Ondaatje's novel follows the exploits of a forensic anthropologist, born in Sri Lanka but educated in America, who returns to her homeland to help uncover the truth behind a series of organized murders. Ondaatje, a Sri Lanka native and author of The English Patient, is a poet at heart and his book teems with scenes, moments and sensations described with what one can only call intense  (SRL10, $14.00)

Kiriyama Prize