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Standstill

The art of evading my problems across three continents

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Standstill

By: Sashi Perera
Narrated by: Sashi Perera
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About this listen

After cancelling a destination wedding in Sri Lanka at the eleventh hour, most people would take a moment to regroup. Not Sashi - insisting she's unfazed, she plunges into working with international refugee organisations around the world. Those sleepless nights are for reflecting on chaotic romances, work stress and transient lifestyles, right?

After one too many messy experiences, Sashi must accept that life is at a standstill. She returns to Australia where her reality stinks. But that just might be where she needs to be.

From online comedy sensation Sashi Perera, Standstill is a memoir of reluctant self-discovery by a person forced towards a mirror kicking and screaming, finally looking in and saying, Oh shit. It's for anyone who's lost their identity, relationship or place in the world and hesitated every step along the journey to get them back.

©2025 Sashi Perera (P)2025 Penguin Random House Australia Audio

Critic reviews

'Brilliant, vulnerable and hilarious. Sashi Perera has given us a comedy, a tragedy, a memoir, a polemic and an instruction manual on self-forgiveness. I laughed and cried, often at the same time.' SHANKARI CHANDRAN

'This book is chaos. This book is laughter and love. This book is a friend. Give it to someone who struggles, to someone you love, someone who needs to forgive themselves. Give it to you. I adored it.' FREDRIK BACKMAN

'This book isn't just funny (which, obviously) - it's also a deep dive into identity and belonging. Even when she's in a hectic shame spiral, completely adrift (which, let's be honest, happens a lot, Sashi), she's still relentlessly searching for meaning in a world that sometimes feels like it's lost its own. Bloody impressive. I loved every page. It's brilliant.' EM RUSCIANO
All stars
Most relevant
I loved the raw honesty, vulnerability, and the qualities of the writing, beautifully articulated. Listening to Sashi’s voice reading ,made the book close-up and personal. Sashi is a treasure, So clever and funny, she describes herself as rising from the ashes.
She is modest about her achievements but has forged a brilliant new career in comedy and self expression. I’m a big fan of Sashi, being a Sri Lankan myself, her writing resonates very closely, specially her descriptions of Sri Lanka and the closeness of family and community there.
I learned about refugee processing and the difficult decisions she had to make when processing distressed and vulnerable peoples asylum applications. Heartbreaking . Sashi writes it all so well and brings it to life. Thank you.

Honest Vulnerable well written and read

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Loved it. Great sense of humour. Interesting and insightful while also hilariously funny. Hope to read more from her

Entertaining, insightful, hilarious

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Sashi starts by cancelling her wedding (something a good Sri Lankan/Australian girl simply Does. Not. Do.) then heading overseas to do refugee work (much of it unpaid), thus trashing her cultural and actual capital. In the wild ride that follows, I learned a lot about a life that has very little in common with my own, except that we both currently live in Melbourne. At times I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to hug or slap young Sashi as she crashed around the globe trying to save the world while struggling to save herself. Her insights into refugee laws and the realities in multiple countries were eye opening. Come for the self-deprecating slapstick and travel adventure, stay for the humane, informed insight. Then go buy a ticket to one of her stand up comedy shows.

A wild & unsparingly honest ride through a unique set of life experiences

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Dear Sashi,
I am going to write this review directly to you as I feel like I know you now!
You have a unique way of story telling that kept me enthralled the whole way through this book. I hope one day my daughter can be as passionate and brave and get to experience the world like you have (minus the smoking and casual s*x!) instead of just following the 'right path' that society has told us we should be on. Your story is inspiring and up lifting and a joy to listen to. Thank you for sharing it. From a fellow Sri Lankan/Aussie and Brit.

The Storytelling

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Very well narrated by the author as she leads us from despair to chaos via the United Nations. An excellent snapshot of a decision that seems to be from nowhere but of course is rooted in everything.

I was fascinated by the machinations of the UN and the nomadic lives of the “exp-pats” across the continents. The authors steadfast belief that she can & will make a difference in the world and the reality bite that arrives.

Funny and lovely whilst making uncomfortable reading at times I highly recommend this listen.

A Standout Memoir

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