in the Crown. The story is very intricate, and it is necessary to read to the end to see what may (or may not) have really happened. There are plenty of ghosts (real and figurative)that haunt this family. I think it may be necessary to read this book more than once to fully appreciate it.

You must finish the book before writing the review . . .

Please ignore those who have not finished the book before writing the review. This novel is about a "series of substitutions" that the characters make for absences in their lives. It is a meditation on the mystery novel, and the significance of the Hamilton case can't be understood until you give yourself the pleasure of finisihing the text. This novel is the story of Sam Obeysekere, a man born in Ceylon whose relationship to British Colonialism sets the stage for a discussion of the ways in which his family and culture are marked by the ghosts that rise up from the thousands of small deaths that result from being less than citizens. It's a gorgeous novel. While the part in the middle about his mother seems in some ways to be off-track, please stick with this novel. This is an extraordinarily beautiful book.

"The past was retrievable. He was certain of it"

In 1802 Ceylon was made a colony of the British Empire. Immediately, dissensions within the kingdom gave the British an opportunity to interfere in Ceylonese affairs. Restrictions on European ownership of land were lifted. The British adopted a unitary administrative and judicial system for the whole island. They reduced the autocratic powers of the governor and set up Executive and Legislative councils to share in the task of government; unofficial members of government were gradually appointed to the Legislative Council. English became the language of government and the medium of instruction in schools. Opportunities were created for the Ceylonese entrepreneur, and employment was plentiful for the English-educated. The Hamilton Case, an absolutely gorgeously written novel, is set against the backdrop of this profound social change. The novel tells the story of Sam Obeysekere, an Oxford-educated, a lawyer, the son of a "mudaliar." Once regional leaders, the mudaliars became colonial administrators for the British, making them extremely rich. Sam is a loyal British subject who "obeys by name, obeys by nature." Sam's Ceylon is a country of champagne parties, dowager ladies, servants, cricket matches, and elephant hunting. Sam's father, extravagant and wasteful, is killed early on in the story. His mother, Maud, is vacuous, with a weakness for "fornication and whatnot." Sam bitterly resents his mother's philandering ways and her decision to let his fragile sister Claudia, marry Jaya, a bourgeois friend from his childhood whom he bitterly resents. Sam takes his unspoken anxieties out on his family - a family further addled by being mortgaged to the hilt. Preservation of the family money becomes a war that is waged hourly, skirmish-by-skirmish. Sam thinks he has "weight and quiddity" but his life is like a "gale raging off stage, mocking him with losses."The novel centers on the scandalous murder of Hamilton, a British landowner. Through what he believes is brilliant detective work, Sam "proves" that Hamilton was killed by another Englishman. But as the story progresses it becomes apparent that the case was interpreted according to the different interests of the particular political and legal parties at the time. Each protagonist, such as the Tamils and the British - were forced to choose his side in a colonial structure on the very brink of breaking down.In the center of the novel, the narrative shifts back to Sam's dysfunctional family. Claudia, wracked with guilt at her child's death, commits suicide. Maud, with her fading beauty, is entombed in Lokugama, the family estate, where she is left to decay and wonder the corridors talking of enchantment. Sam's under appreciated and troubled wife Leela - whom he only marries out of a sense of filial duty - is ensconced in Allenby House, where in "every room the sea mourns with her." The final part of the novel involves Sam's troubled relationship with his son, Harry. Sam wants Harry to have the best of e