The Story of a Brief Marriage: A Novel

The Story of a Brief Marriage: A Novel

by Anuk Arudpragasam

4.0 (617)

4.0 stars from 617 reviews. Top 94% of Historical Fiction books we track.

208 pages~3.5 hr readPublished by Center Point Large PrintPublished 2016-01-01

$11.1121% off peak

Last checked: May 14, 2026

Price history: $1.99 $14.15

While not the biggest discount we've seen for this book, it's still a great deal and we recommend grabbing it before price returns to its normal range.

Price range: $1.99 $14.15

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Fans of these authors will like this...

  • Arundhati Roy
  • Khaled Hosseini
  • Yaa Gyasi

Fans of these books will like this...

  • The God of Small Things
  • A Thousand Splendid Suns
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Perfect for you if...

  • You're drawn to literary fiction that treats ordinary people with profound dignity, even in catastrophic circumstances.
  • You want novels that move slowly and deliberately, building emotional weight through precise observation rather than plot momentum.
  • You appreciate stories about how humans connect and find meaning when everything else has been stripped away.

Maybe not for you if...

  • You prefer plot-driven narratives with clear momentum and resolution.
  • You need escapism and brightness; this book sits firmly in grief and displacement.
  • You're looking for a traditional love story; this is something far stranger and more unsettling.

About this book

Set during the final stages of Sri Lanka's civil war, this novel follows Dinesh, a Tamil evacuee living in a makeshift camp near the coast. Alienated and numb to the violence surrounding him, Dinesh is approached by an old man with an unusual proposal: to marry his daughter, Ganga. In this context, marriage offers a form of protection—a couple is less likely to be conscripted by rebels or abused if the army prevails. Thrust into sudden intimacy and dependence, Dinesh and Ganga attempt to process their experiences and connect with each other, even as the war threatens to engulf them again. Taking place over a single day and night, the novel examines marriage and war, life and death, treating its characters with dignity. The work was shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize.

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Price History

Kindle price over time. Green zones = periods when the book was free.

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Free$7.08$14.15Apr '20Oct '24Mar '25May '26
$1.99$14.15

Price has dropped 13 times over the last 6 years. Goes on sale roughly every 149 days.

Sales Rank

Amazon sales rank: lower number = better selling book. #1 is the bestseller.

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#1,416#499,501#997,586May '18Aug '23Jul '24May '26

Currently around #50K in the Kindle store — a steady mid-list seller. Climbing the charts — 40% improvement recently.

Rating & Reviews

Purple line = star rating over time. Blue area = total review count growth.

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3.5★4.3★5.0★Jul '23Jul '24Nov '24Dec '24Apr '26RatingReviews

Currently 4.0★ from 617 reviews

Gaining approximately 3 new reviews per month. Rating has remained stable at 4.0 over the tracking period.

Sale Prediction

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Free$7.08$14.15Apr '20Oct '24Mar '25May '26PredictedMay '26

Actual Predicted

This book goes on sale roughly every 149 days. Next drop estimated in about 19 weeks. Typical discount: 86% off.

Prices shown in USD from Amazon US. We continuously pull new data to improve tracking. If dates look old, it usually means there has been no significant change since the last data point.

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Anuk Arudpragasam

1 book on Vagrant Press

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