Neetha Kunaratnam’s debut collection interrogates violence by examining the societal structures that underpin war and the cultural narratives that justify them. Just Because reflects on the slaughter of civilians in far-away places, and acts of unkindness closer to home. It’s a book that investigates the shared masculinity of Popeye, Spartacus, paintballers and urban teenagers. But Kunaratnam also celebrates fatherhood, and delights in finding the miraculous hidden in the everyday, inexplicable and unexpected pleasures that bring joy, just because...