The Professional

The novel tackles the universal struggle of immigration, identity, and the heavy expectations placed on a foreign degree. It comically dismantles the assumption that an elite education guarantees automatic corporate success, exploring instead how individuals adapt when pushed below the invisible grid of a major world metropolis.

Ashok Ferrey is one of Sri Lanka's most prominent English-language authors. He has written seven books, all of which have been variously nominated for major honors including the Gratiaen Prize, the State Literary Award, and the DSC Prize. His novel The Unmarriageable Man won the Gratiaen Prize, and his debut book Colpetty People remains Sri Lanka's top-selling book decades after its release. Beyond writing, he has also worked as a builder, a personal trainer, and a television host.

• • The plot follows Chamath, a young Sri Lankan mathematician who recently graduated from Oxford University. Cut off financially by his father, he is forced to work as a casual laborer on a building site. His life changes drastically when he is approached for off-the-books work and ends up becoming a successful male escort (a "professional"). Just as he finds an unlikely way to sustain himself in London, two former elderly clients try to "rescue" him, leading to chaotic and disastrous consequences. Ultimately, it is a brilliant exploration of love, memory, and time.