TALKING TO THE SKY BY RIZVINA MORSETH DE ALWIS
A compelling new literary novel, Talking to the Sky by Rizvina Morseth de Alwis was launched at the Royal Colombo Golf Club on October 9th, 2026.
Set against the backdrop of the Easter Attack, one of the darkest moments in Sri Lanka’s history, Talking to the Sky is an exploration of love, betrayal, faith, and a mother’s determination to uncover the truth when the whole world seems determined to hide it.
The story revolves around Aisha Hamid, who has spent her life holding her family together. Born Malay and married into a traditional Muslim household, she balances the demands of motherhood, an absent husband, and two very different children.
When the Easter Sunday bombings shatter the country, her world is upended as, in the chaos that follows, her son Aqib disappears. As suspicion, fear and political opportunism sweep through the nation, Aisha is forced into a desperate search for answers. But the deeper she digs, the more she uncovers secrets that threaten everything she believes about her family, her community and herself.
Talking to the Sky traces how political events are intrinsically interwoven with personal lives. “I tried to capture the complexities of faith and explore the diverse and complicated experiences of being Muslim in contemporary Sri Lanka,” said the author, Rizvina Morseth de Alwis. “I spent years in the minds of Aisha and the other characters examining why they believe the things they believe and the different ways in which they are shaped by their beliefs.” She likened the struggle of her characters to her own struggle with faith and ambivalence, “questioning and critiquing it and, at the same time, wanting to protect it” reflecting a sense of alienation she sometimes feels from her community and a deep desire to belong to it.
Talking to the Sky “is a must-read,” said Prof. Neluka Silva, Senior Professor of English at the University of Colombo, who graced the occasion as the Guest Speaker. She highlighted how Talking to the Sky “undermines the malaise that beleaguers Sri Lanka: the homogenising of ethnic groups in the collective consciousness. Throughout our history, political discourses, popular culture, even social and casual conversations, pivot around ethnic stereotypes.” Talking to the Sky, she said, challenges the singular narrative “by interweaving a multitude of perspectives, forcing us as readers and citizens to confront our own prejudices, while accentuating what Sri Lanka really is: a rich tapestry of diversity.”
“Rizvina approached a problematic subject with sensitivity and care”, said Sam Perera of Perera and Hussein Publishing House. “This is precisely the type of book Perera and Hussein Books exist to publish, literary fiction that not only entertains but informs and enlightens.”
Born in Sri Lanka, Rizvina Morseth de Alwis writes fiction and non-fiction and has lived and worked in several countries as the Resident Representative of the United Nations (UNFPA).
Her first novel, It’s not in the stars, won the Fairway National Literary Award 2015 and the Sri Lanka State Literary Award 2016. Talking to the Sky is her second novel and was shortlisted in manuscript form for the Gratiaen Prize 2021.
Talking to the Sky is available at https://pererahussein.com/product/talking-to-the-sky/
and in major bookstores, including Barefoot and Sarasavi.
