Youthful Escapades

Upali Mahaliyana's "Youthful Escapades" has been introduced by the writer as a story generating awareness of female pedophiles who predate on adolescents. In his review, Vihanga Perera questions whether Samadara (who has affairs with at least three teenage boys) can be reduced as a pedophile; or whether she represents a more complex personality.

Viewed through the lens of the abuse of under-aged men and the lives they subsequently endeavour to build, the novel presents us with complex characters, relationships, and situations that ask us to consider our own biases and responses when confronted with difficult choices.